Preview: West Virginia Visits Marshall in Mountain State Matchup

BECKLEY, W.Va. (Interstat) — A red-hot West Virginia squad rides into Linda K. Epling Stadium on Tuesday to face in-state foe Marshall in a nonconference baseball clash.

The Mountaineers (16-4), winners of seven of their last eight, bring one of the nation’s most dominant pitchers to the mound. Right-hander Maxx Yehl is expected to start for West Virginia. Yehl is coming off a stretch of historic dominance, having thrown 8.0 no-hit innings with 12 strikeouts in a win at Baylor on March 15, followed by 7.0 innings of one-run ball with 11 strikeouts in an 11-1 win over BYU on Saturday. Over his last four starts, he has allowed just two earned runs in 26.0 innings with 36 strikeouts.

He will face a Marshall (13-9) lineup powered by first baseman AJ Havrilla. Havrilla is coming off a powerful performance Sunday, going 3 for 5 with two home runs and four RBIs in an 18-12 loss at Georgia Southern. The Thundering Herd’s offense has shown potency, scoring 13 or more runs in three of its last five games, but the pitching staff surrendered 18 runs in each of its two weekend losses.

The Mountaineers are rolling after sweeping a three-game series from BYU, outscoring the Cougars 30-15. Marshall took two of three from Georgia Southern in a high-scoring series before Sunday’s defeat.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a tight, high-scoring affair with West Virginia edging Marshall 8-7. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. EDT under cloudy skies with a game-time temperature near 44 degrees.

This is the first of two scheduled meetings between the programs this season. They are set to meet again in Morgantown on April 7.

West Virginia begins a three-game series at Arizona State on Friday. Marshall opens Sun Belt Conference play at home against Coastal Carolina on Friday.