OMAHA, Neb. — When Ben McDougal worked the longest outing of his West Virginia career on May 31 against Kentucky, it went a long way toward the Mountaineers avoiding elimination as they’d rally with five runs in the ninth inning for an 11-9 victory.
McDougal’s five-inning and 84-pitch effort consisted of two runs and three hits allowed with six strikeouts and no walks.
It allowed West Virginia to stay alive, and the Mountaineers went on to defeat the Wildcats in 10 innings the next night to win the Morgantown Regional.
It also created a discount on pepperoni rolls at Tomaro’s Bakery in Clarksburg, one of the more popular places to eat one of the more popular foods native to West Virginia.
“He’s a West Virginia legend,” Mountaineer coach Steve Sabins said. “I was laughing, because my wife sent me a picture on Facebook or something, and it was like come get five pepperoni rolls for $15, or something like that because he threw five innings. It was a promotion in town for pepperoni rolls and Ben McDougal. We’re like man, that’s a beautiful thing, from not pitching to like local superstar pepperoni salesman.”
The actual offer was a half dozen pepperoni rolls (to match McDougal’s strikeout total) for $12, but it was a fitting way to honor the Bridgeport native, who played at Potomac State for two seasons before joining the Mountaineers.
“It’s awesome being able to represent the state,” McDougal said. “This state has done so much for me my entire life. Anything I can do to pour back into it is phenomenal.”
The left-handed senior recorded perhaps West Virginia’s most important out in 2025 when he earned the save with a strikeout against Clemson while the Tigers had the bases loaded to finish off a 9-6 victory that allowed the Mountaineers to stay in the winner’s bracket.
That showed the trust Sabins had in the southpaw, but the 2026 campaign got off to a rocky start.
McDougal threw 26 pitches and recorded one out on Valentine’s Day in a matchup at Georgia Southern before being removed. He would miss almost two months with a flexor strain and didn’t pitch again until April 8 against Marshall.
“It was tough. There were a few setbacks. I got hurt in the fall, came back and got hurt again,” McDougal said. “It wasn’t always pretty, but I stick to the process, stick to my faith and I was able to overcome it.”
Last Saturday, McDougal retired Cal Poly in order in the ninth to finish off a 17-1 victory that secured West Virginia’s first appearance in the Men’s College World Series. He’s been utilized three times in the NCAA Tournament and thrown 6.2 innings with twice as many strikeouts (8) as hits allowed.
“The Kentucky game, our backs were against the wall and it takes a high-trust guy. He trusts me and I trust him. I don’t think he doubted that I was going to be able to make it happen. Cal Poly, kind of the same thing,” McDougal said. “Not the same situation, but I was very grateful he put me in that situation and I was able to take care of business.”
It’s been a storybook postseason for a player who wanted nothing more than an opportunity to pitch for the Mountaineers.
“That kid is West Virginia through and through,” Sabins said. “Ben McDougal came to a prospect camp filled with high school kids as a junior college pitcher. What’s a junior college guy doing here? Had to pay $325 to come to camp. So we watched him, and he was great. The velocity was a little bit low, and we’re like this guy must really want it. He’s from 30 minutes down the road and basically has come here with his hair on fire for multiple years getting better. This year, things didn’t go his way. He got injured. That’s why he hasn’t pitched more.
“He was a very important piece of winning the Clemson regional last year. He got banged up. He basically could have stayed on and rehabbed essentially for the rest of this year and potentially got a year back, depending on the medical and all that kind of stuff, but said, I’m all in. I know I’ve only thrown three innings, but I want to go make a run with the Mountaineers. I want to go help in the postseason.”
Sabins made no promises to McDougal when he opted to return in April as West Virginia was playing well and had won 21 of 28 before he was cleared.
The head coach described McDougal’s His first couple outings as “a little bit rocky”, but since, McDougal has worked his way back to being a reliable bullpen option that can be called upon in high-leverage spots.
“They’re experiences that I can cherish for the rest of my life and I’m going to be able to tell my kids about,” McDougal said. “That’s pretty cool.”
With his college baseball days numbered, McDougal is now afforded the opportunity to end his collegiate career where every Division I college baseball player aspires to — in Omaha for the MCWS.
“It’s surreal. I’m trying to bring it all in,” he said. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience and you can’t take it for granted for one second.”