MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia returns to the diamond at Kendrick Family Ballpark on Friday for a three-game series against Columbia as the Mountaineers look to build on their strong start to the 2026 season.
WVU enters the matchup with an 8-2 record and has been productive on offense and defense early this season. The Mountaineers are hitting .306 as a team with 110 hits, including 29 doubles, two triples and 10 home runs while driving in 81 runs.
Matt Ineich leads the team with a .450 batting average while collecting 18 hits in 40 at-bats with 15 scoring runs and five doubles. Another major contributor to the Mountaineers' early-season success is Gavin Kelly, batting .409 with 18 hits, six doubles and two home runs as he posts a .682 slugging percentage. Adding power to the middle of the lineup with three home runs and 11 RBIs, all while batting .364, is Matthew Graveline.
West Virginia has been equally as effective on the mound, holding a team ERA of 3.17 and having limited opponents to a .201 batting average. The Mountaineers' pitching rotation has struck out 11 batters in 88 innings while allowing just 31 earned runs.
Dawson Montesa’s key arm in the rotation has given WVU a 2-1 record and a 3.18 ERA across 17 innings while also striking out 26 batters. Chasen Cole shown strong production in the rotation, posting a 2-0 record and 1.38 ERA with 15 strikeouts in 13 innings. Maxx Yehl has made three starts and owns a 0.82 ERA with 12 strikeouts in 11 innings.
Columbia walks into the series at 1-5 overall. As a team, the Lions are .265 with 57 hits and 30 runs scored through six games.
Owen Estabrook leads Columbia’s offense with a .389 average, three home runs and nine RBIs in five games. Hitting .333 with nine hits and six scoring runs is Jackson Brewer, while Jimmy Chadwell also has a .333 average with six hits and five walks.
On the mound for the Lions is Alex Sotiropoulos, Columbia’s most effective starter. Sotiropoulos posts a 3.38 ERA with nine strikeouts across eight innings. Thomas Lopez has also made an appearance with two starts and holds a 4.50 ERA with eight strikeouts in 10 innings.
U92 the Moose will provide full live coverage of the series with Assistant Sports Director Nico Caretto on play-by-play with Connor Roberts and Cody Burton as color analysts. On the corner of Prospect and Price Street, catch the pregame and postgame show hosted by Brett Berner alongside Conor Bratchford and Dom Brusco for game one.
Join Cody Burton on play-by-play with Conor Bratchford and John Doucette as color analysts, with assistant sports director Nico Caretto hosting pregame and postgame alongside Aaron Pepling and Crystal Hanes on game two.
Finally, join Sports Director Quinn Robie on play-by-play with DJ McDermott and Matt Foley as color analysts, with Cody Burton hosting pregame and postgame alongside Kameron Tomasetti and Stella Reyes for game three.
The first pitch for the game on Friday, March 6, will be at 2 p.m., and the starter for WVU is Dawson Montesa.
The first pitch for the game on Saturday, March 7, will be at 12 p.m., and the starter for WVU is Chasen Cole.
The first pitch for the game on Sunday, March 8, will be at 12:30 p.m., and the starter for WVU is Maxx Yehl.
The broadcast can be heard locally on 91.7 FM, u92themoose.com, an Alexa At-Home Device or the TuneIn app on your mobile device.