MORGANTOWN, WV (LOOTPRESS) – West Virginia University Director of Athletics Shane Lyons announced the full 2021 baseball schedule on Wednesday.
The Mountaineers’ 48-game, regular-season slate is highlighted by 28 home games at Monongalia County Ballpark, including two homestands of at least 10 games. The 2021 home opener is slated for Friday, March 5, against Kent State.
“We couldn’t be more excited to get back to baseball this spring,” WVU coach Randy Mazey said. “This year’s schedule took quite a bit of effort and patience to complete, but we’re looking forward to all the challenges ahead. The conference looks as strong as ever, and our nonconference opponents will provide plenty of tests, too. We’re counting down the days until we get started.”
WVU opens its 129th year of baseball with a four-game series at Georgia State from Feb. 19-21. It marks the second time in the last three seasons the Mountaineers travel for an opening-weekend series in Atlanta. From there, WVU heads to the CCU Baseball Tournament, hosted by Coastal Carolina, in Conway, South Carolina, for three games from Feb. 26-28. WVU will take on Kennesaw State on Feb. 26, Coastal Carolina on Feb. 27, and Bryant on Feb. 28, in the three-day event.
The Mountaineers open their home slate by welcoming Kent State to Morgantown for a three-game set from March 5-7. After in-state foe Marshall visits Monongalia County Ballpark on Tuesday, March 9, West Virginia will play host to Central Michigan for three games from March 11-13.
In all, WVU will enjoy a 15-game homestand in March, capped by a pair of games against Morehead State from March 16-17, a three-game, weekend series against Coastal Carolina from March 19-21, and the squad’s Big 12 Conference-opening series against Kansas from March 26-28.
WVU’s Big 12 slate was revealed by the conference on Jan. 22, featuring home series against the Jayhawks, as well as Texas Tech (April 16-18), TCU (April 30-May 2) and Oklahoma (May 7-9). West Virginia hits the road for conference series at Oklahoma State (April 1-3), Baylor (April 9-11), Kansas State (April 23-25) and Texas (May 20-22).
Away from the conference, the Mountaineers travel to Pitt on Tuesday, April 6, in the renewal of the Backyard Brawl. The two teams are set to meet in Morgantown on Wednesday, May 5.
WVU concludes nonconference play with a three-game set against Miami (Ohio), from May 14-16, at Monongalia County Ballpark.
The 2021 Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship is scheduled for May 26-30, at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
The Mountaineers are coming off a COVID-19-shortened, 11-5 season in 2020, marking the club’s best 16-game start since 2009. West Virginia is set to welcome 25 returners back to the squad this spring, including junior infielder Tyler Doanes, junior catcher/designated hitter Paul McIntosh and junior left-handed pitcher Jackson Wolf, who were all named Preseason All-Big 12 selections last week.
Additionally, WVU has been featured in a pair of preseason polls leading up to the new campaign. The Mountaineers checked in at No. 14 in D1Baseball.com’s Preseason Top 25, good for the highest preseason ranking by a major poll in program history. On Feb. 2, WVU was slotted at No. 21 in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Preseason Poll.
Due to ongoing COVID-19 health and safety protocols and the current uncertainty on percentage of capacity for 2021 home games, season tickets will not be offered for the 2021 season. Information on available capacity and single-game ticket availability will be released in the coming weeks. Of note, 2020 WVU baseball season ticket holders will receive priority on any available tickets this season.
The new season gets underway with the ninth annual WVU Baseball Leadoff Dinner, on Friday, Feb. 12, held virtually on Zoom. To reserve your spot to the yearly event, which celebrates the start of the 2021 baseball season, or to check out the more than 200 items up for auction, visit WVUMAC.com/Events. All proceeds support the WVU baseball team.
All dates and times are subject to change, and fans are encouraged to stay tuned to WVUsports.com for additional updates on the 2021 Mountaineer baseball schedule.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUBaseball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
