Friday, April 3
Morgantown, W.Va.
6:30 PM
West Virginia University
vs
UCF
Mountaineers Host No. 23 UCF in Battle for First Place
April 02, 2026 04:09 PM | Baseball
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – After finishing a 4-1 road trip, the No. 13 West Virginia University baseball team returns home for a weekend series against first place and No. 23 UCF at Kendrick Family Ballpark. First pitch on Friday is set for 6:30 p.m., Saturday for 4 p.m., and Sunday for noon.
Tickets are available at WVUGame.com, by calling 1-800-WVU-GAME or visiting the Mountaineer Ticket Office at Kendrick Family Ballpark. Student tickets are free with a WVU ID. Fans can watch the game on ESPN+, listen on the Mountaineer Sports Network, and can follow with live stats at WVUsports.com.
Kick things off on Friday for Mario Night, with a special Mario Galaxy themed poster giveaway for the first 500 fans, paired with Friday Happy Hour brought to you by Mountain State Brewing Co. from the time gates open to first pitch. Then bring out your pups on Saturday for Bark at the Park and a special pet bag dispenser giveaway for the first 250 furry friends. Make sure to fill out the waiver to participate. Finish up the weekend with Throwback Sunday and Kids Day, with a special throwback jersey keychain giveaway, kids run the bases, postgame autographs, egg hunt and more.
The 2026 National Championship WVU Rifle team will be recognized at Friday's game and will be signing autographs pregame as well as throwing out the first pitch. A photo opportunity with the National Championship trophy is available to all fans. Fans will also be able to buy National Championship merchandise at the ballpark.
Reserved parking will be in effect for both Friday and Saturday games. Access to the lot adjacent to Kendrick Family Ballpark requires a valid parking pass. A limited number of ADA-accessible spaces are available near Gate A and next to the Clubhouse on a first-come, first-served basis. All other fans should use the general parking lots located across the street from Kendrick Family Ballpark.
West Virginia is 20-5 overall this season and 7-2 in the Big 12 after winning a series at No. 22 Arizona State. The Mountaineers followed that with a non-conference win over Arizona on Tuesday.
Senior Paul Schoenfeld leads the Mountaineers with a .422 batting average and 28 RBI while sophomore Gavin Kelly is hitting .415 along with 26 RBI and four home runs, one of three WVU players with four.
Kelly was named the Buster Posey Award Watch List for the nation's top catcher in addition to being named a midseason All-American by both Perfect Game and D1Baseball as a second baseman. Redshirt junior Maxx Yehl earned midseason All-America honors from both publications as well while David Perez earned a spot on the All-Freshman Second Team by Baseball America.
Pitching Probables
RHP Dawson Montesa (3-3, 5.77 ERA, 43 K, 17 BB, 34.1 IP) vs. RHP Braden Smith (3-1, 6.40 ERA, 23 K, 8 BB, 32.1 IP)
LHP Maxx Yehl (5-0, 1.38 ERA, 48 K, 11 BB, 39.0 IP) vs. TBA
RHP Chansen Cole (4-0, 3.62 ERA, 33 K, 17 BB, 32.1 IP) vs. RHP Camden Wicker (2-1, 2.78 ERA, 26 K, 11 BB, 32.1 IP)
Led by third-year head coach Rich Wallace, UCF is 18-8 overall and in first place in the Big 12 at 8-1 after sweeping Arizona this past weekend.
John Smith III leads the team with a .387 batting average while Andrew Williamson has a team-high six home runs and 25 RBI.
On the mound, Matt Sauser leads the nation with a 0.64 ERA but missed last weekend's start against Arizona. Camden Wicker has a 2.78 ERA and leads the team with 26 strikeouts.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUBaseball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Tickets are available at WVUGame.com, by calling 1-800-WVU-GAME or visiting the Mountaineer Ticket Office at Kendrick Family Ballpark. Student tickets are free with a WVU ID. Fans can watch the game on ESPN+, listen on the Mountaineer Sports Network, and can follow with live stats at WVUsports.com.
Kick things off on Friday for Mario Night, with a special Mario Galaxy themed poster giveaway for the first 500 fans, paired with Friday Happy Hour brought to you by Mountain State Brewing Co. from the time gates open to first pitch. Then bring out your pups on Saturday for Bark at the Park and a special pet bag dispenser giveaway for the first 250 furry friends. Make sure to fill out the waiver to participate. Finish up the weekend with Throwback Sunday and Kids Day, with a special throwback jersey keychain giveaway, kids run the bases, postgame autographs, egg hunt and more.
The 2026 National Championship WVU Rifle team will be recognized at Friday's game and will be signing autographs pregame as well as throwing out the first pitch. A photo opportunity with the National Championship trophy is available to all fans. Fans will also be able to buy National Championship merchandise at the ballpark.
Reserved parking will be in effect for both Friday and Saturday games. Access to the lot adjacent to Kendrick Family Ballpark requires a valid parking pass. A limited number of ADA-accessible spaces are available near Gate A and next to the Clubhouse on a first-come, first-served basis. All other fans should use the general parking lots located across the street from Kendrick Family Ballpark.
West Virginia is 20-5 overall this season and 7-2 in the Big 12 after winning a series at No. 22 Arizona State. The Mountaineers followed that with a non-conference win over Arizona on Tuesday.
Senior Paul Schoenfeld leads the Mountaineers with a .422 batting average and 28 RBI while sophomore Gavin Kelly is hitting .415 along with 26 RBI and four home runs, one of three WVU players with four.
Kelly was named the Buster Posey Award Watch List for the nation's top catcher in addition to being named a midseason All-American by both Perfect Game and D1Baseball as a second baseman. Redshirt junior Maxx Yehl earned midseason All-America honors from both publications as well while David Perez earned a spot on the All-Freshman Second Team by Baseball America.
Pitching Probables
RHP Dawson Montesa (3-3, 5.77 ERA, 43 K, 17 BB, 34.1 IP) vs. RHP Braden Smith (3-1, 6.40 ERA, 23 K, 8 BB, 32.1 IP)
LHP Maxx Yehl (5-0, 1.38 ERA, 48 K, 11 BB, 39.0 IP) vs. TBA
RHP Chansen Cole (4-0, 3.62 ERA, 33 K, 17 BB, 32.1 IP) vs. RHP Camden Wicker (2-1, 2.78 ERA, 26 K, 11 BB, 32.1 IP)
Led by third-year head coach Rich Wallace, UCF is 18-8 overall and in first place in the Big 12 at 8-1 after sweeping Arizona this past weekend.
John Smith III leads the team with a .387 batting average while Andrew Williamson has a team-high six home runs and 25 RBI.
On the mound, Matt Sauser leads the nation with a 0.64 ERA but missed last weekend's start against Arizona. Camden Wicker has a 2.78 ERA and leads the team with 26 strikeouts.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUBaseball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Players Mentioned
RHP
/ Baseball
UTL
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
Coal Rush Baseball Uniform Reveal
Wednesday, March 11
Steve Sabins | Feb. 16
Monday, February 16
Matthew Graveline | Feb. 16
Monday, February 16
Reese Bassinger | Feb. 9
Monday, February 09
