West Virginia vs. Grand Canyon: Saturday, June 1, 2024

WEST VIRGINIA VS. GRAND CANYON: SATURDAY, JUNE 1, 2024 — Suddenly, the Tucson Regional has swung wide open for West Virginia to win. The Mountaineers didn’t look great at the Big 12 tournament, going two-and-out. But hidden within that flameout was the fact that they held Derek Clark out of action in Arlington.

Clark returned Friday and went the distance against Dallas Baptist, holding the Patriots to four hits in a 4-1 win. That’s critical for West Virginia for two reasons. First, winning your first game makes winning a regional much easier. Second, Clark saved the bullpen from having to throw a pitch. Winning an NCAA regional is often about who uses their pitching staff most efficiently, especially if you have to battle through the elimination bracket.

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Not only does West Virginia not have to do that after one day, but its opponent in the top bracket is not top seed Arizona. The Wildcats gambled on No. 2 pitcher Clark Candiotti in their opener, hoping to save ace Cam Walty for the winner’s bracket final. But Grand Canyon spoiled the party and took full advantage of Candiotti’s wildness, beating Arizona for the third time this season.

So instead, it’s the Antelopes who will oppose West Virginia, with the winner just one win away from their first super regional appearance in program history. West Virginia has at least been around this level of success before, having made four regional appearances as Big 12 members. Grand Canyon’s NCAA tournament experience is all of five games, and the Antelopes had never won one before toppling Arizona.

Players to Watch

In a game with few scoring opportunities, Logan Sauve took full advantage when one came. The West Virginia catcher delivered the winning blow early in the third inning, hitting a three-run home run that put the Mountaineers ahead to stay. Sauve has battled injuries this year, but having him healthy makes a big difference. He’s a solid power threat and a weapon behind the plate, although Grand Canyon won’t test him much. The Antelopes stole just 27 bases in 2024, so Sauve will likely do more at the plate than behind it in this game.

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Tyler Wilson homered for Grand Canyon in the Antelopes’ win over Arizona, and the rest of the lineup game through. Grand Canyon won because it scored in each of the final four frames, as Arizona couldn’t get outs. Thanks to Clark, West Virginia will have its whole bullpen available. The Mountaineers will likely turn to Aidan Major and hope to ride him as long as they can. If he can steal a few innings, it’s great for the Mountaineers, If not, they’ll need their bullpen arms to come through.

The Prediction

Getting the win Friday did a lot for West Virginia’s chances. Doing it the way the Mountaineers did made a bigger difference. If Major runs into trouble, it’s no longer a big deal if someone like Carson Estridge or Joe Fredericks has to go an extra inning on Saturday. The Mountaineers can now set their staff up to get the most out of their relievers, instead of operating with desperation.

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Grand Canyon got the right opponent in facing Arizona. The Antelopes are kind of like Fairleigh Dickinson, as they lost their conference tournament but went anyway because Tarleton State isn’t yet eligible for the NCAA tournament. Of course, that FDU team took down Purdue before falling admirably to Florida Atlantic.

The Antelopes survived one power conference foe, but two is likely too many. West Virginia should be able to ride this wave to the winner’s bracket final.