Friday, May 22
Surprise, Ariz.
11 p.m.
West Virginia University
39-13
7
vs
3
Arizona State
37-19
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona State | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| West Virginia | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | X | 7 | 11 | 1 |
West Virginia Advances to Big 12 Tournament Final With Victory Over Arizona State
May 23, 2026 04:30 AM | Baseball
SURPRISE, Ariz. – In front of a hostile crowd, the ninth-ranked and No. 2-seed West Virginia University baseball team defeated 21st-ranked and No. 3-seed Arizona State, 7-3, Friday night to advance to the Big 12 Championship game for the third time in program history. The Mountaineers improve to 39-13 while the Sun Devils fall to 37-19.
The Mountaineers will face the No. 1-seed Kansas Jayhawks on Saturday in the final. First pitch is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET from Surprise Stadium.
For the second straight night, graduate student Sean Smith had three hits to lead the team and scored two runs. Graduate student Brodie Kresser added two hits and two RBI while juniors Tyrus Hall and Armani Guzman each drove in a run as well.
On the mound, sophomore Chansen Cole tossed 5.0 innings and allowed two runs while striking out six. Graduate student Reese Bassinger earned the win, needing just 19 pitches to get through 1.2 scoreless innings. Junior Dawson Montesa earned his first save with 1.2 scoreless innings, striking out one.
Kresser got the Mountaineers on the board in the second with a two-out RBI single just over the third baseman's leaping attempt.
In the fourth, Cole gave up his first hit of the game, a triple to Nu'u Contrades, before Dean Toigo hit his 17th home run of the season to put Arizona State in front. The Sun Devils added a run in the sixth on a wild pitch to take a two-run lead.
In the bottom of the sixth, ASU took starting pitcher and projected-first round draft pick Cole Carlon out of the game with one out after 79 pitches. Following the change, five straight Mountaineers reached base as WVU took the lead. Three straight singles by Smith, senior Matthew Graveline, and Guzman got the Mountaineers within one. A wild pitch moved runners to second and third before Kresser hit a grounder to shortstop. Arizona State's PJ Moutzouridis got around the ball and scooped it up, but his running throw was in the dirt and got away from Dominic Smaldino at first, allowing Guzman to score the go-ahead run.
After Bassinger got through a clean seventh inning, the Sun Devils threatened in the eighth, but Montesa struck out Austen Roellig looking on a curveball to strand runners at first and third.
In the bottom of the eighth, WVU tacked on three insurance runs. Kresser hit a single in which Guzman advanced to the third, but when the throw hit his helmet, he scampered home. Hall then followed with a two-out single to score Kresser before coming home to score as he stole second and advanced two bases with the throw going into no-man's land in shallow center field.
In the ninth, ASU got the first two batters on before Montesa induced three straight flyouts to right, including a shot by National Player of the Year favorite Landon Hairston to the warning track to end the game. For the first time this season, WVU kept Hairston in the ballpark as he finished 0-for-4 on the night.
It is the first time since 2019 that WVU has advanced to the Big 12 title game and third time overall, having also reached the final in 2016. The Mountaineers will be looking for their first tournament title since winning the Big East Tournament in 1996.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUBaseball on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
The Mountaineers will face the No. 1-seed Kansas Jayhawks on Saturday in the final. First pitch is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET from Surprise Stadium.
For the second straight night, graduate student Sean Smith had three hits to lead the team and scored two runs. Graduate student Brodie Kresser added two hits and two RBI while juniors Tyrus Hall and Armani Guzman each drove in a run as well.
On the mound, sophomore Chansen Cole tossed 5.0 innings and allowed two runs while striking out six. Graduate student Reese Bassinger earned the win, needing just 19 pitches to get through 1.2 scoreless innings. Junior Dawson Montesa earned his first save with 1.2 scoreless innings, striking out one.
Kresser got the Mountaineers on the board in the second with a two-out RBI single just over the third baseman's leaping attempt.
In the fourth, Cole gave up his first hit of the game, a triple to Nu'u Contrades, before Dean Toigo hit his 17th home run of the season to put Arizona State in front. The Sun Devils added a run in the sixth on a wild pitch to take a two-run lead.
In the bottom of the sixth, ASU took starting pitcher and projected-first round draft pick Cole Carlon out of the game with one out after 79 pitches. Following the change, five straight Mountaineers reached base as WVU took the lead. Three straight singles by Smith, senior Matthew Graveline, and Guzman got the Mountaineers within one. A wild pitch moved runners to second and third before Kresser hit a grounder to shortstop. Arizona State's PJ Moutzouridis got around the ball and scooped it up, but his running throw was in the dirt and got away from Dominic Smaldino at first, allowing Guzman to score the go-ahead run.
After Bassinger got through a clean seventh inning, the Sun Devils threatened in the eighth, but Montesa struck out Austen Roellig looking on a curveball to strand runners at first and third.
In the bottom of the eighth, WVU tacked on three insurance runs. Kresser hit a single in which Guzman advanced to the third, but when the throw hit his helmet, he scampered home. Hall then followed with a two-out single to score Kresser before coming home to score as he stole second and advanced two bases with the throw going into no-man's land in shallow center field.
In the ninth, ASU got the first two batters on before Montesa induced three straight flyouts to right, including a shot by National Player of the Year favorite Landon Hairston to the warning track to end the game. For the first time this season, WVU kept Hairston in the ballpark as he finished 0-for-4 on the night.
It is the first time since 2019 that WVU has advanced to the Big 12 title game and third time overall, having also reached the final in 2016. The Mountaineers will be looking for their first tournament title since winning the Big East Tournament in 1996.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUBaseball on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Bassinger, Reese (4-2)
L: Edwards, Finn (1-3)
S: Montesa, Dawson (1)
Batting:
3B: Contrades, Nu'u 1
HR: Toigo, Dean 1
RBI: Toigo, Dean 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Contrades, Nu'u 2 ; Toigo, Dean 1
SB: Contrades, Nu'u 1
HBP: Moutzouridis, PJ 1
Batting:
2B: Barjam, Zahir 1 ; Smith, Sean 1
RBI: Guzman, Armani 1 ; Hall, Tyrus 1 ; Kresser, Brodie 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Graveline, Matthew 1 ; Guzman, Armani 2 ; Hall, Tyrus 1 ; Smith, Sean 2 ; Kresser, Brodie 1
SB: Hall, Tyrus 1
CS: Schoenfeld, Paul 1
Players Mentioned
RHP
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