WVU baseball hosted the Binghamton Bearcats to kick off action at the Morgantown Regional in the NCAA Tournament on Friday, and they faced little challenge on the way to a 10-1 victory, despite a relatively slow start at the plate. Part of the reason why the Mountaineers were able to maneuver through the opening game of the action so smoothly has to do with the performance turned in from their pitching staff.
In an attempt to save their Big 12 Pitcher of the Year Maxx Yehl for later in the weekend, the Mountaineers gave sophomore Chansen Cole the starting nod on the mound – and he wouldn't regret it. Cole has bounced around the weekend starting lineup this year, proving reliable in multiple spots.
And when called upon to get things off on the right foot for the Mountaineers this weekend, it was business as usual for Cole. He would pitch six full innings for West Virginia, recording 10 strikeouts and zero walks, and allowing just four hits and one run.
"Cole has continued to do what Chansen Cole does, regardless of the environment or the situation," said head coach Steve Sabins. "He's good enough to beat anybody in the country in any situation if he's just himself, and he was himself today and had a lot of success."
The Mountaineers then called upon David Hagan for relief, and he put in just as impressive of an effort – he went three innings on the mound, and allowed no hits while tossing three strikeouts and no walks.
"Fired up for David Hagen," said Sabins. "He hasn't been in a ton of games this year, but he's pitched in really important games. Over the course of the season, it's about getting better, and that's what this guy has done. He just consistently gets better. I was fired up for him today. He was 90-92 (MPH)Â with plus off-speed offerings. For him to be able to come in that game and save some of our bullpen was critical."
The Mountaineers struggled on the mound as the postseason wore on last year, and had some issues at different points during the current regular season as well. With veteran JJ Glasscock injured and preseason all-conference selection Chase Meyer dismissed from the team earlier this season, there was no guarantee things would be good to go on the mound for the NCAA Tournament.
The strong opening performance, however, shows the Mountaineers might have what it takes on the mound to make a run at Omaha this season, and burning through just two arms – neither the main weekend starter – to open reional play with a win puts the team in a great position to advance past this weekend.
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