Yehl leads Mountaineers to victory over No. 7 Kansas

West Virginia University’s baseball team claimed a victory over the No. 7 Kansas Jayhawks with a 4-1 win, led by an exceptional performance from redshirt junior Maxx Yehl, who pitched a complete game. This win improved the Mountaineers’ record to 33-12 overall and 17-8 in the Big 12, while the Jayhawks dropped to 37-13 and 20-5 in conference play.

Yehl showcased his talent on the mound, recording nine strikeouts and allowing only one run on six hits. This impressive outing marked the second complete game by a Mountaineer this season, with sophomore Chansen Cole achieving a similar feat against Kansas State in the previous week.

Following Yehl’s outstanding performance, sophomore Gavin Kelly hit his fifth home run in the last four games, solidifying his position as a key contributor to the team’s success. Junior Tyrus Hall also made an impact by hitting his fourth home run of the season, while junior Armani Guzman’s three hits, RBI, and run scored further bolstered the Mountaineers’ offense.

The game began with a pitching duel between Kansas starter Dominic Voegele and Yehl, with both teams trading zeros in the first two innings. Kelly broke the deadlock with a solo homer in the third inning, his 11th of the season, hitting the ball off the light pole in right-center field. The Mountaineers added two more runs in the fourth inning, with graduate student Sean Smith hitting a triple and Guzman driving him in with an infield single. A first-and-third double steal executed by graduate student Brodie Kresser extended the lead.

Although Kansas managed to score a run with a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning, Hall responded emphatically in the seventh with a leadoff home run. Yehl continued his dominant performance, allowing only one more hit in the seventh inning before pitching a flawless eighth. The game concluded with Yehl striking out Augusto Mungarrieta for his 124th pitch of the night, securing the victory for the Mountaineers.

This victory marked the first time West Virginia defeated a top-10 team since their win against No. 8 Texas Tech in 2022. Looking ahead, the Mountaineers aim to secure their first top-10 series win since their victory over No. 3 TCU in the same year. The team will face off against Kansas again on Saturday, with the first pitch scheduled for 3 p.m. ET.

For more updates on the Mountaineers, fans can follow @WVUBaseball on various social media platforms, including Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.