West Virginia stays in Omaha with an elimination game against Troy on Tuesday, June 16, at Charles Schwab Field. First pitch is 2 p.m. ET, with the winner moving to face No. 5 North Carolina on Wednesday—needing two straight wins to reach the championship seri
OMAHA, Neb. — The College World Series doesn’t slow down for momentum. For West Virginia, Tuesday’s elimination game against Troy arrives with a hard edge: lose, and the program’s first trip to Omaha ends immediately.
The Mountaineers take the field at Charles Schwab Field on Tuesday, June 16, with first pitch scheduled for 2 p.m. ET. The winner advances to Wednesday’s game against No. 5 North Carolina. There’s a catch hanging over that next step—West Virginia would have to defeat the Tar Heels twice to reach the championship series.
The stakes are clear, but so is the state of the tournament for both teams. West Virginia is 1-1 in the College World Series after defeating Troy 7-5 in the opener before falling to North Carolina 5-2. The season’s overall record sits at 46-16.
This is also a moment that carries weight beyond a single game. It’s the first CWS appearance in West Virginia program history, finally breaking through after falling just short in Super Regionals in 2024 and 2025.
When the talk turns to why this group can keep pushing, the names start showing up everywhere. Redshirt junior Maxx Yehl was named the Big 12 Pitcher of the Year. Alongside him. sophomore Chansen Cole and graduate student Ian Korn earned spots on the All-Big 12 First Team with Yehl. while sophomore catcher Gavin Kelly joined them.
The honors extend down the roster as well. Senior outfielder Paul Schoenfeld earned a spot on the second team. Graduate student Reese Bassinger, senior Carson Estridge, junior Armani Guzman, sophomore Matt Ineich, and graduate student Sean Smith all earned honorable mention status.
Yehl, Kelly, and Cole were also recently named All-Americans. Yehl landed on the first team by Perfect Game.
Offensively. Kelly has been the consistent engine. leading the team with a .375 batting average along with 17 home runs. 21 doubles. 57 RBI. and 66 runs scored. Guzman has been the spark in motion—he leads the Big 12 with 39 stolen bases. the most in a single season in program history. In the opener against Troy, Guzman broke the current St. Louis Cardinal Victor Scott II’s record with a steal of home.
On the mound, Yehl has set the tone. He leads the Big 12 with a 2.13 ERA and 112 strikeouts in 97.0 innings. Cole has a 3.14 ERA while going 10-1 and collecting 108 strikeouts in 97.1 innings. Korn has a 2.95 ERA and leads the Big 12 with a 1.03 WHIP.
Troy enters Tuesday’s game with its own history-making mission—like West Virginia, it is the first trip to Omaha for the Trojans. The team is 39-31 overall after defeating Ole Miss 12-8 in an elimination game on Sunday.
Troy’s standout in the spotlight is catcher Jimmy Janicki, named the Sun Belt Player of the Year. He is hitting .344 with 21 home runs and 87 RBI.
Pitching has kept Troy in the fight in Omaha too. Zach Crotchfelt has pitched in both games in Omaha and has a 3.49 ERA in 67.0 innings this season for the Trojans.
The game between West Virginia and Troy will air on ESPN with Mike Monaco. Eduardo Perez. Ben McDonald. and Taylor McGregor on the call. It can also be heard on the Mountaineers Sports Network with Andrew Caridi and Jake Weghorst on all radio affiliates. as well as the Varsity Network. WVU Gameday App. and WVUSports.com.
For West Virginia, it’s simple: one more win keeps the first Omaha experience alive. For Troy, it’s the same equation—only the scoreboard decides who walks out and who heads home.
West Virginia Mountaineers Troy Trojans College World Series elimination game Charles Schwab Field Maxx Yehl Gavin Kelly Chansen Cole Ian Korn Omaha
So if West Virginia loses they just go home? Brutal. I feel like the CWS is always like that though.
I skimmed it but sounds like WV already beat Troy 7-5 and then got smoked by North Carolina 5-2. If they have to win twice in a row I don’t see it, honestly. Also why is it always the #5 team like that?
Wait, aren’t they supposed to play North Carolina first? Like the winner of Troy even gets a shot at UNC, but then it says they’d have to beat them twice?? That’s confusing, like double jeopardy but baseball. I just hope WV wins because it said first time in Omaha ever so obviously they should get more chances right?
Charles Schwab Field sounds fancy but elimination games are always weird. The article threw a bunch of awards names at me like Maxx Yehl and Chansen Cole and Ian Korn, but I’m like… who’s actually pitching on Tuesday? If Yehl is Big 12 Pitcher of the Year then okay maybe but I swear these honors don’t mean anything once you’re down 1 run. Also WV’s season record 46-16, that’s good but CWS is literally a coin flip half the time.