The West Virginia Mountaineers’ run in the Big 12 Baseball Championship came to a disappointing end on Friday, as they fell 12-1 to the Arizona Wildcats in the tournament semifinals at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. It marked another tough outing at the home of the Texas Rangers for WVU, which now holds a 1-7 record at the venue over the past four seasons.
First-year head coach Steve Sabins didn’t shy away from the truth. “We didn’t play our best brand of baseball,” Sabins admitted. “We’ve got to recoup and get ready for a regional. It was awesome being one of the final four teams, and Arizona was awesome. We’ve got to give them a lot of credit.”
Just one day after setting a new program record with 41 wins in a season, the top-seeded Mountaineers (41-14) looked out of sync and couldn’t build any momentum against a sharp Arizona squad (38-18), the fourth seed in the tournament.
Despite racking up 10 hits on the night, WVU struggled to convert opportunities into runs and failed to register a single extra-base hit.
Junior catcher Logan Sauve, a first-team All-Big 12 selection, led the team offensively with a 2-for-3 performance. Sophomore third baseman Armani Guzman went 2-for-2 in a pinch-hit role, while junior designated hitter Sam White added a 2-for-4 outing.
The Wildcats did most of their damage in the fourth inning, when Mason White smashed a three-run homer off graduate pitcher Jack Kartsonas. That blast opened the floodgates, and WVU was never able to recover.
Kartsonas, who fell to 6-3 on the season, finished with six strikeouts and two walks, but allowed five runs on eight hits across four innings. Sabins then turned to the bullpen, but Arizona kept the pressure on, scoring seven more runs off seven WVU relievers, who collectively surrendered nine hits.
WVU managed to avoid a run-rule defeat thanks to an RBI single by redshirt junior outfielder Chase Swain in the seventh inning. Swain, a transfer from Manhattan, drove in fellow pinch-hitter Guzman to put the Mountaineers on the board. “We scratched a run and showed some life,” Sabins noted.
One bright spot came in the form of relief pitcher Reese Bassinger, a Tarleton State transfer who grew up just over 50 miles from Globe Life Field. He pitched a scoreless eighth inning in front of what was likely a hometown crowd. “I was fired up to get Bassinger in there, and he was super successful,” Sabins said.
While this loss stings, West Virginia’s season isn’t over yet. With their impressive 41-win campaign, the Mountaineers are expected to earn a spot in the NCAA Regionals. The team now turns its focus to recovering and preparing for the next chapter in what has already been a historic season.
As the Big 12 tournament prepares to relocate to Surprise, Arizona for 2026 through 2029, WVU will hope their luck turns at a new ballpark. For now, though, they’ll regroup and aim to make a deep postseason run — this time, far from the lights of Globe Life Field.
