West Virginia starting pitcher Jack Kartsonas compiled seven shutout innings, while the Mountaineer offense pieced together five runs as they beat Texas Tech, 5-0 from Kendrick Family Ballpark in Morgantown on Sunday.
With the win, the Mountaineers claim their sixth straight Big 12 series win, and stay atop the Big 12 standings with two weekends to go in conference play.
Kartsonas was making his fourth start of the season, which was also his fourth in as many weeks. Through his first three combined starts, Kartsonas tossed 19.2 innings, allowing four runs on 12 hits, while he struck out 17.
Kartsonas would continue his success as a starter, as he followed up on those three starts, tossing 7.0 total innings, allowing no runs on five hits, while striking out seven.
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Kartsonas was on from the first pitch of the game, striking out the first batter he faced on three pitches, and compiling five strikeouts through the first four innings.
Texas Tech starting pitcher Zane Petty matched Kartsonas almost pitch for pitch early on, before the Mountaineers were able to get to Petty in the fourth.
Sam White singled, and Logan Sauve walked to set up Brodie Kresser with two outs and two on. Kresser would rip the first pitch he saw off the base of the wall in left field as both White and Kresser scampered home to score. The next batter, Grant Hussey, also doubled, scoring Kresser to put West Virginia ahead 3-0.
Petty would end up pitching into the sixth inning, finishing with 5.2 innings pitched, allowing three runs on seven hits, while he struck out four and walked one.
While West Virginia’s offense got Kartsonas some run support, he was able to return the favor by stranding multiple Red Raiders in the sixth and seventh innings.
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In the sixth, Texas Tech had runners on first and second with one out, but a lineout and then a strikeout ended the threat. In the seventh, the Red Raiders pushed a runner to second with two outs, but Kartsonas got a fly out to escape the jam.
In the bottom of the seventh, West Virginia’s offense got some much-needed insurance as Gavin Kelly doubled, before Kyle West hit a 421-foot home run to right field, putting WVU ahead 5-0. The home run was the 50th of West’s career, and his 20th in two seasons at West Virginia.
Kartsonas’ afternoon ended after the seventh inning, handing the ball to Carson Estridge, the team’s co-leader in saves entering the day.
Estridge retired the side in the eighth with two strikeouts to go along with it. Estridge stayed in the game in the ninth, working around two hits to finish off the Red Raiders.
West Virginia moves to 39-7 on the season, as well as 18-4 in Big 12 play. This was WVU’s third shutout win of the season.
Join the Main Street Morgantown family-friendly holiday shopping event from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday (Dec. 13) in Downtown Morgantown.
The event will feature a district-wide scavenger hunt for a chance to win prizes and the opportunity to explore holiday pop-up markets by Hoot and Howl, The Co-Op and Apothecary Ale House.
While exploring downtown shops, participants who spot DASH the Dog can collect stamps. Each stamp brings participants closer to the chance of winning prizes from downtown merchants such as gift cards and goods. To qualify for prizes, completed Downtown Dash Guides with five or more stamps must be turned into Hoot and Howl, The Co-Op, Apothecary Ale House or at Breezeline’s play-to-win tent on Courthouse Square.
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As a break from shopping, parents and their little ones can visit Kids Craft, Cookies & Cocoa Central at the WARD Building to enjoy a complimentary hot cocoa and cookie bar and children’s crafts provided by Hotel Morgan sponsored by Main Street Morgantown and Breezeline.
Visitors can also visit the beautiful 25-foot-tall holiday tree on display at Courthouse Square, a collaboration between the City of Morgantown, Monongalia County and Main Street Morgantown.
Sponsored by Breezeline, the Downtown Dash celebrates the holiday season, promotes walking and shopping throughout the downtown district, and supports local businesses by driving foot traffic directly to storefronts.
WHEELING, W.Va. — The West Virginia First Foundation visited the Wheeling Police Department to commend its efforts in addressing the area’s mental health and opioid crisis.
