MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia and Penn State will renew their long rivalry on the diamond this week. Tuesday’s contest in State College will be the first of two meetings between the two programs this month.
Here’s everything you need to know about the matchup.
West Virginia vs. Penn State game information
- Date: Tuesday, April 11, 2023
- Location: Medlar Field at Lubrano Park in State College, Pennsylvania
- West Virginia record: 23-9
- Penn State record: 17-11
- All-time series: Penn State leads 71-44 since 1904
- Last meeting: Penn State defeated West Virginia 8-4 on April 27, 2022, in Granville
- First pitch: 6:00 p.m. ET
- Stream: BIG+
- Radio: Mountaineer Sports Network
- WVU probable starter: RHP Grant Siegel (2-2, 7.09 ERA)
- PSU probable starter: RHP Ben DeMell (0-0, 8.50 ERA)
West Virginia vs. Penn State preview
West Virginia and Penn State have met 115 times on the diamond. The Mountaineers have won three of the last four meetings, but the Nittany Lions have owned the series overall. Both teams won on each other’s home field last season, with both games being decided by an 8-4 score.
West Virginia is coming off a weekend series in which the Mountaineers dropped two of three games to Kansas. Penn State enters the midweek contest off a series sweep of Delaware State.
Overall, WVU is 8-5 over its last 13 games since March 21. The Nittany Lions are 6-6 over their 12 most recent contests dating back to the same day. PSU enters the week six games over .500 on the year, but is just 3-9 against Power 5 opponents.
Sophomore phenom JJ Wetherholt continues to pace the Mountaineers at the dish. He enters this week with a .448 batting average, good enough for the eighth-best mark in the country. Wetherholt is tied for first in the nation with 60 hits on the year. The second baseman was recently named a midseason All-American, and was named to the Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List.
Veteran Thomas Bramley leads Penn State’s roster with a .327 batting average. Junior utility player Kyle Hannon paces the Nittany Lions with six home runs.
West Virginia is 13-5 on the road this season. The Mountaineers rank eighth in the country with 78 doubles. WVU is also among the 25 best teams in the nation in hits, triples, on-base percentage, stolen bases, sacrifice bunts, and hit by pitches.
Grant Siegel will start on the mound for Randy Mazey’s club. Siegel had been West Virginia’s Sunday starter, and has won two of his four decisions this season. WVU is 4-3 in the seven games Siegel has started.
