Marshall Baseball Faces No. 17 West Virginia

The Marshall University baseball team is scheduled to face in-state rival No. 17 West Virginia University on April 7, 2026, at Kendrick Family Ballpark in Morgantown. The contest, originally scheduled for Tuesday, has been moved to Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.

This matchup marks the second of three scheduled meetings between the two programs for the 2026 season. The teams first met on March 24 in Huntington, where West Virginia secured a 3-0 victory. In that initial meeting, the Mountaineers limited the Thundering Herd to a single hit, scoring one run in each of the first three innings to secure the win.

West Virginia’s Current Standing

West Virginia enters the game with a 21-7 record and is ranked No. 17 in the D1 Baseball poll. The team is currently in a regrouping phase following its first series loss of the season against UCF. During that series, the Mountaineers allowed 20 runs and 32 hits over three games, which contributed to a four-spot drop in the national rankings.

Head coach Steve Sabins reported that a viral illness affected several players last week. Sabins stated that six players battled a flu bug involving symptoms such as hot flashes, nausea, and lack of sleep. One of the affected players, Matthew Graveline, appeared as a pinch hitter in the Mountaineers’ lone win of the UCF series on Saturday, delivering a walk-off hit.

The Mountaineers’ offense has experienced a decline in production. While the team averaged 9.5 runs per game over the first nine games of the season, that average dropped to six runs per game over the last eight games. During the two losses to UCF, the offense was limited to a combined total of one run and seven hits.

West Virginia is expected to start sophomore right-handed pitcher David Hagen, who holds a 2-0 record, for the game on April 7.

Marshall’s Recent Performance

Marshall enters the contest with a 14-16 record. The Thundering Herd have struggled recently, losing eight of their last nine games. This stretch includes the 3-0 loss to West Virginia on March 24.

Despite the recent slump, Marshall has shown strength in batting. The team maintains the second-best batting average in its conference at .303, ranking 30th nationally. Evan Bottone leads the Sun Belt Conference with a .431 batting average, which is the 31st best in the country. Bottone and Tyler Kamerer share the team lead for hits with 34 each.

Other notable contributors for Marshall include Tyler Kamerer, who leads the team with nine doubles, and AJ Havrilla, who ranks 10th nationally with 27 walks. Jackson Halter and Cooper Hinson are tied for the team lead in runs batted in with 23 each.

Series Outlook and Future Matchups

West Virginia has held a dominant position in the rivalry recently, winning 11 of the last 14 meetings against Marshall.

Following the April 7 game in Morgantown, the two teams are scheduled to meet for the final time in their 2026 trilogy on May 5. That final contest will be held at a neutral site in Charleston, West Virginia.