GRANVILLE, W.Va. — The celebration inside and surrounding Kendrick Family Ballpark went into full effect at 5:09 p.m. Saturday, at which point West Virginia relief pitcher Ben McDougal blew a 91 mile per hour fastball by Cal Poly’s Antonio Castro for the final out of the Mountaineers’ 17-1 win in Game 2 of the Super Regional series.
McDougal fired his glove into the air and joined a large contingent of teammates for the customary college baseball dogpile.
In actuality, the celebration more or less began 3-plus hours earlier when WVU senior Ben Lumsden slugged his second home run of the day — this one a two-run shot that crept over the left field wall and increased the WVU lead to 12-1.
OPPOOOOO TACOOOOOOO 🌮
Ben Lumsden at it again making it 12-1, @WVUBaseball #RoadToOmaha x 🎥 ESPN pic.twitter.com/ExybyWGRfc
— NCAA Baseball (@NCAABaseball) June 6, 2026
“We had an approach as a team today and we executed it well across the board,” said Lumsden, who finished 3-for-5 with five RBI. “We had a good approach. Coach has set us up for success and pretty much everybody executed today.”
Saturday’s showing, which featured a three-run home run in the second inning, was another example of Lumsden rising to the occasion. It’s something the senior from Simpsonville, S.C., has shown the ability to do throughout the postseason the last two years.
Going.. going.. GONE 👋
Ben Lumsden hits one out of the park to push @WVUBaseball in front, 4-1#RoadToOmaha x 🎥 ESPN pic.twitter.com/95nUX54ae0
— NCAA Baseball (@NCAABaseball) June 6, 2026
In 2025, five of Lumsden’s six starts came in the Clemson Regional or Super Regional series at LSU, and the left-hander accumulated four hits in 18 at bats with one home run and seven RBI in the postseason. Lumsden drove in four runs on separate singles in a 13-12 win against Kentucky that allowed the Mountaineers to wrap up the Clemson Regional, including a two-run knock that tied the matchup at 12 in the eighth inning.
This season, Lumsden appeared in 28 regular season games, 10 of which he started. Over that time, Lumsden totaled 11 hits in 52 at bats, while driving in and scoring seven runs.
Since the Mountaineers began play in the NCAA Tournament May 29 against Binghamton, Lumsden has started all seven games and has 10 hits in 23 at bats, including all three of his home runs this season. He’s driven in and scored more runs with 12 and 10, respectively, than what Lumsden accumulated throughout the regular season. He also has 10 base-on-balls in the seven contests, with Lumsden’s postseason walk total two more than what he drew over the Mountaineers’ first 53 games this season.
“It’s the same for everybody on the team. Work while you wait is the phrase we use,” Lumsden said. “You try to prepare the same every day whether you have zero at bats or 200 at bats come April, May or whatever the time is. There are no conversations. You’re always working and trying to get better, and by the end of the year, hopefully you’re the best you’ve been all year. That’s kind of how we do things as a whole.”
That method has been especially effective for Lumsden.
In an era of college sports when staying with the same team for multiple years with limited playing time is far more the exception than norm, Lumsden has reaped the reward for doing exactly that.
Saturday was the fourth two-homer game of Lumsden’s collegiate career. The first two came during his freshman season at UT Arlington. The other came in February 2024 when Lumsden slugged two long balls against Stetson in his first game as a Mountaineer.
“I love this place. This state as a whole is behind us,” Lumsden said. “The program is going in such a good direction. There is no place I’d rather be. There are so many people that came before us that built this program to what it is today and they get as much credit. [Grant] Hussey and Braden Barry were here today. Derek Clark, coach [Randy] Mazey, so many guys build this program to what it is today and they get as much credit as anybody in the building today for where we’ve gone. It’s the relationships with those guys that make me proud to be a Mountaineer.”
That team-first mentality and even-keeled approach has put Lumsden in position to succeed in the most meaningful of games. Those traits have also helped WVU’s new all-time postseason RBI leader (21) earn the trust of coaches and teammates.
“We’ve stuck with him because he’s the right kid and super talented,” WVU head coach Steve Sabins said. ”Everybody’s time has a different curve for when it hits, and sure it’s nice to hit right now, but if you stick with it long enough, you have a chance. You’re here for a reason and he’s going to make an impact in a lot of people’s lives for the rest of his life. He’s capable of that. He gets it.”