WVU baseball's Skylar King had an incredible day at the plate in Jacksonville.
The Mountaineers knocked out 2-of-4 games in their season-opening series against the Jacksonville Dolphins on Saturday -- in Game One, King went 3-4 with three RBIs and a triple as WVU ran away to a massive 10-3 win behind an explosive offense.
In Game Two, King went on to secure two more hits -- including a game-winning home run that drove home two baserunners counting himself. The junior outfielder was the spark the Mountaineers needed in the second clash of the day between the two teams as WVU captured a narrow 3-2 win to cap the double-header.
Skylar to the moon 🚀 pic.twitter.com/EAcaUOWau5
— WVU Baseball (@WVUBaseball) February 16, 2025
While the first game of the day was defined by the Mountaineers putting their scoring abilities on full display while racking up double-digit hits, the second matchup was a different story.
The WVU offense started very sluggish. The first seven hitters were retired, with hitters four through six getting punched out. Brodie Kresser was hit by a pitch and made it on-base with two outs in the second inning -- he was the first baserunner of the game for the Mountaineers.
WVU only managed to have two hits (King's home run and his hit in the seventh inning) while Jacksonville left nine runners on base. WVU home-run king Grant Hussey hit a sacrifice groundout that allowed Sam White to score to tie the game at 1-1. But a few hitters later, it was the magic of King that was able to give the Mountaineers the runs they needed to complete the doubleheader sweep.
The WVU pitching staff was able to pitch out of some sticky situations and keep a lot of scoring threats stranded on the bases in the closely fought second game -- it began with great start from pitcher Gavin Van Kempen, who would earn the win on the mound.
After being named a Preseason All-American, the 6’6” right-hander did not disappoint in his first start. In the bottom of the first inning, the junior allowed a baserunner, then promptly struck out the next three hitters to strand the runner on the bases.
The only run surrendered by the Preseason All-American came by way of a solo home run in the second. Van Kempen quickly bounced back to retire the next three hitters to end the inning. Getting into a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the third inning, Van Kempen was able to get a groundball to retire the side without allowing a run to score.
Senior Reese Bassinger picked a save in his very impressive appearance in game two on Saturday. Bassinger worked 2.2 innings while allowing only one hit, with zero runs, adding 4 strikeouts. The right-handed pitcher even made a nice play getting off the mound and getting an out at first base to leave two runners stranded in the sixth inning. Bassinger showed great fiery emotion after he got the last out and secured the save and doubleheader sweep.
After securing the doubleheader sweep, the Mountaineers will look to sweep the entire series against Jacksonville on Sunday.