West Virginia to host NCAA Regional

After an incredible run that came up just short in the Big 12 Tournament, the NCAA announced Sunday that West Virginia will host a regional for the first time in 64 years.

With the regional bid, the Mountaineers have locked up their second appearance in the NCAA Tournament in three years. That is the first such feat in the program since they went in 1994 and 1996.

This will also be the second NCAA Tournament appearance under Randy Mazey. WVU went to the Winston-Salem Regional in 2017, advancing all the way to the final before losing to Wake Forest.

West Virginia has not hosted NCAA Tournament games since 1955, when Wake Forest came to town to play a three-game series in the District 3 playoffs. The Demon Deacons advanced with a 2-1 series win and eventually won the College World Series.

The three teams joining West Virginia in the Morgantown Regional will not be known until tomorrow after noon when the rest of the field of 64 is released. Possible opponents include Ohio State, Michigan, NC State, Indiana, Duke and Cincinnati as well as small conference champions in the Northeast such as Army, Bryant, Stony Brook, Liberty and Fordham.

Other regional hosts include Texas Tech and Oklahoma State from the Big 12 as well as Georgia, Georgia Tech, LSU, North Carolina, Oregon State, Arkansas, East Carolina, UCLA, Louisville, Vanderbilt, Ole Miss, Stanford and Mississippi State

The first games of the Morgantown Regional will take place on Friday at Mon County Ballpark.