By: Spencer Ripchik

One of the biggest returners and wins of the offseason for West Virginia baseball was the return of pitcher Maxx Yehl. Yehl is solidifying himself as West Virginia baseball’s ace, and he pitched a gem in the rubber match against Baylor.

Yehl struck out 12 batters and pitched the longest out of any starter this season, pitching eight innings, leading to the Mountaineers’ 8-0 win over the Bears. Yehl helped WVU pick up its first Big 12 conference series win, and it still hasn’t lost a series all season, winning its fifth series.

The Mountaineers are now 2-1 in the conference and 13-4 overall, and Baylor is 1-2 in the league and 11-8 on the year.

Yehl showed dominance in each inning he took the mound. Along with the 12 strikeouts, Yehl only had three hits and walked one batter. He threw 108 pitches through the eight innings. The big left-hander has two earned runs over his five starts. He’s impressive and is finally at full health, after coming off Tommy John Surgery in the offseason.

It was a pitching duel for most of the game between Yehl and Baylor’s starter Ethan Calder, who was keeping the Mountaineers offense quiet. It took WVU until the sixth inning for someone to finally crack Calder. Matthew Graveline rocketed a 405-foot home run to etch the first run of the game in the scorebook, 1-0. Calder came back out for the seventh, but after Graveline showed it was possible to get to Calder, WVU’s offense came alive.

Gavin Kelly started the inning with a single, then Paul Schoenfeld bunted him over. Sean Smith was intentionally walked. Calder’s day was over. Smith had been a big bat all weekend at the plate. The free base backfired, and Baylor’s new pitcher walked Brock Wills, loading the bases.

Brodie Kresser had an opportunity to hit a grand slam, and he was close. Kresser hit one deep in the outfield for a sacrifice fly. Armani Guzman, who had a big day, popped one up, creating confusion in the outfield. He registered a double, scoring two more, 4-0 WVU. Guzman later scored on a passed ball, making it 5-0.

Guzman and Graveline led the team with two RBIs. Guzman went 2-for-4 with the double, and Graveline had the homer and went 1-for-3. Kelly also had the RBI and went 2-for-4 as well. Smith and shortstop Matt Ineich also had hits.

In the top of the ninth, Baylor kicked the ball around some more. Graveline roped one to third base, and Brytton Clements couldn’t corral the ball. Kresser reached home on the error, 6-0. Baylor walked in another, and Guzman’s speed reached home before the final out, bringing in the eighth run.

After WVU mercied Baylor in Game 2 on a big offensive outing, WVU totaled eight hits, making it 19 over the past two games.

Yehl didn’t come out for the ninth. WVU went to freshman David Perez to close out the game. Perez struck out all three of the batters he faced, ending the game. WVU’s pitching staff had 15 strikeouts on the day.

The Mountaineers return home after three games in Waco, Texas. WVU faces rival Penn State for its midweek game on Tuesday, March 17, with first pitch set for 6:30 p.m., streaming on ESPN+. The Nittany Lions aren’t off the best start to the season, and are 5-12 on the season.