Friday, May 29
Morgantown, W.Va.
5 p.m.
West Virginia University
vs
Binghamton
Mountaineers Set to Open Morgantown Regional Against Binghamton
May 28, 2026 06:34 PM | Baseball
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University baseball team begins NCAA Regional play on Friday, May 29, as it takes on Binghamton at Kendrick Family Ballpark. First pitch is set for 5 p.m.
The Mountaineers are the No. 1 seed in the region and No. 16 national seed while the Bearcats are the No. 4 seed in the region. No. 2 Wake Forest and No. 3 Kentucky will play the first game of the day on Friday with first pitch scheduled for 12 p.m.
The game between West Virginia and Binghamton will air on ESPN+ with Tom Hart and Jensen Lewis on the call. It can also be heard on the Mountaineers Sports Network with Andrew Caridi and Jake Weghorst on all radio affiliates as well as the Varsity Network, WVU Gameday App, and WVUSports.com.
The Mountaineers enter the regional with a 39-14 overall record and finished second in the Big 12 with a 21-9 mark. It is the 17th regional appearance in program history and second under second-year head coach Steve Sabins. It is the sixth in the last ninth seasons having also reached in 2017, 2019, 2023, and 2024. It is also the first time the Mountaineers have made four consecutive regional appearances since 1961-64 and the first time hosting since 2019.
Redshirt junior Maxx Yehl was named the Big 12 Pitcher of the Year while fellow pitchers – sophomore Chansen Cole and graduate student Ian Korn – joined Yehl on the All-Big 12 First Team alongside sophomore catcher Gavin Kelly. Senior outfielder Paul Schoenfeld earned a spot on the second team while graduate student Reese Bassinger, senior Carson Estridge, junior Armani Guzman, sophomore Matt Ineich, and graduate student Sean Smith earned honorable mention status.
Kelly leads the team with a .379 batting average, 13 home runs, and 48 RBI. Ineich leads WVU with 55 runs scored, Schoenfeld leads the way with 17 doubles, and Guzman is tops in the Big 12 with 30 stolen bases.
On the mound, Yehl leads the Big 12 with a 2.16 ERA while striking out 95 batters in 79.1 innings. Cole has a 3.04 ERA while going 8-1 and collecting 83 strikeouts in 80.0 innings. Korn has a 2.57 ERA and leads the Big 12 with a 0.98 WHIP.
Binghamton comes into Morgantown with a 31-20 overall record and won the America East regular-season title with a 17-7 mark before winning the conference tournament for the second consecutive season.
Catcher Tommy Popoff, second baseman Sean Sweeney, and outfielder Matt Bolton were named to the America East All-Conference First Team while starting pitchers Conner Griffin and Jackson Mitchell, third baseman Tim Hennig, and outfielder Braylen Gonzalez earned spots on the second team while starting pitcher Mason Holloway was named to the All-Rookie Team. Head coach Tim Sinicki was named America East Coach of the Year for the seventh time in his career.
Bolton leads the team with a .349 batting average while Popoff and Grant Hunter have a team-high seven home runs. Griffin leads the team with 57.1 innings pitched while going 3-3 with a 4.87 ERA and a team-high 62 strikeouts.
The winner of Friday's game will advance in the winner's bracket and will play on Saturday at 5 p.m. while the loser will play at noon on Saturday.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUBaseball on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
The Mountaineers are the No. 1 seed in the region and No. 16 national seed while the Bearcats are the No. 4 seed in the region. No. 2 Wake Forest and No. 3 Kentucky will play the first game of the day on Friday with first pitch scheduled for 12 p.m.
The game between West Virginia and Binghamton will air on ESPN+ with Tom Hart and Jensen Lewis on the call. It can also be heard on the Mountaineers Sports Network with Andrew Caridi and Jake Weghorst on all radio affiliates as well as the Varsity Network, WVU Gameday App, and WVUSports.com.
The Mountaineers enter the regional with a 39-14 overall record and finished second in the Big 12 with a 21-9 mark. It is the 17th regional appearance in program history and second under second-year head coach Steve Sabins. It is the sixth in the last ninth seasons having also reached in 2017, 2019, 2023, and 2024. It is also the first time the Mountaineers have made four consecutive regional appearances since 1961-64 and the first time hosting since 2019.
Redshirt junior Maxx Yehl was named the Big 12 Pitcher of the Year while fellow pitchers – sophomore Chansen Cole and graduate student Ian Korn – joined Yehl on the All-Big 12 First Team alongside sophomore catcher Gavin Kelly. Senior outfielder Paul Schoenfeld earned a spot on the second team while graduate student Reese Bassinger, senior Carson Estridge, junior Armani Guzman, sophomore Matt Ineich, and graduate student Sean Smith earned honorable mention status.
Kelly leads the team with a .379 batting average, 13 home runs, and 48 RBI. Ineich leads WVU with 55 runs scored, Schoenfeld leads the way with 17 doubles, and Guzman is tops in the Big 12 with 30 stolen bases.
On the mound, Yehl leads the Big 12 with a 2.16 ERA while striking out 95 batters in 79.1 innings. Cole has a 3.04 ERA while going 8-1 and collecting 83 strikeouts in 80.0 innings. Korn has a 2.57 ERA and leads the Big 12 with a 0.98 WHIP.
Binghamton comes into Morgantown with a 31-20 overall record and won the America East regular-season title with a 17-7 mark before winning the conference tournament for the second consecutive season.
Catcher Tommy Popoff, second baseman Sean Sweeney, and outfielder Matt Bolton were named to the America East All-Conference First Team while starting pitchers Conner Griffin and Jackson Mitchell, third baseman Tim Hennig, and outfielder Braylen Gonzalez earned spots on the second team while starting pitcher Mason Holloway was named to the All-Rookie Team. Head coach Tim Sinicki was named America East Coach of the Year for the seventh time in his career.
Bolton leads the team with a .349 batting average while Popoff and Grant Hunter have a team-high seven home runs. Griffin leads the team with 57.1 innings pitched while going 3-3 with a 4.87 ERA and a team-high 62 strikeouts.
The winner of Friday's game will advance in the winner's bracket and will play on Saturday at 5 p.m. while the loser will play at noon on Saturday.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUBaseball on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
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/ BaseballNCAA Regional - WVU Baseball | May 28
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