West Virginia Visits Arizona for Midweek Baseball Matchup

The Mountaineers look to continue their strong start to the season against the struggling Wildcats.

Mar. 31, 2026 at 8:50pm

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A fractured, multi-perspective painting featuring sharp, overlapping geometric planes in the colors of West Virginia and Arizona, conceptually representing the dynamic energy of a college baseball game.A cubist interpretation of the upcoming midweek baseball matchup between West Virginia and Arizona, capturing the dynamic energy of the game through a fragmented, geometric lens.Morgantown Today

The West Virginia Mountaineers baseball team will travel to Tucson, Arizona to take on the Arizona Wildcats in a rare midweek matchup between the two programs. West Virginia is coming off a series win over then-ranked Arizona State, while Arizona has struggled to a 9-18 record so far this season.

Why it matters

This game provides an opportunity for West Virginia to continue their strong start to the season and build momentum heading into conference play. For Arizona, it's a chance to pick up a marquee win against a quality opponent and potentially turn their season around.

The details

West Virginia will send sophomore right-hander David Hagen to the mound, who has yet to allow a run in 9.1 innings of work this season. Arizona will counter with freshman Jack Lafflam, who is 1-1 in five appearances and two starts so far. The Mountaineers are led offensively by Paul Schoefeld (.418 batting average, 3 triples, 26 RBIs) and Gavin Kelly (.416 batting average, 11 doubles), while the Wildcats are paced by Tony Lira (.364 batting average, 5 home runs).

  • The game is scheduled for Monday, March 31, 2026 at 9:00 p.m. EST.
  • West Virginia is coming off a series win over then-No. 22 Arizona State last weekend.

The players

Paul Schoefeld

A key offensive contributor for West Virginia, batting .418 with 3 triples and 26 RBIs.

Gavin Kelly

The sophomore is hitting .416 with a team-high 11 doubles for the Mountaineers.

David Hagen

The West Virginia sophomore right-hander has yet to allow a run in 9.1 innings of work this season.

Tony Lira

The freshman is hitting a team-high .364 with 5 home runs for the struggling Wildcats.

Jack Lafflam

The Arizona freshman is scheduled to start on the mound, posting a 1-1 record in 5 appearances and 2 starts.

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What they’re saying

“We're looking forward to the challenge of facing a quality opponent like Arizona in a midweek game. It will be a good test for our team as we continue to build momentum heading into conference play.”

— Randy Mazey, West Virginia Head Coach

“This is a great opportunity for our young team to compete against a strong program like West Virginia. We're hoping to use this game as a springboard to turn our season around.”

— Chip Hale, Arizona Head Coach

What’s next

After this midweek matchup, West Virginia will return home to host Kansas State in a Big 12 Conference series starting on Friday, April 4th. Arizona will continue their homestand, welcoming Utah for a Pac-12 series beginning on Friday, April 4th as well.

The takeaway

This game provides an intriguing non-conference matchup between two programs heading in different directions so far this season. West Virginia looks to continue their strong start, while Arizona hopes to use this as a springboard to turn their season around and build momentum for conference play.