West Virginia baseball is expected to face Marshall on Tuesday, March 23, with first pitch set for 6 p.m. at Jack Cook Field in Huntington. The game is expected to be streamed on ESPN+.

The use of the word expected is on purpose because this is the second time this season that WVU was scheduled to play the Thundering Herd. On March 4, the Mountaineers were supposed to face their in-state rival, but that was canceled due to the weather. This isn’t a makeup of that game, and the weather could be a factor again with rain in the forecast.

But if the game does get played, it should be an exciting rivalry matchup with both teams riding a lot of momentum. WVU is coming off a weekend sweeping its first Big 12 team, BYU, and its second sweep of the season. Marshall just swept its Sun Belt Conference foe, Georgia State.

WVU is the better team, though. After a three-game sweep over the weekend, the Mountaineers are now on a five-game winning streak, taking the last two over Baylor, and are 16-4 on the season. WVU has moved up to No. 17 in the Division I Baseball rankings, which is the highest ranking for a Big 12 team. Rightfully so. The Mountaineers have won a lot of games and are one of the more complete teams in the conference.

WVU’s pitching has been next level, especially with solidified starter Maxx Yehl. The big left-hander had another big outing against BYU, and went seven innings, allowed just one earned run, didn’t walk a batter and struck out 11. Yehl has 32 strikeouts over his last three starts. The other two weekend starters, Chansen Cole and Dawson Montesa, switch on and off, having good and bad showings. The usual David Hagen gets the nod, who doesn’t pitch too long, setting up a bullpen game. But, WVU hasn’t had a midweek game since March 10, so something could’ve changed.

When the starter doesn’t have its best stuff, the offense picks up the slack. The Mountaineers have the fourth-best batting average in the Big 12, and they have two batters hitting over. 400, Gavin Kelly and Paul Schoenfeld. Schoenfeld went 5-for-5 in the comeback win in the second game against BYU. Kelly has three home runs, which is just one shy of the leader, Matthew Graveline.

Marshall’s hitting is right there with some of the best hitting in the Sun Belt Conference. The Thundering Herd’s best hitter is Evan Bottone, who is hitting .415 with six home runs. Tyler Kamerer and Cooper Hinson are also names to know who can make some noise at the plate.

Marshall’s pitching is on the weaker side. The pitching staff has a 6.70 ERA, which is 11th in the conference. This past weekend, the arms were a lot better. Marshall allowed just two runs in the first two games. But it was against Georgia State, who has the second-worst offense in the Sun Belt. It was a big improvement after getting mercied by Louisville twice, allowing 34 runs in two games.

Even if the pitching for Marshall isn’t great, the recent history of the rivalry could reveal a close game. The last time WVU and Marshall played, the Mountaineers lost 7-6 in Charleston. WVU won the first two matchups of 2025, but the latest win was just by one run, 5-4. It could be another close game. The Mountaineers have won 20 of the last 26 matchups, though.

WVU plays Marshall two more times this season, once in Morgantown and again on the road. A win Tuesday night will mean a win at home will take the rivalry series for 2026.