GRANVILLE, W.Va. — Five outs away from suffering just their third series loss in Big 12 play, the Mountaineers ignited a three-run rally in the eighth inning to take the rubber game of their series from TCU, 6-4. West Virginia closed the regular season with a 37-13 record and a program-best 21 Big 12 victories.
Trailing 4-3 in the bottom of the eighth and with rain intensifying, West Virginia’s Brodie Kresser and Brock Wills both scored on wild pitches in succession to give the Mountaineers their first lead of the game. Sean Smith added a run-scoring single to give West Virginia a 6-4 advantage.
“I was making sure I got a good jump and just beating the catcher and the pitcher to home plate,” said Kresser.
“You can’t really draw it up much better. Raining here is just another day for us. Obviously, it is a little adversity for the other team but we’re used to it. It is what we train in. Seeing the fans and the crowd get into it and everything else, it was nice on Senior Day. Hopefully this isn’t the last game here at the park. But having my family in town and having all my other buddies and their families in town, it just means a lot.”
“The fanbase was electric and stayed to the end. To find a way in like a gritty, unorthodox fashion to win a game is what this place is all about and what we have been doing for a long time,” said WVU head coach Steve Sabins.
WVU’s Brodie Kresser on closing the regular season with a 6-4 win over TCU in a steady rain: pic.twitter.com/Y97hdrdYmd
— Joe Brocato (@joebrowvm) May 16, 2026
Kresser walked and Wills singled to lead off the eighth inning. Tyrus Hall, who tied the game at 3 with a solo home run in the fourth inning, was called upon in a sacrifice bunt situation. Despite TCU running the wheel play in anticipation of the bunt, Hall’s attempt moved Kresser and Wills into scoring position.
“He just put down literally the best bunt you could possibly have in human history to avoid getting the lead out at third base,” Sabins said. “Both corner infielders sprint full speed and the ball was just killed right in front of the pitcher where there wasn’t a play at third base.”
In the ninth inning, senior Reese Bassinger worked around a one-out walk to finish off 3.2 innings of shutout relief. All of the 11 outs he recorded came in a steady rain. Bassinger earned the win, improving to 3-2.
“I feel like you just try to find the driest part of the ball,” said Bassinger. “If you can find a seam that is a little bit dry, it is kind of just a win. I try to not look at it any differently. If I think my hand is wet, it is probably going to feel more wet than it is.”
“The right guy was in the game at the right moment to handle the moment,” Sabins said. “That’s exactly what he did. That’s what maturity and experience can get you.”
Senior Day ceremonies at WVU as the Mountaineers host TCU:
Matthew Graveline
Paul Schoenfeld
Sean Smith
Brodie Kresser
Brock Wills
Ian Korn
Ben Lumsden
Reese Bassinger
Carson Estridge
Ben McDougal@MetroNewsSports pic.twitter.com/ngDWd6E4lO— Joe Brocato (@joebrowvm) May 16, 2026
After being held to three hits in Friday’s 4-0 loss to the Horned Frogs, the Mountaineers collected 12 hits. Kresser went 1-for-1 and walked three times.
“We took good pitches and didn’t help them out,” Kresser said. “I was just trying to be patient and find the pitch I wanted.”
“You just had certain guys click and kind of find it,” Sabins said. “That’s just a lot of credit to the staff. We didn’t take on-field [batting practice] today. You never know why the stars align on this kind of stuff. But you wanted a little bit of a reset.”
TCU (33-20, 17-13 Big 12) took a 3-0 lead in the third inning with a two-run home run from Kyuss Gargett. WVU responded with two in the bottom of the third with a run-scoring triple from Gavin Kelly and an RBI single from Paul Schoenfeld.
The Horned Frogs regained the lead in the sixth inning with a run-scoring single from Noah Franco.
Colton Griffin and Cole Kramer each had multi-hit games for TCU. Matt Ineich led WVU with three hits while Kelly and Schoenfeld each had a pair.
WVU starting pitcher Chansen Cole allowed four runs in five innings while striking out eight. TCU’s Tanner Sagouspe allowed three runs in the eighth, taking the loss (3-3).
The Mountaineers closed the regular season with nine wins in their last ten games.
West Virginia is the No. 2 seed in the Big 12 Conference Tournament. They will begin play in the quarterfinal round Thursday, May 21 at 7:30 p.m. against the No. 7, No. 10 or No. 11 seed. Surprise Stadium in Surprise, Arizona will host the single-elimination tournament.
Steve Sabins on the prospect of potentially hosting NCAA Regional play two weeks from now: pic.twitter.com/QDqYlrjoy8
— Joe Brocato (@joebrowvm) May 16, 2026