West Virginia Mountaineers
Overall Rank: #21
Conference Rank: #3 Big 12
The 2019 campaign was a banner year for West Virginia. They reached their second NCAA Tournament in the last three years following a 21 year hiatus. And not only were they in the tournament, they hosted a regional. Their success did not last into the tournament though. After beating Fordham, WVU fell to Duke and were eliminated by Texas A&M. It was a tough grouping for the Mountaineers, but this a program that will continue to compete in the Big 12 under Coach Randy Mazey.
2019: 38-22, 13-11
2019 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Randy Mazey
Key Departed Players:
Darius Hill, OF, .315 BA, 6 HR, 41 RBI
Ivan Gonzalez, C/3B, .294 BA, 3 HR, 31 RBI
Brandon White, OF, .272 BA, 26 RBI, 26 SB
Marques Inman, IF, .262 BA, 9 HR, 41 RBI
Alek Manoah, P, 2.08 ERA, 9-4 W/L, 108.1 IP, 144 SO
Kade Strowd, P, 4.73 ERA, 5-6 W/L, 83.2 IP, 87 SO
Nick Snyder, P, 2.65 ERA, 9-1 W/L, 68.0 IP, 103 SO
Key Returning Players:
Tyler Doanes, IF, .316 BA, 5 HR, 32 RBI, 20 SB
Paul McIntosh, C, .277 BA, 10 HR, 34 RBI
Kevin Brophy, IF, .204 BA, 9 HR, 35 RBI
Jackson Wolf, P, 5.17 ERA, 2-4 W/L, 69.2 IP, 50 SO
Braden Zarbnisky, P/OF, DNP last season
Projection:
The Mountaineers boasted the best ERA in the Big 12 last season. That was in large part due to Alex Manoah and Nicky Snyder, who are both now gone. Jackson Wolf is the only regular starter returning from last season. He went 2-4 with a 5.17 ERA. Ryan Bergert had a very promising freshman campaign and is one of many sophomores who will now be asked to live up to their potential. Players like Beau Lowery, Brock Helverson, Madison Jeffrey and Zach Ottinger fit into that category as well, but had less productive freshmen campaigns. Haden Erbe could find a spot in the starting rotation as well after playing at the junior college level for two seasons. Tyler Doanes, Paul McIntosh and Kevin Brophy should form the heart of the West Virginia lineup. Doanes led the Mountaineers with a .316 batting average and added five homeruns and 32 RBIs. McIntosh belted a team high ten homeruns and Brophy added nine. If this group can find a few more hitters to boost the team batting average, those three should drive in plenty of runs. The return of two-time All-American Braden Zarbnisky, who missed last season with an injury, will help in the lineup and on the mound. Of course, it will be the new look pitching staff that will determine how far this team can go. There might not be another Manoah on the roster, but there are some talented young arms that are ready to step up.
Projected Postseason: NCAA Baseball Tournament
