SURPRISE, Ariz. (Interstat) — West Virginia visits Arizona State on Friday night in a marquee nonconference matchup at Surprise Stadium, with both teams sporting strong records and postseason aspirations.

The Mountaineers (38-13) hold a slight edge in the win column over the Sun Devils (37-18). First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. local time, with the weather forecast indicating clear skies.

West Virginia will send right-hander Maxx Yehl to the mound. Yehl has been dominant in recent starts, including a complete-game shutout at Kansas on May 8 in which he allowed one unearned run and struck out nine while scattering no hits. In his latest outing Thursday against Kansas State, Yehl went 6 1/3 innings, yielding two earned runs on three hits with seven strikeouts in a 4-2 win. Over his last four appearances, the righty has allowed just five earned runs in 27 innings while striking out 33.

Arizona State’s Matthew Polk is a key player to watch in the lineup. The left fielder went 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs in the Sun Devils’ 10-2 victory over Cincinnati on Thursday. Polk has been inconsistent over the past two weeks but remains a dangerous bat; he had a pair of multi-hit games against Oklahoma State and Baylor earlier in the season and leads the team in RBIs over the last month.

The series has been competitive in 2026. The two teams met in Tempe in late March, with Arizona State winning the opener 14-4 before West Virginia took the next two games, 13-7 and 9-5.

West Virginia enters on a three-game winning streak after taking two of three from TCU and beating Kansas State on Thursday. The Mountaineers also swept Kansas and Marshall earlier in May.

Arizona State has won four of its last five, including a series win at Houston and Thursday’s rout of Cincinnati. The Sun Devils have been strong at home, though Friday’s game is technically a neutral-site contest at Surprise Stadium, the spring training home of the Kansas City Royals.

According to Interstat’s game simulator, the projected final score is West Virginia 8, Arizona State 7, with the Mountaineers holding a 55.3 percent probability of winning based on the ELO ratings.

Both teams are expected to draw significant crowds for the Friday night showdown, which serves as a potential preview of a regional matchup later this spring.