Tuscon Regional tournament. — After surviving a season full of unimaginable injuries that could have derailed any of its momentum, West Virginia’s third-seeded baseball team has reached its defining moment as it opens play in the Tuscon Regional tournament of the NCAA Tournament. Friday afternoon’s game against No. 2 Dallas Baptist will be shown on ESPN2.
WVU baseball begins Tuscon Regional tournament play today
Enduring injuries and the shock of learning their coach, Randy Maze, will retire at the end of this season, tested them every day of the year and they met it head on with character and an unwavering resilience.
But now it’s playoff baseball in a double elimination format. There’s no shaky room, no more looking forward, until star JJ Weatherholt returns from the 24 games he missed with a hamstring strain. No more midweek games or unranked opponents.
There’s no room for error … or walking or hanging curveballs.
This is when each player not only tests his abilities but also his makeup.
“Some people live for moments like this. Some people don’t like such moments. To win Tuscon Regional tournaments, you have to have a team that loves moments like this,” Mazei said, partly a statement of truth and offering his team a challenge.
“That’s why you come to West Virginia, to watch the election, to play Tuscon Regional tournament. If you can’t enjoy the moment, you shouldn’t be playing baseball,” Maze said moments after the Mountaineers learned their NCAA fate. “The one thing our guys know is no matter how they perform, I’m going to love them all the same. It’s for them to go out. And gives freedom to perform and not put any pressure on ourselves.
“It’s something they can enjoy. It’s something they’ll remember for the rest of their lives, so they can enjoy it and make the best of it.”
WVU baseball begins Tuscon Regional tournament play today
Win or lose this is the beginning of the end for the Mazey era at WVU. He was the right man for the big job of reviving what had been a stagnant WVU program, ushering it into a new conference in the Big 12 and a new baseball facility that forever proved that if you build it, they will come.
Record crowds, a record season and a record-smashing player in Weatherholt combined to make anything possible, even with a two-and-through performance in the Big 12 Tournament behind them.
As Mazzei talked about his situation, he was asked how Weatherholt would respond, given that he leaves for the Major League Baseball draft on July 14.
Magi chose to use that moment to give an interesting response.
“JJ. He’s only a junior, he’ll be back next year,” he said, tongue firmly embedded in his cheek.
Weatherholt, of course, is penciled in as a first-round selection, with a mock draft heading to his hometown Pittsburgh Pirates with the ninth pick.
After battling through a hamstring injury that reminded him of his weakness, Weatherholt would again be mad to test the baseball gods.
Weatherholt deftly dodged the question about his days at WVU being the final chapter in his life story.
“I know what the future holds, but I don’t verily think about it too much,” Weatherholt said. “I’m just excited about playing with my guys.”
It was an encore performance for the Weatherholt Mountaineers at High Corbett Field in Tucson, which included an exhibition meeting with the Mountaineers in Phoenix and the Arizona Diamondbacks, led by alum Kendricks, in a game against Arizona in the West.
“JJ played very good in Arizona,” Magee recalled.
The 2023 series against Arizona screamed to the world that Weatherholt was a special player as he went 7 for 13 with two home runs and three doubles.
“He did his job,” Maze said. “So, he’ll be very comfortable there.”
Weatherholt is now healthy and while the box score of his last game in the Big 12 Tournament showed him with just one hit, he scorched the ball every time he hit it.
“If JJ had that game at Dallas Baptist, he would have gone 4 for 5 with 4 homers,” said Maze, who is going against the wind in the Big 12 Tournament.
While it may have cost him the Big 12 Tournament, forcing his best pitchers to throw on short rest instead of resting them, he now has Derek Clark and Tyler Switalski ready for the NCAA Tournament.
The Mountaineers bring a 33-22 record into the Tuscon Regional tournament in the tough Big 12 while Dallas Baptist, a small school with a giant killer reputation, is 44-13 out of Conference USA.
Top-seeded Arizona, 36-21, faces No. 4 Grand Canyon, 34-23, in Friday’s second game at 9 p.m. on ESPN+.