West Virginia baseball entered last week No. 12 in the country, with four Quad 1 games ahead of them. They ended the week with three bullpen meltdowns and three losses as uncertainty surrounds the Mountaineers for the first time in 2025.
Entering the week, the Mountaineers had the opportunity to potentially move into a top-eight seed, but after this week, they're likely only fighting for the ability to host. Two one-run losses derailed West Virginia, a four-run and five-run collapse in their first two games of the week. Add insult to injury, the first came against Pitt, and if they win the second, they exit the weekend with a Big 12 Championship to their name.
The one win was a crucial one for WVU. A 10-3 win on Saturday against Kansas State after their previous two debacles settled the waters and set a program record, tying the 1994 and 2023 teams with 40 wins in a season.
Then on Sunday, the Mountaineers could've put a horrible start to the week to bed by getting the series win over KSU, as well as the Big 12 regular season title. Instead, after taking an 8-7 lead, the bullpen came crashing down yet again, and that leads to the uncertainty surrounding this team as they enter the final week of the regular season.
West Virginia's bullpen had been so good, albeit against weaker competition, but they got exposed this week.
Carson Estridge, who was the surefire closer for the Mountaineers, pitched 3.2 innings this week. He allowed nine runs on six hits, walking five, and striking out five. In his eight previous appearances, he went 12.2 innings, allowing no runs, six hits, striking out 15. Is it time to completely change your plan late in a game if you're head coach Steve Sabins, probably not. However, not having a confident closer is not where you want to be this time of year.
Another guy who struggled this weekend was Reese Bassinger. Bassinger had been reliable out of the bullpen as well up to this point. He pitched a gem last weekend in relief and did what was asked of him on Tuesday, getting multiple ground balls, yet Pitt was still able to win the game with him on the mound. Bassinger was part of the problem over the weekend, allowing four runs on four hits while walking one on Friday, and then his hit-by-pitch and double surrendered started the K-State rally in the eighth on Sunday.
In total, West Virginia's bullpen gave up 18 runs in the eighth and ninth innings over their four games this weekend. In innings 1-7, the pitching staff allowed 17 runs in the four games this season.
With the uncertainty in the bullpen leading to three losses, so does the uncertainty of West Virginia's chances in the postseason.
WVU's RPI dropped to No. 24 in the country with one series to go. They also moved to 4-4 in Quad 1 games.
With their RPI in the current place, they are now fighting for the right to be a host. 40 wins, looks great. One win away from a Big 12 regular season, also looks great. However, the numbers of strength of schedule (119th) and non-conference strength of schedule (248th) will be an eyesore when deciding the top 16 teams in the country.
While the sky may have felt like it was falling for this team, there is still everything to play for.
A home series with one win needed to clinch the program's first-ever outright title as well as a record number of wins (41), could relax all nerves heading into the Big 12 Tournament. WVU will also be a top-two seed entering the Big 12 Tournament, giving them a first-round bye no matter what. It's a single-elimination tournament, but WVU will need to win three games to win the tournament.
While their RPI is at 24, if WVU wins the regular season Big 12 title and wins the Big 12 Tournament, it will be very hard to look past that as they will be near 45-50 wins if they were to do so.
The Mountaineers still have a lot to play for, and they get to try and regain their mojo at home, where they have gone 17-4 on the season. If the Mountaineers take care of business against the Jayhawks and carry it into postseason play, this team can realize there is still a lot to play for, including the opportunity to go on a run.
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