MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — At least a half dozen fans were injured when a severe thunderstorm moved through Kendrick Family Ballpark Saturday afternoon.
Monongalia County EMS reported seven people were injured but indicated that number could climb. Five of the seven were taken to Morgantown hospitals.
Tents on what’s known as Randy’s Ridge toppled over in the heavy winds. The game, with WVU leading Cal Poly 17-1 in the 8th inning, was delayed as the storm approached. Fans were warned of the approaching severe weather.
@WVUBaseball @WVUSports @WVUBarstool @WestVirginiaU @WVUMANIACS @espn @ESPN_College @PatMcAfeeShow #morgantownmayhem
Randy’s Ridge in Morgantown — tent goes flying pic.twitter.com/KP3crvlDGo— Chapin Jewell (@ChapinJewell) June 6, 2026
According to multiple witnesses on scene, the storm took out a West Virginia University Athletic Club tent set up at the top of ‘Randy’s Ridge’ within seconds of the storm hitting the area at around 3:45 p.m. Saturday. In a timeframe of no more than 60 seconds, fans on the top of the ridge reported grabbing onto anything that was bound to be airborne, with several people receiving injuries attempting to keep the large tent from potentially injuring hundreds of people.
“We were just all sitting there looking at the baseball field, watching the wind blow and stuff, next thing we know, we hear the other big tent on the outside moving, and it started pushing us, and then it was just pretty much everybody protecting each other,” said fan James Sanders, who was sitting behind the tent at the time it collapsed. “It was probably only 30 seconds, but it was just pushing us over the hill.”
A Statement from WVU Athletics: pic.twitter.com/sv1jdvIJwD
— WVU Sports (@WVUSports) June 7, 2026
The tent that spanned over 30 feet wide rolled down to around halfway between the first and second seating areas before it was hastened by WVU and emergency officials on scene. The scene where thousands of people were fighting to avoid serious injuries was also seen by people inside of Kendrick Family Ballpark. For those that stayed to sing ‘Country Roads’ the effort from several individuals who took quick actions to avoid serious injuries, were more than appreciated.
“Can’t talk enough about the EMS crew and the firefighters and everything here, they did an absolutely great job,” said fan Justin Seecrist. “We were in a downpour, and everyone was just worried about who was hurt the worst, and it was just amazing, it was a Mountaineer Strong.”
Officers with the Granville Police Department, the West Virginia University Police Department, and the Westover Police Department were among those on scene.