MORGANTOWN, W. Va. — West Virginia baseball hits is away from home this weekend for its second Big 12 series of the campaign against No. 9 Texas Tech. The Mountaineers make their first trek to Lubbock since 2018 and aim for their third win in a league series of the season.

WVU drops first Big 12 series before Backyard Brawl – The Gold and Blue Nation Podcast

After a pair of strong weekends to open the league slate, WVU suffered its first loss in a three-game clash to the fifth-ranked team in the nation, Oklahoma State, two games to one. The series was competitive, as WVU held the Cowboys to two runs in the first two games. Now, WVU turns its attention to PNC Park, where they will face Pitt in the second edition of this year’s Backyard Brawl series before returning to the Lone Star State for another tough series against the Texas Tech Red Raiders. GBN’s Ryan Decker and Sam Coniglio come to you right from Wagener Field at Monongalia County Ballpark to discuss what they saw over the weekend, then they look forward to what is in store for WVU in its next four games. Gold and Blue Nation is the local leader for Mountaineer sports news, producing comprehensive coverage on TV and online. Download the free Gold and Blue Nation app via your preferred app store so you’re never more than a touch away from our WVU sports reporting, highlights and archived shows. 

Here’s everything you need to know about the three-game tilt:

West Virginia at No. 9 Texas Tech series information

  • Dates: April 23 to 24
  • Location: Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park in Lubbock, Texas
  • WVU record: 23-12 (6-3 Big 12)
  • WVU’s away record: 8-7 (2-1 Big 12)
  • OSU record: 27-13 (7-5 Big 12)
  • All-time series: Tied 15-15
  • Last meeting: Texas Tech defeated West Virginia two games to one in Morgantown from April 16-18, 2021

Game one — Saturday, April 23

Game two — Saturday, April 23

  • Time: Approx. 45 minutes after the conclusion of game one
  • Stream: Big 12 Now on ESPN+
  • Radio: The Mountaineer Sports Network
  • WVU probable starter: LHP Ben Hampton (6-2, 3.05 ERA)
  • Texas Tech probable starter: RHP Brandon Birdsell (5-2, 2.54 ERA)
  • WVU’s Saturday record: 5-3

Game three — Sunday, April 24

WVU at TTU series preview

The Red Raiders are starving for a win as they return home after a five-game road trip, losing all five contests. They retreat to the refuge of their home diamond, where their success is much different, winning 18 of 19 home games so far this season.

TCU cooled Texas Tech off in its Big 12 slate last weekend, sweeping the Red Raiders in Fort Worth while holding them to four or fewer runs in all three games. That’s out of character for Texas Tech, which tops the Big 12 with 370 runs on the season, or 9.25 per game.

WVU has spent its first three series in the conference proving that it can compete with the best. Its first Big 12 home stretch ended in its first sweep since 2016, then the Mountaineers followed it up a week later by finishing 90 feet away from another series victory.

The Mountaineers travel to Lubbock as the best base-stealing team in WVU program history. They just stole 10 bags against Pitt on Wednesday at PNC Park, bringing the season mark to 125 and helping them to a 3-2 win over their most hated rival.

At the same time, WVU’s pitching has been impressive in the campaign despite massive shakeups. Preseason All-American reliever Jacob Watters has seemingly settled into his spot as the Friday starter, working for 6.1 innings against the Cowboys and allowing two runs on six hits in 109 pitches, with eight strikeouts. On the back end, though, Randy Mazey will want more out of his Sunday starter, Zach Bravo, who threw just one inning against the Cowboys and hasn’t worked for at least four innings since April 3.