Just over a month ago, West Virginia completed a sweep against Cincinnati, riding a 14-game Big 12 winning streak. Now, the Mountaineers are set to face the Bearcats again, this time in the Big 12 Tournament quarterfinals, and the matchup feels all too familiar.
Cincinnati, ranked No. 8, advanced to the quarterfinals by defeating No. 9 Texas Tech in a close 6-5 game on Wednesday. The Bearcats jumped out to an early 4-1 lead in the first three innings and managed to hold off a late surge from Texas Tech. With this win, they now await West Virginia in the next round.
West Virginia head coach Steve Sabins sees the familiarity between the teams as a potential advantage. Cincinnati’s recent game means they have already used some pitchers, which could impact their pitching availability against the Mountaineers.
“It will be interesting who they start in these tournament games,” Sabins said. “Traditionally, you play Friday-Sunday series, and they’re going to start playing on a Wednesday.
I’ll be interested to see who they start in those games and then what bullpen pieces they use that will line them up for who’s available to play in a game against us. Depending on who they pitch against us, will certainly have lineup implications on my end.”
Cincinnati relied heavily on Nathan Taylor in their win over Texas Tech. Taylor pitched seven strong innings, throwing 110 pitches. He was supported by reliever Kellen O’Connor, who threw 37 pitches over two innings.
Taylor has been one of the Bearcats’ top pitchers this season, boasting a 3.67 ERA. He also started the Friday night game against West Virginia back in April, pitching six innings and giving up just two earned runs. O’Connor, who started the second game of that series, pitched 5.1 innings, while Joel Pineiro also contributed with 2.2 innings allowing just one run.
Both Taylor and O’Connor have been the workhorses for Cincinnati’s pitching staff, making 14 and 11 starts, respectively. O’Connor has only pitched on back-to-back days once this season, throwing one inning each day.
Sabins added that the Mountaineers’ knowledge of Cincinnati’s strengths and weaknesses, thanks to recent games against them, could be helpful.
“I think having done a scouting report, understanding who they are, their strengths, their weaknesses, and the familiarity of playing a team can play to our advantage.
Obviously, that’s not finite, and it’s not necessarily accurate, but I think there is comfort in playing teams that you have played and you won those series. We have an idea of what we’re getting into,” he said.
Given that Taylor and O’Connor threw a significant number of pitches on Wednesday, Cincinnati may have limited starting options for the quarterfinal game on Thursday. This situation could work in West Virginia’s favor.
Cincinnati’s head coach Jordan Bischel acknowledged the challenge ahead. “I think we left there with a little bit of a bad taste in our mouths, feeling like we played okay, we just didn’t play three very good ballgames, and West Virginia took advantage which they’ve done to teams all year. I think our guys are just excited about the opportunity to go out there and compete,” Bischel said.
The stage is set for an exciting Big 12 quarterfinal clash between No. 1 West Virginia and No. 8 Cincinnati. The first pitch is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. Fans can expect a competitive game fueled by recent history and a battle of pitching strategies.
