MORGANTOWN — Kevin Dowdell said the right things, even if they were hard to believe.
“It’s just another series,” the WVU utility man said, referring to a three-game series against No. 20 Texas that begins at 6:30 p.m. Friday at Mon County Ballpark. “We try to stay calm about it and not make it too big. We’ve got to win each game, and that’s how we’re looking at it.”
Believe that if you want. There is maybe no opponent in any Big 12 arena or sport — outside of Kansas in men’s basketball — that is circled more on the calendar than a visit from Texas.
The reasons are many, including the Longhorns’ tradition of overall athletic success, but the school’s aura is also built around lavish finances that include a recruiting budget that equals the total income of some third-world countries.
Texas is private planes, oil fields and J.R. Ewing, while West Virginia is hiking trails, kayaking and John Denver.
Just another series? Tell that story walking.
“Yeah,” Dowdell says with a smile. “But we’re trying to stay calm about it and not make anything too big.”
It’s hard to undersell just how much this series means to both schools, while also telling the story of how each team takes a different approach to victory.
The Mountaineers (27-16, 9-6 Big 12) have made a surprising push for the NCAA tournament through pitching, defense and becoming a constant nuisance on the base paths.
Meanwhile, the nationally ranked Longhorns (32-16, 9-9) have the ability to simply hit and slug their way to wins.
And this is where we introduce you to Texas first baseman Ivan Melendez, otherwise known as the Babe Ruth, of sorts, of the Big 12.
Standing 6-foot-3 and listed at 225 pounds, Melendez’s 22 home runs this season are more than half of what the Mountaineers (40) have hit as a team.
Only Georgia Tech’s Kevin Parada has more dingers in college baseball this season, and Melendez’s 68 RBIs in 46 games would equal out to a pace of 239 over a full major league season.
He was selected in the 16th round of the 2021 draft by the Miami Marlins, but opted to return to college for another season, much to the dismay of Big 12 pitchers who have to face him.
So, yeah, Melendez is kind of a Texas-sized big deal.
“We’ve had success against him in the past, but I actually think he’s a better hitter this year than he has been in the past,” WVU head coach Randy Mazey said. “You’d like to think you can pitch around him, but the guy behind him is just as good and the guy behind him is just as good as those two.
“You can’t afford to pitch around anybody in that lineup. You’ve just got to hope your pitchers are throwing good pitches and they’re not seeing it all that well that day.”
The Longhorns’ team batting average of .316 leads the Big 12, as do their 87 home runs and 525 hits.
“We just need to play a really clean game all the way around,” Mazey continued. “If we don’t play great on the mound or at the plate or on defense, they can abuse you. They could literally have a first-team all-conference player at every position. They’re that good.”
The Mountaineers are expected to start Jacob Watters (2-4) on Friday. He lasted just four innings last weekend and gave up seven hits and six runs in a 7-3 loss against Kansas in his most-recent start.
Texas is likely to start sophomore lefty Pete Hansen (7-1), who is tied for the Big 12 lead in wins.
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