NCAA Baseball Morgantown Regional Team Capsules
The Kentucky baseball team will be playing in the Morgantown Regional of the 2026 NCAA Baseball Tournament this weekend. The Cats are joined in the four-team bracket by the host team, West Virginia, as well as Wake Forest and Binghamton.
Here’s a breakdown of all four teams in the Morgantown Regional this weekend.
West Virginia
Head Coach: Steve Sabins
Record: 39-14 (21-9 Big 12)
UK All-Time Record vs. WVU: 12-4
National seed: 16
For the second consecutive season and the third time in four years, Kentucky and West Virginia find themselves in the same NCAA baseball regional. In 2023, both teams were in the Lexington Regional, with the Cats winning the only meeting between the teams, 10-0. Last season, both teams were in the Clemson Regional, with the Mountaineers topping the Cats twice.
This year, WVU is a regional host after finishing second in the Big 12 Tournament. Gavin Kelly drives the offense with a .379 batting average and a team-high 13 home runs. Paul Schoenfeld is hitting .350 and has stolen 21 bases. Sean Smith is batting .325 with eight home runs.
On the mound, left-hander Maxx Yehl has been the Mountaineers’ ace this season. In 14 starts, he has an 8-2 record with a 2.16 ERA. Right-hander Chansen Cole has also been outstanding for WVU. He is 8-1 this season with a 3.04 ERA. And out of the bullpen, Ian Korn is 5-1 with a 2.57 ERA.
West Virginia advanced to the Super Regionals last season by winning the Clemson regional, and they will be looking to duplicate that feat, this time with home-field advantage.
Wake Forest
Head Coach: Tom Walter
Record: 38-19 (16-14 ACC)
UK All-Time Record vs. Wake Forest: 0-4
After being swept by highly-ranked Georgia Tech in late April, Wake Forest ran off 10 consecutive victories before losing its final two games of the season.
The Demon Deacons have five regulars batting over .300 for the season, led by junior Kade Lewis, who is hitting .362 with 13 home runs. Sophomore Luke Costello is hitting .320, is tied for the team lead with 17 home runs and leads the squad with 61 RBIs.
On the mound, sophomore right-hander Chris Levonas is having an outstanding season. In 14 starts, Levonas has a 10-3 record with a 2.90 ERA. He has struck out 110 batters in 68.1 innings. Cameron Bagwell and Duncan Marsten, both right-handers, have been in the starting rotation for most of the year.
Ironically, Kentucky and Wake Forest have only ever met in NCAA Tournament games. In 1949 and 1950, the Cats and the Demon Deacons faced off in the District III tournament, with Wake winning all four games.
Kentucky
Head Coach: Nick Mingione
Record: 31-21 (13-17 SEC)
Kentucky fought through numerous injuries to starting players nearly all season long, but still managed to make it into the field for a school-record fourth consecutive time. Beginning in the first series of the season, All-SEC shortstop Tyler Bell injured his shoulder and missed significant time. Hudson Brown, Nate Harris, Owen Jenkins and others all missed games due to injuries or illness.
Still, the Cats fought on. One major reason was junior ace Jaxon Jelkin. The Houston transfer is 8-3 on the season with a 3.77 ERA. He has been dominant at times, especially late in the year. Lefty Ben Cleaver has not had the year he hoped for, posting a 2-3 record with a 3.83 ERA. Harris, last year’s Friday night starter, has made 11 starts and is 4-2 with a 5.53 ERA.
Bell leads the Cats in hitting with a .352 average on the year. Center fielder Jayce Tharnish is hitting .350 and has stolen a team-high 29 bases. Second baseman Luke Lawrence is hitting .343, while Ethan Hindle is batting .306 with a team-best 11 home runs.
Mingione believes that his team is nearly as healthy as they have been all season, and he hopes that translates into postseason success.
Binghamton
Head Coach: Tim Sinicki
Record: 31-20 (17-7 America East)
UK All-Time Record vs. Binghamton: 0-0
The Bearcats won the America East Conference regular season for the first time since 2017 and added the tournament title to make the NCAA field.
Binghamton is led by three first-team All-America East players. Sophomore second baseman Sean Sweeney hit .360 in 37 games this season to lead the team. Outfielder Matt Bolton posted a .349 batting average with six home runs. Sophomore catcher Tommy Popoff hit .291 with a team-high seven home runs.
On the mound, junior righty Conner Griffin has been a workhorse for the Bearcats. Griffin has made 14 starts, posting a 3-3 record and a 4.87 ERA. Jackson Mitchell has seen time as a starter and a reliever this season. He is 3-1 with a 4.21 ERA and has four saves.
Kentucky and Binghamton have never met on the baseball diamond.
Play begins on Friday at noon with Kentucky facing Wake Forest. The nightcap, featuring homestanding West Virginia and Binghamton, is slated to begin at 6 p.m.
