Friday, February 20
Lynchburg, Va.
4:00 PM ET
Liberty University
2-2
0
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12
West Virginia
4-0
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6
7
8
9
R
H
E
West Virginia
0
0
0
0
3
1
4
4
0
12
11
0
Liberty
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
2
No. 25 West Virginia Downs Liberty in Home Opener
2/20/2026 8:49:00 PM | Baseball
LYNCHBURG, VA. – No. 25 West Virginia broke open a scoreless contest in the fifth inning and went on to ease past the Liberty Flames 12-0 in the Flames' home opener at Worthington Field at Liberty Baseball Stadium Friday afternoon.
Outfielder Paul Schonefel hit a grand slam and drove in five runs for the visiting Mountaineers.
West Virginia right-hander Chasen Cole limited Liberty to two hits over 5 1/3 innings, striking out seven and walking two, to record his first win of 2026. He combined with three other Mountaineers to hold the Flames to three hits in the contest.
Liberty falls to 2-2 in the young season. West Virginia remains unbeaten at 4-0.
Box Score Highlights
Records: West Virginia (4-0); Liberty (2-2)
Location: Lynchburg, Va. (Worthington Field at Liberty Baseball Stadium)
WP: Chasten Cole (1-0) | LP: Ben Blair (1-1)
Scoring Summary
5th – WVU – Willis singles, Smith scores, 1-0
5th – WVU – Kresser doubles, Willis scores, 2-0
5th – WVU – Ineich flies out, Kresser scores, 3-0
6th – WVU – Smith homers, 4-0
7th – WVU – Schoenfeld reaches on a sacrifice bunt, Guzman scores, 5-0
7th – WVU – Smith grounds out, Graveline scores, 6-0
7th – WVU – Kresser singles, Schoenfeld scores, 7-0
7th – WVU – Hall singles, Willis scores, 8-0
8th – WVU – Schoenfeld homers, Mazey, Maggy and Ineich score, 12-0
Notable Numbers
- West Virginia outhit Liberty, 11-3. The Flames committed two errors in the contest.
- The Mountaineers left eight men on base. The Flames left seven men on base.
- Flames starter Ben Blair allowed three runs on four hits over 4 1/3 innings to pick up the loss. The right-hander struck out four and walked one.
- Liberty first baseman Jaxon Sorenson and right fielder Ryan Drumm each doubled in the contest. Shortstop Tanner Marsh collected the Flames' other hit.
- West Virginia used four pitchers in the game. The quartet combined to allow three hits, striking out 14 and walking four.
- First baseman Brodie Kresse led all players in the contest with three hits. He went 3-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored.
Beyond the Box Score
- West Virginia snaps Liberty's 11-game winning streak in home openers. The Flames entered the contest having lost their last home opener to Old Dominion 7-4 on Feb. 18, 2018.
- The Mountaineers and Flames are meeting for the first time since 2020. The contest, a 7-0 victory by homestanding West Virginia on March 11, was the final game for each team as the season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Liberty shortstop Tanner Marsh singled in the contest. The junior has reached base in all four Flames games.
Up Next
Liberty and West Virginia will close out their series tomorrow. The teams will meet in a doubleheader with the first pitch of Game 1 scheduled for 1 p.m.
Outfielder Paul Schonefel hit a grand slam and drove in five runs for the visiting Mountaineers.
West Virginia right-hander Chasen Cole limited Liberty to two hits over 5 1/3 innings, striking out seven and walking two, to record his first win of 2026. He combined with three other Mountaineers to hold the Flames to three hits in the contest.
Liberty falls to 2-2 in the young season. West Virginia remains unbeaten at 4-0.
Box Score Highlights
Records: West Virginia (4-0); Liberty (2-2)
Location: Lynchburg, Va. (Worthington Field at Liberty Baseball Stadium)
WP: Chasten Cole (1-0) | LP: Ben Blair (1-1)
Scoring Summary
5th – WVU – Willis singles, Smith scores, 1-0
5th – WVU – Kresser doubles, Willis scores, 2-0
5th – WVU – Ineich flies out, Kresser scores, 3-0
6th – WVU – Smith homers, 4-0
7th – WVU – Schoenfeld reaches on a sacrifice bunt, Guzman scores, 5-0
7th – WVU – Smith grounds out, Graveline scores, 6-0
7th – WVU – Kresser singles, Schoenfeld scores, 7-0
7th – WVU – Hall singles, Willis scores, 8-0
8th – WVU – Schoenfeld homers, Mazey, Maggy and Ineich score, 12-0
Notable Numbers
- West Virginia outhit Liberty, 11-3. The Flames committed two errors in the contest.
- The Mountaineers left eight men on base. The Flames left seven men on base.
- Flames starter Ben Blair allowed three runs on four hits over 4 1/3 innings to pick up the loss. The right-hander struck out four and walked one.
- Liberty first baseman Jaxon Sorenson and right fielder Ryan Drumm each doubled in the contest. Shortstop Tanner Marsh collected the Flames' other hit.
- West Virginia used four pitchers in the game. The quartet combined to allow three hits, striking out 14 and walking four.
- First baseman Brodie Kresse led all players in the contest with three hits. He went 3-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored.
Beyond the Box Score
- West Virginia snaps Liberty's 11-game winning streak in home openers. The Flames entered the contest having lost their last home opener to Old Dominion 7-4 on Feb. 18, 2018.
- The Mountaineers and Flames are meeting for the first time since 2020. The contest, a 7-0 victory by homestanding West Virginia on March 11, was the final game for each team as the season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Liberty shortstop Tanner Marsh singled in the contest. The junior has reached base in all four Flames games.
Up Next
Liberty and West Virginia will close out their series tomorrow. The teams will meet in a doubleheader with the first pitch of Game 1 scheduled for 1 p.m.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: C. Cole (1-0)
L: Blair, Ben (1-1)
Batting:
2B: B. Kresser 2
HR: P. Schoenfel 1 ; S. Smith 1
RBI: M. Ineich 1 ; P. Schoenfel 5 ; S. Smith 2 ; B. Wills 1 ; B. Kresser 2 ; T. Hall 1
SH: P. Schoenfel 1
SF: M. Ineich 1
Base Running:
RUNS: M. Ineich 1 ; A. Guzman 1 ; R. Maggy 1 ; M. Graveline 1 ; W. Mazey 1 ; P. Schoenfel 2 ; S. Smith 2 ; B. Wills 2 ; B. Kresser 1
SB: A. Guzman 1 ; M. Graveline 1 ; P. Schoenfel 1 ; S. Smith 1 ; B. Wills 1 ; T. Hall 1
HBP: M. Graveline 1 ; B. Wills 1 ; B. Kresser 1 ; T. Hall 1
PO: P. Schoenfel 1
Batting:
2B: Drumm, Ryan 1 ; Sorenson, Jaxon 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
0
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
OF
/ BaseballINF
/ BaseballINF
/ Baseballvs. The Citadel
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Tanner Marsh Talks About The Start Of Baseball Season
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Coach LeCroy Talks About The Upcoming Season
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Liberty Baseball Mission Trip to Guatemala
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