Preview: BYU Cougars at West Virginia Mountaineers

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (March 19, 2026) (Interstat) — The West Virginia Mountaineers, riding high with one of the nation’s best records, will host the BYU Cougars on Thursday to open a three-game Big 12 conference series.

West Virginia (13-4) enters with significant momentum, coming off a dominant road sweep at Baylor that culminated in an 8-0 shutout on Sunday. The Mountaineers’ strength is anchored by a pitching staff featuring ace Maxx Yehl, who is expected to start the series opener. Yehl was spectacular in his last outing, throwing eight no-hit innings with 12 strikeouts against Baylor. In his last four appearances, the right-hander has not allowed an earned run over 23 innings, surrendering just five total hits while striking out 31.

BYU (10-9) counters with a potent offense coming off an 18-5 road rout of Utah Tech on Tuesday. The Cougars’ lineup is powered by second baseman Luke Anderson, who went 3 for 6 with a home run and five RBIs in that victory. Over his last 10 games, Anderson is batting .366 (15 for 41) with three home runs and 17 RBIs, providing consistent run production in the heart of the order.

The Cougars have shown a pattern of high-scoring games, averaging 8.6 runs in their last seven contests, though they have gone 4-3 in that stretch. Their pitching will face a stern test against a West Virginia team that has outscored opponents 97-37 during its current 10-1 run.

This series marks the first Big 12 meeting between the programs. According to Interstat’s game simulator, West Virginia is projected to win the opener by a score of 7-5.

First pitch is scheduled for Thursday evening. The series continues with games on Friday and Saturday.