MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The No. 24 West Virginia baseball team plays its first Big 12 series of the season this weekend as the Mountaineers travel to Kansas State. First pitch for Friday is set for 7 p.m. ET, Saturday for 5 p.m. ET, and Sunday for 2 p.m. ET with all three games available to stream on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ as well as on the radio at Jack FM 100.9.
 
WVU enters the weekend with a 19-6 record after defeating in-state rival Marshall on Tuesday. The Wildcats are 18-9 and 4-2 in conference play after sweeping Oklahoma last weekend.
 
Sophomore JJ Wetherholt leads the nation in hits with 48 and is tops in the Big 12 with a .462 batting average and 24 stolen bases. Earlier today, he was named the No. 1 second baseman in the nation, according to D1Baseball.
 
Tevin Tucker, Ellis Garcia, Dayne Leonard, and Braden Barry are all hitting over .300 with Barry also hitting five home runs.
 
On the mound, graduate student Blaine Traxel leads the Mountaineers with a 4-1 record, 2.02 ERA, 38 strikeouts, and an NCAA-leading four complete games. Junior Ben Hampton will get the start in the series opener and has a 3.47 ERA with 33 strikeouts.
 
In the bullpen, freshman Carson Estridge has yet to give up a run in 6.2 innings while junior Carlson Reed has two saves and a 1.23 ERA.
 
K-State was picked to finish seventh in the Big 12 Preseason Poll, just behind WVU. Infielder Nick Goodwin was a unanimous selection to the Preseason All-Big 12 Team.
 
Cash Rugely leads the Wildcats with a .341 batting average while Goodwin and Cole Johnson pace the team with six home runs each.
 
On the mound, Owen Boerema, a Division III transfer from the University of Northwestern, is 4-0 with a 2.61 ERA and 39 strikeouts in 31.0 innings pitched.
 
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