During last Tuesday's matchup against the Ohio State Buckeyes, West Virginia baseball sophomore outfielder Armani Guzman made a highlight catch to help secure a win for the Mountaineers.
WVU had a three-run lead over Ohio State in the home half of the fifth inning. WVU reliever Reese Bassinger was on the mound trying to maintain the lead, and he greatly benefitted from Guzman’s stunning play, that has since went viral online
With a runner on first base and zero outs, Guzman ranged back to the wall and made a leaping catch, bringing back what would have been a two-run home run for the Buckeyes if it wasn’t for Guzman’s fantastic effort. WVU ultimately defeated the Buckeyes by a final score of 9-6, but who knows how the game would have gone without the sophomore’s sensational play.
The home run-robbing catch would have been enough for WVU fans to appreciate the outfielder’s effort, but Guzman added an extra touch to the already sensational play. When the New York native came down the ball, he immediately fired a strike back into the infield to Grant Hussey, nabbing a Buckeye runner who was attempting to get back into first base after not tagging up. The double play allowed Bassinger to escape the fifth inning with no damage done.
Guzman’s fantastic catch gets national media attention
Guzman received some much-deserved national media attention for his home run-robbing catch on Tuesday. The MLB's X/Twitter account posted the video of Guzman’s catch with the caption “The robbery followed by the PERFECT throw INSANE stuff from Armani Guzman.”
The robbery followed by the PERFECT throw 🤯
— MLB (@MLB) April 2, 2025
INSANE stuff from Armani Guzman
(🎥 : @WVUBaseball) pic.twitter.com/gvMIlJJfIq
Guzman has been receiving more opportunities to play with injuries to Logan Sauve, who has since returned to the lineup after his issues, and Sam White, who was injured in a home run celebration during the Arizona series a few weeks ago. Guzman has been taking advantage of these opportunities by making great plays in the outfield and contributing offensively.
A year removed from his role mainly being a pinch runner and bench bat, Guzman has been much more of a contributor to the success of the Mountaineers this year. This year, he is posting a .296 batting average with a .423 slugging percentage, 15 RBIs, and two home runs. The former infielder turned outfielder/utility man provides both position flexibility and production (in the field and at the plate) for first-year head coach Steve Sabins.
WVU racked up two non-conference wins against Ohio State and Pitt on Tuesday and Wednesday last week, respectively, before sweeping a Big 12 doubleheader against Utah this past weekend -- the Mountaineers are on a six-game winning streak.