Q&A: Kentucky, West Virginia square off at Prasco Park in fall scrimmage

Programming note: Bat Cats Central will be at Prasco Park later today for the scrimmage. I plan to post live updates on the website throughout the scrimmage, so check back at noon tomorrow to follow along. This post will be for premium subscribers. Follow along on Twitter/X @DerekSTerry as well. More coverage will come throughout the week from the scrimmage, including some that will not be behind the paywall.

Kentucky and West Virginia will play a scrimmage today at Prasco Park in Mason, Ohio. West Virginia, which finished 44-16 in Steve Sabins' first year as coach, defeated the Wildcats 4-3 and 13-12 in the Clemson Regional a few months ago.

To learn more about West Virginia's team in 2026, Bat Cats Central caught up with Chris Anderson of Eersports.com, the West Virginia affiliate for 247Sports.com. Anderson is the owner and publisher of the website.

Bat Cats Central: Steve Sabins stepped into the head role last season and posted a 44-16 record in his first year as head coach. Though it's early in his tenure, are there noticeable differences in Sabins' approach to managing games, recruiting strategy, etc., compared to Randy Mazey?

Anderson: It's very similar. There's a lot of small ball stuff – bunts, hit and runs, stolen bases – that was a staple of the Randy Mazey Era that has carried over with Sabins on the field. Recruiting is nearly identical (as much as it can be with all the changes to transfers and NIL and everything). That's because Sabins was in charge of recruiting under Mazey, so he's just carried that over. Even the approach to getting fans and being very social about the team is similar. Mazey was not afraid to go out and mingle with the fans, reaching out directly to the base in hopes of building support. Sabins has done that, and then some. You'll see the program reaching out via social media to try to connect with more fans and keep growing fan support.

BCC: After two straight trips to the super regionals, what are the preseason expectations for the 2026 WVU baseball team?

Anderson: Similar. That's what immediate success like that will do. Fans are expecting much of the same moving forward. West Virginia has recruited – both transfers and high school kids – like they never have before. Fans see those rankings, and the question becomes "hey, we're getting better recruits than what led us to super regionals, so why can't we do it again?" The program – coaches, players, administrators – feel the same, too.

BCC: What are the biggest questions both positionally and on the mound this fall for WVU?

Anderson: There are going to be questions up and down the lineup.... for now. Most of WVU's everyday position players from last year's team are gone, including four of the top five guys in batting average, and that doesn't even include the most seasoned veterans (like catcher Logan Sauve). West Virginia recruited really well, though, adding some transfers that had high batting averages and knocked in some runs. How well will that translate? I don't know if they'll find out this early, but this could be a good look for the coaches.

BCC: Which players on WVU's roster should Kentucky fans be aware of for Sunday's scrimmage?

Anderson: On the returning player front, Armani Guzman came on strong down the stretch last season, moving up the batting order in the postseason and playing some excellent defense. Pitcher Chase Meyer is the guy that MLB scouts have talked about being a high draft guy next summer. Then, there's some new guys that had success at their previous stops, and have looked great during intrasquad scrimmages. Pitcher Chansen Cole had 97 strikeouts in 87 innings at Newberry College last year and leads the team in strikeouts during live ball this fall. Catcher Matthew Graveline started 157 games for Ohio State before coming to WVU, and he has three of the team's top six exit velos this fall. A big bat that will start right away.