By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

OMAHA, Neb. — For the first time in program history, the West Virginia University baseball team qualified to play in the Men’s College World Series.

And, a Pascagoula product is expected to play a vital role for the Mountaineers during their historic journey in Omaha.

Former Panther Sean Smith, a 2021 graduate of Pascagoula High, is the designated hitter for the WVU team that set a new program record for wins this season at 45-15 after finishing off a two-game sweep of Cal Poly in the NCAA Super Regionals with a 17-1 victory over the Mustangs on Saturday afternoon The Mountaineers will make their College World Series debut on Friday afternoon taking on Troy at Charles Schwab Field in the first game of the annual affair. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m., central time.

“It’s been a blast,” Smith said, of being a part of the WVU squad that has made it to the biggest stage in the sport, said. “Just having a lot of fun competing day in and day out with my teammates. It’s been a lot of work, and hopefully we can keep this thing going in Omaha.”

Smith is capping off his collegiate career in similar fashion as he wrapped up his high school days when he paced the Panthers to the Class 5A state title round five years ago.

The Mountaineers are the No. 16 national seed and are on the side of the bracket with Troy, No. 5 North Carolina and Ole Miss. The winner of the game between the Mountaineers and Trojans will play the winner of the Tar Heels and Rebels on Sunday at 7 p.m. ET, while the losers will play on Sunday at 2 p.m.

The game between West Virginia and Troy will air on ESPN with Mike Monaco, Eduardo Perez, Ben McDonald, and Taylor McGregor on the call. Smith may have been the missing piece for the program, after WVU fell just short in Super Regionals in 2024 and 2025. 

“I thought this team had a chance to be special from the first day I stepped on campus,” Smith continued. “We just worked hard and it compounded every day as we got here.”

Smith, who blasted a three-run home run in the first frame of the Super Regionals in game one to get the ball rolling, earned a spot on the Big 12 Conference All-Tournament Team and was also named Honorable mention All Conference for his play during the regular season.

Troy enters the College World Series with a 38-30 overall record after winning the Gainesville Regional and sweeping Little Rock in the Super Regional. Like West Virginia, it is the first trip to Omaha for the Trojans.