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WVU Baseball: Analyzing the rest of the 2017 season

By Joe Severino

Jun 28, 2016; Omaha, NE, USA; General view of the game between the Arizona Wildcats and Coastal Carolina Chanticleers in game two of the College World Series championship series at TD Ameritrade Park. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 28, 2016; Omaha, NE, USA; General view of the game between the Arizona Wildcats and Coastal Carolina Chanticleers in game two of the College World Series championship series at TD Ameritrade Park. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports /
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The WVU baseball team wrapped up a five game road trip Tuesday night after an 8-6 comeback victory over Virginia Tech. The Mountaineers (24-15) have 16 games remaining on their schedule to try and impress the NCAA selection committee.

Head Coach Randy Mazey won’t want to rely on the selection committee this time around, though.

The Mountaineers missed out on a postseason berth in 2016, despite winning 17 of their final 21 games – including an appearance in the Big 12 Championship.

However, the No. 25 Mountaineers can still make the NCAA Tournament regardless of record. Just like college basketball, an automatic postseason bid is given to the Conference Tournament Champion.

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The 16 remaining games are highlighted by a series in Morgantown against No. 7 Texas Tech (33-10) who appeared in the College World Series in 2016. A series win against the Red Raiders would bode well for WVU.

Also on the schedule are a pair of home series with Oklahoma and Gardner-Webb, an away series with Texas, two games against Penn State (one game at PNC Park) and single matchups at home with Eastern Michigan and Pitt.

Oklahoma and Texas both stand at 28-15 on the season, with Texas currently riding a five-game win streak. A series victory against both squads would give WVU series victories against every member of the Big 12 not named Kansas State.

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Gardner-Webb (20-19) and Eastern Michigan (17-23) are very winnable matchups for the Mountaineers; if they want to impress the selection committee, these are must-win games.

The two games against Penn State (13-26) are also must-win. Losses against a team who is 2-9 in their last 11 games could deliver a major blow to WVU’s postseason chances.

In the diamond version of the Backyard Brawl, WVU will look to sweep Pitt (17-20) on the year, after defeating them earlier in the year, 8-4.

After analyzing WVU’s remaining schedule, it’s fair to say the Mountaineers are in good shape. They have a golden chance to polish off their already impressive 2017 resume with a couple wins against top-10-regular Texas Tech.  They could also lock up the No. 2 seed in the Big 12 Tournament after that series as well.

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But right now, all Coach Mazey and WVU should focus on is playing one game at a time and keep winning ballgames. The Mountaineers are having their best season since 2009, when they went 37-18.

A lot can happen between now and May 21 (WVU’s final game at Texas), but Coach Mazey should sleep well knowing his team is in way better position right now than they were a year ago.

WVU returns to action Friday night when Oklahoma comes to town.  First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at Monongalia County Ballpark.

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