Wheeling Police Chief Shawn Schwertfeger presented to the WVFF board, highlighting the department’s progress.
Schwertfeger attributed a 14% decrease in Group A crimes from 2024 to 2025 to the department’s crisis intervention program.
“Just another great partnership,” he said. “More collaboration in this area that we are very proud of and we want to keep the momentum going,.”
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WVFF Executive Director Jonathan Board praised the program’s success.
“This in particular, the CIT program, that isn’t just in the ether, but is showing success – actual scientific success about de-escalation, about bringing together services providers and to boots on the ground and first responders, this is vitally important to not only this region but the entire state,” Board said.
The visit was part of WVFF’s ‘Hold the Line’ tour across the state.
Now that you know about West Virginia’s2026 recruiting class, I figured it’d be a good time to give a little insight into those who were once committed to the Mountaineers and landed elsewhere.
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What happened, and where did they go?
QB Brodie McWhorter (Mississippi State)
McWhorter committed to Neal Brown and his coaching staff, but reopened his recruitment when the coaching change was made. Rich Rodriguez did recruit him at the beginning, holding several conversations with him before backing off and pursuing Jyron Hughley and Legend Bey. Hughley committed, Bey committed to Ohio State (signed with Tennessee), while WVU added two more quarterbacks in Wyatt Brown and John Johnson III.
RB Jett Walker (Texas)
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Walker fit the bill for what Rodriguez wanted in the backfield. A big, physical presence who could absorb contact and hammer it in between the tackles. With multiple backs committed and feeling good about a few others, WVU didn’t feel pressed to hold onto him. Walker flipped to Minnesota and then flipped to Texas just three weeks later
WR Jeffar Jean-Noel (Georgia Tech)
Jean-Noel was the second recruit to commit to Rodriguez in the 2026 class, but reopened his recruitment in mid-April. He then considered Purdue, Pitt, Kentucky, UCF, and Florida State before landing at Georgia Tech.
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OL Justyn Lyles (Marshall)
The Mountaineers had a number of offensive line commits, and with the late additions of Kevin Brown and Aidan Woods, and their chances of securing Jonas Muya, Lyles took a visit to Marshall and flipped his commitment.
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LB Caleb Gordon (North Carolina)
Gordon’s commitment to WVU was very brief. As a matter of fact, it was the shortest of the bunch, announcing his pledge on November 24th and then flipping to NC State on the first day of the early signing period (December 3rd).
LB Daiveon Taylor (Kent State)
Taylor was the first commit in the class; however, it was so early that he was committed to Neal Brown’s staff, announcing his decision in April of 2024. He backed off that pledge the very day Brown was fired (December 1st) and eventually signed with Kent State.
CB Emari Peterson (unsigned)
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Peterson decommitted from WVU just days before signing day, likely due to the Mountaineers zeroing in on a pair of JUCO corners in Rayshawn Reynolds and Da’Mun Allen. He will sign in February and currently has offers from Appalachian State, Arkansas State, Bowling Green, Charlotte, Cincinnati, East Carolina, Florida Atlantic, FIU, Georgia State, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Kentucky, Liberty, LSU, South Florida, Southern Miss, Texas A&M, Toledo, Wake Forest, and a few others.
S Aaron Edwards (committed to Tulsa)
West Virginia chose to part ways with Edwards and ultimately replaced his spot with fellow JUCO safety Da’Mare Williams.
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S Jaylon Jones (undecided)
Jones decommitted in late October and did not sign during the early signing period. He will likely choose between Central Michigan, Hawai’i, Sam Houston, Stephen F. Austin, and Texas State.
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S Taj Powell (Louisville)
Taj is the brother of former Mountaineer basketball guard Jonathan Powell, who is now at North Carolina. He decommitted the day after West Virginia lost to Ohio and flipped to Louisville that same day.
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