Just a few days ago, West Virginia pitcher Maxx Yehl was named Big 12 Pitcher of the Year after posting the lowest ERA in the conference. On Thursday night in Surprise, Arizona, head coach Steve Sabins chose Yehl to start for the ninth-ranked Mountaineers in their Big 12 Tournament quarterfinal matchup as the No. 2 seed against No. 11-seeded Kansas State. WVU had earned a bye through the first two rounds.
Yehl lived up to his conference accolade, tossing six scoreless innings to give the offense just enough run support in a 4-2 win over Kansas State. WVU now awaits the winner between No. 3 seed Arizona State and No. 6 seed Cincinnati, with the game set for 11 p.m. EST on May 22, streaming on ESPN+. Kansas State had won its first two tournament games but couldn’t extend their run. The Mountaineers improved to 38-13 on the season.
Though Yehl had a shaky start, allowing baserunners in the second inning, he quickly found his rhythm. He cruised through the Kansas State lineup, logging three 1-2-3 innings and carrying a no-hitter into the fifth. Yehl finished with seven strikeouts over 6.1 innings, issuing three walks and surrendering three hits.
Yehl’s outing ended when fatigue set in during the seventh inning, as Kansas State’s Grant Gallagher tagged him for a two-run homer. That marked the end of Yehl’s night.
The WVU offense was slow to provide support, leaving several runners in scoring position early. Finally, in the sixth inning, the Mountaineers added some breathing room.
The first run of the sixth came in classic WVU baseball fashion. With Sean Smith on third and Armani Guzman batting, Guzman swung awkwardly at a bad pitch. Coach Sabins signaled to him, and on the next pitch, Guzman laid down a squeeze bunt to the right of the pitcher. The pitcher and third baseman collided, allowing Smith to score and Guzman to reach safely.
Guzman later came home on a wild pitch, and Brock Wills drove in Brodie Kresser with a single.
Thanks to a first-inning home run from Gavin Kelly, WVU led 4-0 after six innings. Designated hitter Sean Smith had a big day with three hits, while the rest of the lineup each contributed a hit as well. The Mountaineers totaled 11 hits, compared to just four for the Wildcats.
After Kansas State cut the lead to 4-2 with the two-run homer, Sabins played it safe and brought in his top reliever, Ian Korn, an All-Big 12 first-team pitcher. Korn had been the Thursday starter for WVU’s final regular-season series against TCU and performed well in his second start of that series.
Korn delivered another excellent outing, unfazed by his bullpen role this time. He closed out the game, striking out five of the nine batters he faced. Korn allowed just one hit in the final inning, with left fielder Matthew Graveline making a nice catch on a deep ball for the second out.
WVU now waits for the winner of Arizona State vs. Cincinnati. The Mountaineers took two of three on the road against the Sun Devils earlier this season, but lost a road series to the Bearcats. WVU will likely turn to pitcher Chansen Cole, the team’s No. 2 behind Yehl, to try to secure a spot in the championship game.
The Mountaineers are aiming to advance past the semifinals this time. Last year, as the No. 1 seed, WVU was eliminated in the semifinals by Arizona, 12-1, with the Wildcats going on to win the Big 12 Tournament.
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