The West Virginia Mountaineers accomplished a lot during the 2026 season, but what head coach Steve Sabins dubbed a "miraculous" season came to a heartbreaking end on Wednesday as the Mountaineers dropped a 12-7 decision to the North Carolina Tar Heels, eliminating them from their first-ever College World Series appearance.
Headed into the game, the Mountaineers were playing their fourth game in six days in Omaha, and their pitching staff was running thin. All three normal weekend starters had been rolled out during their time at the College World Series, as well as their typical No. 4 in Ian Korn, who had pitched six innings in relief in he opening game.
Whether the Mountaineers would break out Friday starter Chansen Cole or Korn to start on the mound, or approach things with a different pitch-by-committee method, was a hot topic among West Virginia fans after they defeated Troy on Tuesday to continue on to face the Tar Heels. And the move that the Mountaineers made on the mound did not end up working out.
West Virginia's pitching decisions prove costly in College World Series loss to UNC
The Mountaineers ran with Chansen Cole in his second start of the College World Series, after he opened the first game against Troy. He gave up two runs and was pulled after 52 pitches in his first appearance, and his second outing against the Tar Heels went just as rough – he pitched 2.1 innings, allowing four hits and four runs and tossing two walks in just 41 pitches.
Of course, the other candidates didn't end up faring much better. Ian Korn was next up, and went 3.1 innings, giving up seven hits and six runs in 54 pitches. Reese Bassinger would then give up four hits and two runs in just 1.1 innings pitched.
Ben McDougal, Carson Estridge shine in late relief
The Mountaineers mounted a rally attempt late in the game, scoring six unanswered runs in the seventh and eighth innings, but eventually ran out of time. Part of why they were able to do so were due to the efforts on Ben McDougal and Carson Estridge, who combined to go for two innings, allowing just one hit and zero runs.
One could argue that West Virginia should have tossed McDougal or Estridge on the mound in a riskier move, as both had put on impressive performances in limited action during the NCAA Tournament up to this point, and they could have provided a fresh and unexpcted approach to give WVU some breathing room early.
The pair was a combined 5-0 on the year entering the matchup, but neither had started a game this season and had only made a combined 33 appearances prior to the UNC game. So one could make the case it would have been a larger gamble to give them more time early. But it's also possible it could have saved WVU's season, as well as their best arms, for one more game.
But regardless of the pitching debate or Wednesday's outcome, Sabins has also proved without a shadow of a doubt his worth as the skipper in Morgantown, and that was demonstrated by him being awarded the National Coach of the Year Award last weekend. But unfortunately, his pitching decisions against the Tar Heels didn't fully pan out.
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