MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The West Virginia baseball team opens the 2021 season with a four-game series at Georgia State on Friday, Feb. 19, in Atlanta.
First pitch of Friday’s season opener at the GSU Baseball Complex is set for 2 p.m., while Saturday’s double-header will begin at 1 p.m., and 5 p.m., respectively. The series finale on Sunday is scheduled for noon. Links for live audio and live stats of all four of this weekend’s contests can be found on wvusports.com.
Senior left-handed pitcher Jackson Wolf (3-1, 1.05 ERA in 2020) is set to make his second consecutive Opening Day start for WVU today, while Georgia State will counter with sophomore right-hander Ryan Watson (2-1, 5.95 ERA in 2020). Wolf, a 2021 Preseason All-Big 12 selection, was named a Preseason All-America Third Team honoree by the National College Baseball Writers Association on Feb. 17.
The Mountaineers have received plenty of national attention heading into the new season. WVU was slotted at No. 14 in D1Baseball.com’s Preseason Top 25, marking the highest preseason ranking in program history. Additionally, West Virginia was listed at No. 21 in the NCBWA’s Preseason Top 35, and No. 22 in the USA TODAY Coaches Preseason Poll, the first time it ever appeared in the longtime poll’s preseason listing.
Ninth-year Mountaineer head coach Randy Mazey’s squad returns 25 players from last season’s 11-5 club, which posted the program’s best 16-game start since 2009, before the season was shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Mountaineers also welcome 12 newcomers to the team in 2021.
Georgia State is led by second-year coach Brad Stromdahl, who holds a 9-7 mark with the Panthers. Prior to his time at GSU, Stromdahl had a successful, seven-season run at Georgia-Gwinnett (328-104).
