The West Virginia Mountaineers will be making the trip to Omaha for the 2026 Men’s College World Series. It will be the first time in program history that they will make the prestigious trip to Omaha.
West Virginia finds itself in what is being seen as the non-SEC bracket with North Carolina, Ole Miss and Troy. Ole Miss is the only SEC team separated from the rest of its conference rivals in Omaha. West Virginia was the No. 16 seed and hosted a Regional in Morgantown. After losing their second game 11-9 to Kentucky, they had to beat Wake Forest and Kentucky twice to get through to the Super Regional.
It was not easy for the Mountaineers, who scraped by against Kentucky twice to secure their spot in a Super Regional. Luckily for the Mountaineers, UCLA suffered an upset loss in the Regional and was eliminated. With the No. 1 seed out of the tournament, West Virginia took on Cal Poly in Morgantown. West Virginia outscored Cal Poly 29-3 in two games and punched their ticket to Omaha for the first time.
This year marked just the third time the program reached a Super Regional, with the other two instances being the previous two seasons. In Steve Sabins’ first year as the head coach, he has taken the team further than any coach before him. However, the job is not finished. Sabins and his group of Big 12 stars will now have to go through three tough teams to play for a National Championship.
Southpaw Max Yehl leads the way for the Mountaineers on the mound. After missing all of the 2025 season, he came back and was named Big 12 Pitcher of the Year. He leads the conference with a 2.10 ERA. He also notched 105 strikeouts in 90 innings. However, he is not alone in dominance on the mound. Sophomore Chansen Cole had a 2.85 ERA on the year and 106 strikeouts. Ian Korn also stands out as a swingman for the Mountaineers. He has thrown 70 1/3 innings in 22 games, notching 63 strikeouts and recording a 1.052 WHIP.
The Mountaineers have the pitching, but the question is whether their offense can keep up with the likes of Ole Miss, UNC and Troy. Catcher Gavin Kelly leads the team with a .384 batting average and has hit 17 home runs on the season. Paul Schoenfeld was named All-Big 12 Second-Team after a 50 RBI season and a .342 batting average in 60 games. Junior Armani Guzman is a name to watch on the basepaths as well. He stole 38 bases this season, tying Victor Scott II for a program record.
West Virginia Mountaineers Schedule
All times Eastern Standard Time
Friday, June 12
2 p.m. – Game 1 – Bracket 1 – West Virginia (45-15) vs. Troy (38-30) – ESPN
7 p.m. – Game 2 – Bracket 1 – North Carolina (50-12-1) vs. Ole Miss (41-21) – ESPN
Sunday, June 14
3 p.m. – Game 5 – Bracket 1 – Game 1 Losing Team vs. Game 2 Losing Team – ESPN
8 p.m. – Game 6 – Bracket 1 – Game 1 Winning Team vs. Game 2 Winning Team – ESPN
Photo: West Virginia catcher Gavin Kelly (2) runs to first base during an NCAA regional baseball game against Binghamton on Friday, May 29, 2026, in Morgantown,W.Va. West Virginia won 10-1. (AP Photo/Mike Buscher)
