The WVU baseball team did exactly what it needed to do on Wednesday. The Mountaineers began the Big 12 Tournament on a high note with a 6-0 win over Oklahoma.
West Virginia looked solid in its first postseason game, though it didn’t start as easily as it ended.
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The Mountaineers went to freshman Michael Grove on the mound. However, he didn’t get out of the first inning. Instead, he was taken out due to an injury when fielding a ground ball.
Things could have went awry then, but in came Ross Vance.
Vance, one of few seniors on the team, buckled down and sparkled in his fill-in appearance. He struck out seven over 8.2 innings with just three walks.
Even better than that, Vance only allowed one hit.
“If you know anything about Vance and his mentality, you know that that situation is made for his makeup,” said WVU head coach Randy Mazey in a postgame press conference.
Vance had not had an outing this dominant at any point this season. He ended the regular season with an earned run average above five and he was allowing opponents to hit at a .269 clip.
The Sooners were kept at bay on Wednesday, though. The same could not be said for the Mountaineers.
The WVU baseball team was efficient at the plate as it tallied nine hits en route to the Mountaineers’ nine runs. West Virginia got on the board with one run in the third inning, then put the game away shortly after with a four-spot in the fourth inning.
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Kyle Davis led at the plate with his ninth home run of the season. Meanwhile, Cole Austin and KC Huth each had multi-hit performances.
With the victory, the Mountaineers notched their 34th mark in the win column this season. That total is the most in Mazey’s four-year career.
The WVU baseball team can build off this statement-making win with another intriguing match up in the next round of this double-elimination tournament.
The Mountaineers will face Texas Tech on Thursday at 5 p.m. West Virginia has already proven it can hang with the Red Raiders, who happen to be the top team in the Big 12. Plus, the Mountaineers did have one win against this team.
It should be one of the marquee contests in this competitive tournament.