OMAHA, Neb. — There’s no denying the impact a pair of West Virginia errors in the seventh inning played in the outcome of what amounted to a 5-2 loss to North Carolina on Sunday night at Charles Schwab Field.
There’s no reason to harp on them either.
Tyrus Hall and Brodie Kresser would like nothing more than to have made fairly routine plays, particularly Kresser’s miscue that prevented a potential inning-ending double play.
Instead, Gavin Gallaher followed with a two-run triple to break a 2-all tie and UNC scored three unearned runs in the inning. Neither team would score again.
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“Over the course of 62 games, that stuff happens,” second-year WVU coach Steve Sabins said. “I think we have the best fielding percentage in our league. Tyrus is one of the best defenders in the nation. So we’ve had really good success. And that’s kind of part of it. You don’t want it at that time. But I feel very confident that any mistakes that are made are made because mistakes happen in baseball, not necessarily the moment or the situation. I feel like our guys have played really free and aggressive this entire time.”
The Tar Heels are now within one victory of a spot in the Men’s College World Series Finals, while the Mountaineers (46-16) suffered their fourth loss in 22 games since May, and now have to defeat Troy on Tuesday to get another crack at the No. 5 national seed.
WVU never led Sunday and scored one of its two runs on a double play that Matt Ineich hit into in the fourth inning.
The next time Ineich stepped into the batter’s box in the sixth, the Mountaineers were in their best position of the game to lead with runners at first and second, before the shortstop hit into his second 4-6-3 twin killing in as many at bats.
Consider that among its single-season program record 46 victories this season, only two for West Virginia have come scoring two or fewer runs and four have with three or fewer runs. On both occasions that the Mountaineers won with two runs, they prevented the opposition (Liberty and TCU) from scoring.
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Baseball is a game predicated on handling failure, not dwelling on it. Succeeding three times every 10 trips to the plate leaves you in position to be enshrined in Cooperstown at the highest level.
Let it not be forgotten that Kresser’s single to start the bottom of the 10th inning led to him scoring the winning run in the Mountaineers’ 6-5 victory over Kentucky to win the Morgantown Regional. He’s been a mainstay in the Mountaineer lineup each of the last three seasons — two that have ended in Super Regional appearances and this year, which will at some point end in Omaha.
“It is what it is. Have to flush it,” Kresser said. “Can’t let the moment get too big.”
Hall has hit exceptionally well throughout the NCAA Tournament and broke a 5-all tie last Friday against Troy with a two-run single in the eighth. He’s also made numerous high-level defensive plays throughout the 2026 campaign, including a few in the MCWS.
Sabins has described Hall as the best defensive third baseman he’s been around and numerous teammates have offered similar praise.
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“I just missed it. It happens,” Hall said.
A big part of what’s made West Virginia’s 2026 season so successful is the team’s ability to stay present.Jun 12, 2026; Omaha, NE, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers third baseman Tyrus Hall (8) and first baseman Brodie Kresser (12) celebrate after defeating the Troy Trojans at Charles Schwab Field. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images
The Mountaineers haven’t dwelled on losses or harped on wins. They didn’t get too low after a 23-1 midweek loss to rival Pitt or an 11-9 postseason loss to Kentucky, and didn’t get too high after fending off elimination twice in one day, including an 11-9 win over the Wildcats that featured five ninth-inning runs.
Staying present and not living in the past has never been more important than now as WVU seeks a second win over the Trojans to prolong its stay on college baseball’s premier stage.
“We’re one of the best defensive teams in the country and sometimes things happen,” said Mountaineer relief pitcher Reese Bassinger. “You’re playing on a really good surface. Sometimes the ball takes a really weird bounce. I don’t really know what happened there, but it happens. We move forward.
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“Kresser and Tyrus are some of the best defenders we have and I know without a doubt I would throw that same pitch over and over and I guarantee Kresser fields it for a double play every other time. That guy has been the rock. He’s been a captain for us. He’s a guy that everyone loves. Nobody cares about that. We move on, keep pitching, keep hitting and just go on the next game.”
The WVU Medicine St. Joseph’s Rural Health Clinic is now accepting newborns at its Buckhannon office, with two providers — Rachel Burns, CPNP, and Sara Chipps, FNP-C — taking new pediatric patients. Read more →
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CHARLESTON, WV — The West Virginia Governor’s Highway Safety Program (GHSP) and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) are reminding drivers that speeding has legal consequences. As part of the Speeding Slows You Down high-visibility enforcement campaign, drivers will see more law enforcement on the roads. West Virginia’s mobilization runs from July 6 through July 31, 2026.
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This campaign is designed to underscore the grave consequences of speeding and urge motorists to reduce their speed. This mobilization emphasizes the commitment of law enforcement to curb speeding behaviors and raise public awareness regarding the increased presence of officers on our nation’s roads during this mobilization period.
