A bitter in-state rivalry is renewed for the second time this season between the West Virginia Mountaineers (30-4) and the Marshall Thundering Herd (18-18). The second contest in the three-game series takes place at Jack Cook Field on Tuesday, April 15th, with first pitch scheduled for 6 p.m. in Huntington. Read more WVU baseball set for second battle against Marshall below.
Coming Into Tuesday
These two teams are coming off distinctly different weekend series in the Big 12 and Sun Belt conferences, respectively. Marshall took one of three home matchups against Appalachian State. As for West Virginia, the Mountaineers are coming off another series sweep, this time on the road against the Houston Cougars.
Across the three games in Houston, the Mountaineers outscored the Cougars by a combined total of 29-14. Bats have remained hot for WVU all season, but this has especially been the case across the 10-game winning streak the Mountaineers have strung together over the past several weeks.
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While Marshall lost two of three against Appalachian State as part of the team’s most recent homestand, the Thundering Herd still possesses a neutral record and has collected several impressive wins. On that resume are two road wins against a solid Georgia Tech squad, a conference series win against a ranked Southern Mississippi team, and a road win against the then-ranked Troy Trojans in Sun Belt Conference action. Marshall possesses a 13-6 home record at Jack Cook Field in 2025, a facility that opened at the start of the 2024 season.
Players To Watch For
WVU had quite the productive weekend offensively, which has been par for the course for the majority of the 2025 campaign. The toughest part of picking players to watch for when it comes to the Mountaineers is that the entire roster can hit. It seems as if there is a different standout player in the batting rotation every game.
For example, Logan Sauve blasted two home runs and batted in four runs total in game three. In the second outing, Gavin Kelly and Kyle West led the way with doubles and 2 RBI apiece. As for game one versus the Cougars, Chase Swain was the main catalyst in the batting order. Simply put, watch out for every single player that WVU Head Coach Steve Sabins sends out to the batter’s box.
For Marshall, a team coming off an 8-5 loss in extra innings this past Sunday afternoon, two players that stick out are Jackson Halter and Elijah Vogelsong, two members of the Herd that went yard in the losing effort.
The Thundering Herd roster also possesses the self-proclaimed “Killer E’s” in the heart of the lineup, which consists of Ethan Murdoch, Eddie Leon, and the aforementioned Elijah Vogelsong. Unfortunately for Marshall, West Virginia shut down the entire batting rotation when these two squads squared off at Kendrick Family Ballpark last month, as the Mountaineers cruised to a comfortable 7-0 shutout.
Tune In
Tuesday night’s in-state showdown between WVU and Marshall is slated for a 6 p.m. first pitch in Huntington. The Mountaineers will try and avenge its 2024 loss that the team suffered at the same venue, the only game that Marshall took against West Virginia in last season’s three-game series. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and multiple radio stations in the Huntington area, including WMUL-FM and WRVC.
