MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — No. 12 West Virginia can extend its winning streak to 10 games or more when Oklahoma comes to town for a three-game series this weekend at Monongalia County Ballpark.
The Sooners travel to Granville after winning six of their last seven games and scoring almost seven runs per game during that stretch.
Here is everything you need to know about this weekend’s matchup on the diamond.
No. 12 WVU baseball vs Oklahoma series information
Location: Wagener Field at Monongalia County Ballpark
All-time series: Oklahoma holds the all-time series-lead with a 19-13 record over the Mountaineers since 2012.
Last meeting: The Sooners took two-of-three games in Big 12 regular season play in May of 2022. They also sent WVU into the loser’s bracket of the conference tournament following a first-round matchup last year.
West Virginia record: 34-11, 11-4 Big 12
Oklahoma record: 25-20, 10-9 Big 12
Game 1
Date: Friday, May 5, 2023
Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
TV/stream: Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Radio: Mountaineer Sports Network
WVU probable starter: LHP Ben Hampton (4-1, 4.18 ERA)
OU probable starter: RHP Braxton Douthit (4-3, 4.26 ERA)
Game 2
Date: Saturday, May 6, 2023
Time: 4 p.m. ET
TV/stream: Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Radio: Mountaineer Sports Network
WVU probable starter: RHP Blaine Traxel (6-3, 3.05 ERA)
OU probable starter: LHP Braden Carmichael (4-0, 3.59 ERA)
Game 3
Date: Sunday, May 7, 2023
Time: 1 p.m. ET
TV/stream: Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Radio: Mountaineer Sports Network
WVU probable starter: TBA
OU probable starter: TBA
Matchup preview
Oklahoma is on stronger footing since it lost three-straight conference-series against a struggling Baylor team, Texas Tech and Oklahoma State. Over the last few weeks, the Sooners swept Texas and stole a series from Kansas before picking up a key-victory over No. 16 Dallas Baptist.
The Mountaineers are riding a nine-game winning streak that ties their run from the nonconference portion of the schedule in March. During this run, WVU is averaging a 7.3-run margin of victory per game. In five of the last six games, the Mountaineers have scored 10 or more runs, while winning each of those game by 10 runs or more.
The last time these two teams met, the Sooners relegated WVU to the loser’s bracket of the 2022 Big 12 Tournament. Earlier in the year, Oklahoma took two of three games in Norman, Oklahoma. The Sooners have a slight advantage in the record books for games played in the Morgantown-area with a 10-9 record against WVU on Mountaineer turf.
On both the pitching mound (seventh) and in the batter’s box (sixth), Oklahoma trends towards the bottom half of the conference statistically. The one area where the Sooners excel is getting on base. OU’s .401 on-base percentage trails only Texas Tech and WVU.
Kendall Pettis (.325) and Anthony Mackenzie (.324) are the leading Sooner-hitters this season. Mackenzie has played in every game this season, and his 21 stolen bases rank him tied for third in the Big 12.
While WVU has the second-highest batting average in the conference (.306), the players have not sacrificed power for contact. The Mountaineers’ 62 homers are good for the third-highest total in the Big 12.
J.J. Wetherholt (12) and Caleb McNeely (10) each homered in the midweek victory over Pitt Wednesday. Grant Hussey (11) also joins the list of Mountaineers with 10+ home runs in 2023.
Wetherholt’s .470 average is still the best in the Big 12, and it is the third-highest average in nation.
On the mound, southpaw Ben Hampton (4-1, 4.18 ERA) and righty Blaine Traxel (6-3, 305 ERA) continue to anchor the Mountaineer pitching staff. Traxel leads the country with five complete games in 2023.
