Up next for WVU is a road trip to Houston to take on the Cougars. The Mountaineers will try to claim their first conference win of the season against a 7-1 team that’s riding a three-game win streak.
Announced on Sunday after the Big 12 initially decided to delay deciding on the details for the matchup, the game will kickoff at noon and air nationally on FS1.
While WVU is in the midst of enduring one of the worst seasons in program history, Houston has managed to become a surprise contender. The Cougars are coming off a 24-16 win over Arizona State and have only lost once all season, a 35-11 defeat to Texas Tech.
West Virginia is on the heels of their fifth-straight loss. On Saturday, WVU lost 23-17 to TCU in their closest loss of their losing skid. The Mountaineers last win came on Sept. 13 in a comeback victory over the rival Pitt Panthers in the Backyard Brawl.
The No. 15 West Virginia Mountaineers (25-8, 10-5) host the Houston Cougars (16-19, 3-12) for a three-game Big 12 Conference series. The first game is set for Friday at 6:30 p.m. EST, game two will be Saturday at 11:00 a.m. EST and the series finale is scheduled for Sunday at 1:00 p.m. EST. All the action will stream on ESPN+.
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West Virginia bounced back last weekend with a road series win over Texas Tech after dropping their first series of the season to UCF the previous week that knocked back in the standing and have since won four of five last games.
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Sophomore Gavin Kelly holds a team-high .409 batting average, while leading the team with 16 doubles, 34 RBI and is tied with senior Sean Smith for a club best five home runs.
Paul Schoenfield bounced back in the win over Penn State Wednesday night after a tough seven-game stretch of hitting .228, going 2-4 at the plate and bashed his second homerun of the season in his first at bat of the game.
West Virginia is expected to start junior right-hander Dawson Montesa (3-4, 5.96 ERA) to open the series, redshirt junior Maxx Yehl (5-1, 3.13 ERA) in game two, and sophomore Chansen Cole (5-1, 3.13 ERA) in game three.
Houston won its first five games of the season, including an 8-2 decision over nationally ranked Wake Forest to open the season, but have struggled during the Big 12 schedule, notching a mere three wins.
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Senior Tyler Cox leads Cougars at the plate with a .319 batting average, while redshirt sophomore Xavier Perez leads the team with nine home runs, three triples, and 28 RBI, in addition to hitting .311 on the season.
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On the mound, Houston is scheduled to start sophomore right-hander Kendall Hoffman (1-4, 4.70 ERA) in the series opener, senior righty Paul Schmitz (2-4, 6.57 ERA) is set for game two, and the Cougars will announced the starter for the series finale on game day.
This will be the second series meeting between the two programs. The Mountaineers swept the Cougars last season in Houston to lead the all-time series 3-0.
The West Virginia Water Research Institute 3RQ Common Waters Initiative will host its Spring 2026 Common Waters Symposium from 4-6 p.m. April 22 at the NRCCE Building.
This will be a small-scale symposium, with an expected seven presentation posters from involved students.
Common Waters connects WVU students with local environmental nonprofits to participate in various STEAM projects, which students have been working on through the semester and are excited to present during the symposium. Presentations will range from research-based projects to StoryMaps showcasing various environmental topics local to the region.
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Common Waters is active every semester, so students and faculty interested in getting involved are encouraged to attend the symposium to learn more about the program and explore the work being done by local environmental nonprofit organizations.
RSVP to attend.
For questions, contact amaya.hamilton@mail.wvu.edu.
BECKLEY, W.Va. — The Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation has awarded $75,000 to RE-PATH, a new statewide substance use recovery advocacy organization, boosting the group’s foundational effort to expand recovery resources in rural West Virginia.
It is the second competitive grant RE-PATH — short for Recovery Empowerment through Policy, Advocacy, Transformation, and Hope — has secured in recent weeks. Jay Phillips, who leads Seed Sower, Inc. in Beckley and co-chairs the RE-PATH board, said the funding will help advance recovery best practices and workable local solutions.
“This is the second competitive grant we have secured in recent weeks,” Phillips said. “It is hard to put into words how grateful we are to have these funds and to advance substance use recovery best practices and workable solutions to meet real needs of our citizens.”
Rachel Thaxton of Kanawha County, who co-chairs the board with Phillips, said the Benedum funds will be used for professional staff, expert consultants, training and education materials, office space and supplies, and travel.
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“It is a major achievement to secure grant dollars from the Benedum Foundation, one of the most trusted sources of funding for non-profits,” Thaxton said. “Leaders of the Benedum Foundation are true partners with the organizations they fund, and we are privileged to have their support.”
Kim Tieman, vice president and program director at the Benedum Foundation, said RE-PATH is filling critical gaps in rural parts of the state where local officials often lack the resources to sustain their own recovery strategies. “One of our foundation’s hallmarks is to level the playing field for areas of unmet need in our region,” she said.
RE-PATH launched in early February 2026. More on its mission is available on its Facebook page. The Pittsburgh-based Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation focuses on grantmaking initiatives supporting human development in West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania.
