West Virginia’s No. 9 baseball team begins the 2026 Big 12 Tournament on Thursday, May 21, at 7:30 p.m. in Surprise, Arizona against the winner of TCU (No. 7) and Kansas State (No. 11). Seeded No. 2 with a double-bye into the quarterfinals, the Mountaineers wi
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The No. 9 West Virginia University baseball team is heading to Surprise, Arizona for the 2026 Big 12 Tournament, and the first game is already set in the calendar.
On Thursday, May 21, at 7:30 p.m. at Surprise Stadium, the Mountaineers will play the winner of the No. 7-seed TCU and the No. 11-seed Kansas State. Fans can watch Thursday’s game on ESPNU. Friday’s semifinals will be broadcast on ESPN+, and the final will air on ESPN2.
West Virginia games will also be available on the Mountaineer Sports Network, with live stats posted at WVUsports.com.
Seeded No. 2, WVU earned a double-bye into the quarterfinals and will enter the single-elimination tournament with fewer games on its schedule. The semifinals are set for Friday at 11 p.m. ET and the final is scheduled for Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET if the Mountaineers advance.
The tournament began on May 19, with Kansas State defeating Utah and BYU defeating Texas Tech. Before TCU and Kansas State meet on Wednesday, Baylor will play the Cougars in the other second-round matchup.
The Mountaineers arrive at the tournament carrying a 37-12 overall record and finishing second in the Big 12 with a 21-9 mark. TCU enters as the No. 7 seed after going 33-20 overall and 17-13 in league play. Kansas State is seeded No. 11 with a 29-26 overall record and an 11-19 record in Big 12 action.
Individual accolades have followed the season into tournament week. On Tuesday, redshirt junior Maxx Yehl became the third Mountaineer to be named Big 12 Pitcher of the Year. His honor came alongside All-Big 12 First Team selections for fellow pitchers Chansen Cole and Ian Korn and catcher Gavin Kelly. Outfielder Paul Schoenfeld earned a spot on the second team. while Reese Bassinger. Carson Estridge. Armani Guzman. Matt Ineich. and Sean Smith were named honorable mentions.
At the plate, Kelly has been leading WVU with a .387 batting average, 12 home runs, and 47 RBI. He is a Golden Spikes and Dick Howser Trophy semifinalist and was recently named the top college prospect in the 2027 MLB Draft by Baseball America.
West Virginia is chasing something it has not yet captured in this tournament: its first Big 12 Tournament championship, and its sixth overall tournament title.
As the team prepares to start its run under the Big 12’s tight, single-elimination structure, the NCAA selection show is also scheduled—Monday, May 25, at 12 p.m. ET—adding another deadline beyond the tournament itself.
West Virginia baseball WVU Mountaineers Big 12 Tournament 2026 Surprise Arizona ESPN2 ESPN+ ESPNU Maxx Yehl Gavin Kelly Chansen Cole Ian Korn Big 12 Pitcher of the Year