The No. 25 West Virginia Mountaineers are now in the second season under the leadership of manager Steve Sabins after former skipper Randy Mazey retired following the 2024 season.
But Sabins learned well from spending years on Mazey's staff, and the former head coach's aggressive brand of offense of the diamond – affectionately coined "Mazey Ball" – clearly still rules the day for the Mountaineers. And it was just as evident on Friday as WVU baseball opened a three-game road series against Liberty with a 12-0 victory to stay undefeated on the season.
Aggressive base stealing, hitting is crucial for West Virginia Mountaineers
"Mazey Ball" is characterized by aggressive base stealing and hot bats, and there was no question that those were two focal points for the Mountaineers on Friday.
West Virginia registered a team batting average .305, recording 11 hits in 36 at-bats on the evening, while stealing six bases – marking their second game in four outings this season with at least six stolen bags. Veteran infielder Brodie Kresser led the team with three hits, going a perfect 3-of-3 at the plate with two doubles and two RBIs.
That ball still hasn't landed yet...@schoenfeld_paul with the GRAND SLAM and it is all West Virginia!#NCAABaseball x 🎥 ESPN+ / @WVUBaseball pic.twitter.com/LesbAYCcXV
— NCAA Baseball (@NCAABaseball) February 20, 2026
Outfielder Paul Schoenfeld went 2-of-4 at the plate, including driving home a grand slam to drive in five runs, and Sean Smith added a 2-for-4 effort at the plate with one home run and two RBIs.
Schoenfeld and Smith added one stolen base each, while Matthew Graveline, Armani Guzaman, Tyrus Hall, and Brock Wills each added one stolent base as well. The Mountaineers will be back in action in a double-header to cap the series against the Flames on Saturday.