MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — For the second time in eight days, No. 24 West Virginia will face its in-state foe, the Thundering Herd of Marshall. And for the second time in eight days, the Mountaineers will look to defeat the only other Division I baseball program in the Mountain State.
This meeting, however, will take place at a neutral site in the state’s capital.
Here’s everything you need to know about the matchup.
No. 24 West Virginia vs. Marshall game information
- Date: Wednesday, April 5, 2023
- Location: GoMart Ballpark in Charleston, West Virginia
- West Virginia record: 21-7
- Marshall record: 13-12
- All-time series: West Virginia leads 53-25 since 1910
- Last meeting: West Virginia defeated Marshall 9-7 on March 28, 2023
- First pitch: 6:00 p.m. ET
- Stream: ESPN+
- Radio: Mountaineer Sports Network
- WVU probable starter: RHP Gavin Van Kempen (1-0, 5.27 ERA)
- Herd probable starter: RHP Chad Heiner (1-1, 5.74 ERA)
No. 24 West Virginia vs. Marshall preview
West Virginia put up a four spot in the first inning, and then used some next-level base running to down the visiting Herd in Granville last week.
Including that win over Marshall, No. 24 West Virginia has won six of its last eight contests, most recently taking two of three on the road from Kansas State in the Mountaineers’ first Big 12 series of the year.
Marshall, on the other hand, has lost four of its last six. However, the Thundering Herd are coming off a series win over the University of Louisiana Monroe. Marshall put up 13 runs on Friday, but then scored a combined seven runs over the next two days.
West Virginia’s leading hitter JJ Wetherholt was named a midseason first team All-American by Perfect Game on Tuesday. Fellow middle infielder Tevin Tucker has seen a slight boost in production over the last two weeks, following a change atop WVU’s lineup.
Gio Ferraro (.333) and Luke Edwards (.314) lead Marshall’s roster in terms of batting average. Ferraro went 2 for 3 with two runs batted in and a walk against WVU last week.
Freshman right-hander Gavin Van Kempen gets the start for West Virginia. His start on Wednesday will come exactly two weeks after his most recent outing. In that performance, he pitched 4 2/3 innings of two-hit ball against Hofstra, though he did walk four and was charged with three earned runs.
