WVU baseball set to open campaign at Jacksonville: How to Watch, Preview, Starting Pitchers

West Virginia baseball is set the begin their 2025 season under the leadership of first-year head coach Steve Sabins. To get things underway, the Mountaineers will head to the Sunshine State for a four-game series with Jacksonville.

The Mountaineers enter the season sitting in fourth-place in the Big 12 Preseason Poll and look to capitalize on the momentum from a 2024 season which saw them finish 36-24 overall and advance to the program's first-ever NCAA Super Regional appearance. The Mountaineers bring back a total of 22 athletes from last season's roster.

The Mountaineers will clash with the Dolphins, who enter under the leadership of ninth-year head coach Chris Hayes -- Jacksonville finished their 2024 campaign 27-31, and were selected to finish in fifth-place in the Atlantic Sun (ASUN) Preseason Poll.

WVU announced on Thursday three planned starters at pitcher for the series in Jacksonville, and all the info needed to follow the action has been released -- here's everything you need to know!

First three starting pitchers announced for the four-game set in Jacksonville

The Mountaineers will look to three upperclassmen pitchers to give them quality innings as the starters this weekend. WVU will have some holes to fill in their starting rotation from last season -- former WVU pitcher Aidan Major was selected in the fifth-round of the 2024 MLB Draft by the Cleveland Guardians. Major’s former WVU teammate, pitcher Derek Clark, found himself drafted in the eighth-round of the 2024 MLB Draft by the Los Angeles Angels.

The opening matchup on Friday evening will be opened by Griffin Kirn. The senior southpaw transferred to WVU after 4 seasons at Division 2 powerhouse Quincy University (IL). Last season, Kirn went 8-1 with a 2.96 ERA while striking out 100 batters in 80 innings of work. The flame-thrower averages between 89-91 miles per hour (MPH) with a change-up and a slider.

Game two will see the starting nod go to Robby Porco, a Warrington, Pennsylvania native. Porco posted a 8.71 ERA in 10.1 innings of work last season, and the right-handed junior will hope to bring a stronger presence to the mound in 2025 for the Mountaineers.

Castleton, New York native Gavin Van Kempen will also get a starting opportunity to close out Saturday's double-header, and he has built up some hype prior to the start of the 2025 season. The junior right-handed pitcher was named a Pre-Season All-American. Van Kempen went 7-1 with striking out 35 batters in 28.1 innings last season, and it expected to be a pivotal piece in this rotation if the Mountaineers are hoping for success in 2025.

Pitching will be the key to success for WVU in 2025. With talented fielders such as Logan Suave, Grant Hussey, Sam White, and others returning this season, the hitting and fielding should be consistent with the success from last season. Suave is a hitter who could also potentially have a breakout season for the Mountaineers.

How, When To Watch

For WVU baseball fans interested in keeping up with the action between the Dolphins and Mountaineers, this week, the game time for each clash has been announced: the two teams open with a Friday evening affair, then will battle twice on Saturday before closing out the weekend with a Sunday afternoon rubber match.

GAME ONE: West Virginia at Jacksonville, Friday, February 14th @ 6 P.M. EST

GAME TWO: West Virginia at Jacksonville, Saturday, February 15th @ 1 P.M. EST

GAME THREE: West Virginia at Jacksonville, Saturday, February 15th @ 4:30 P.M. EST

GAME FOUR: West Virginia at Jacksonville, Sunday, February 16th @ 1 P.M. EST

All four games against Jacksonville are currently scheduled to air on ESPN+ with a subscription service.