Speeding-related fatalities affect communities nationwide every year. In 2024, there were 11,288 speed-related traffic fatalities, accounting for 29% of all traffic fatalities. Young drivers have a higher chance of being involved in speeding-related crashes. In 2024, 39% of male drivers and 20% of female drivers in the 15- to 20-year-old age group involved in fatal traffic crashes were speeding.
In West Virginia, in 2024, speeding-related fatalities decreased 8% from the previous year, from 85 to 78. Our ultimate goal is zero fatalities, which points toward the importance of campaigns like this.
“Speeders don’t just put themselves in danger of serious injuries and death, they put other road users, including passengers, pedestrians, and bicyclists, at risk as well. We are asking drivers to please slow down; our goal is to save lives, and we’re putting all drivers on alert. The posted speed limit is the law. No excuses,” said Jack McNeely, GHSP Director.
The consequences of speeding can lead to a costly ticket, potential jail time, or worse, a crash resulting in injuries or death.
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For more information on speeding, visit NHTSA.gov/Speeding.
For more information about the West Virginia Governor’s Highway Safety Program, visit highwaysafety.wv.gov or call 304-926-2509.
Flood debris piles along Route 85 have been growing for more than a week. PHOTO: Chris Lawrence
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Members of the West Virginia National Guard will be dispatched this week to the areas of Boone, Raleigh, and Logan Counties which are under a State of Emergency today.
The Governor declared the State of Emergency following heavy rains on June 22nd which caused high water that damaged more than 120 homes in Boone County alone.
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“Missions like this we’ve done in the past. It’s basically conducting debris removal operations,” said Captain Mike Garcia of the West Virginia National Guard.
The number of guard personnel who will be activated is not yet known, but Garcia guessed it would be in the neighborhood of 15. The teams will be equipment operators with loading and hauling equipment to move household debris to a collection location.
“We’ve got loader teams, dump teams, and skid-steers and we’ll go around those areas and take any debris caused by the weather and the flooding and it is piling up, we’ll be able to remove that, ” he explained.
Garcia said at this point there has been no mission to haul relief supplies to victims as has been done in previous flood events. They are also disallowed from doing any work to assist homeowners on their own private property.
“West Virginia National Guard is not legally authorized to enter or conduct work on private property. Residents need to move any debris and bring it to the curb so that as we get on the ground, we’ll be able to assess where it will go,” Garcia added.
A stunning report dropped on the 4th of July from Kentucky Sports Radio’s Jack Pilgrim of On3 that former West Virginia guard Kerr Kriisa had been arrested by the FBI on alleged fraud charges.
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According to the report, Kriisa’s arrest was “in connection to a multimillion-dollar fraud scheme dating back to his time at West Virginia as a Mountaineer in 2023-24. He’s being extradited back to West Virginia with a court hearing scheduled for next week.”
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No further details have been released at this time.
Kriisa’s time as a Mountaineer
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Jan 20, 2024; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers guard Kerr Kriisa (3) celebrates with students after defeating the Kansas Jayhawks at WVU Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect
Kriisa transferred from Arizona to West Virginia in the summer of 2023, expecting to be the point guard for Bob Huggins’ next team. Obviously, that went to the wayside when Huggins had his own off-court incidents that summer that ultimately led to his resignation.
Despite it being a brief period of time, Kriisa had developed a strong relationship with Huggins, and once the news dropped that he would no longer be the program’s coach, he put his name back in the portal. Interim head coach Josh Eilert had multiple conversations with him, and two days later, he withdrew his name, remaining a Mountaineer for a season.
Kriisa was suspended for the first nine games of that season after he admitted to accepting impermissible benefits during his time at Arizona.
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During that extremely brutal year for WVU, Kriisa had the best year of his collegiate career statistically, averaging 11 points, 4.7 assists, and 2.5 rebounds per game while shooting 42% from both the field and from three-point range.
Kerr’s two other stops post-WVU
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Jan 24, 2026; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Cincinnati Bearcats guard Kerr Kriisa (11) against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Desert Financial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
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After one season in Morgantown, Kriisa transferred to Kentucky, but only appeared in nine games before suffering what would be a season-ending foot injury. In those nine games, Kriisa saw limited action off the bench, getting roughly 17 minutes per night.
To round out his collegiate career, Kriisa made his way back to the Big 12, landing at Cincinnati. There, he was bothered by a separated shoulder, causing him to miss several games, including the matchup against the Mountaineers in Morgantown. He did play in the second game against West Virginia and was held scoreless on 0/2 shooting in 15 minutes of action. Ironically, that would be the final game he would play for the Bearcats.
In 19 games with Cincinnati, he averaged 5.8 points, three assists, and 1.3 rebounds per game, connecting on just 33% of his shots.
