Barry honing in on pre-championship prep as WVU arrives for Big 12 baseball championship

Barry, a veteran with 144 games and 434 at-bats under his belt as a Mountaineer, knows that ups and downs over the course of a season are going to occur, and shared some of the items that WVU's practice session will feature over the next couple of days as they try to get back on a winning track. One of those sessions will come at UT-Arlington, with another at Globe Life Field, site of the tournament.

"Our practices are similar, but not exactly the same, as what we do in pregame," said Barry, who is hitting .302 with 43 RBI and 21 stolen bases while being slotted in a variety of spots in the batting order. "We'll do our (stretching and warm-ups), pop fly communications, and go through batting practice rounds."

Also included will be situational work and reviews of the opponent and throwing regimens for the pitchers, but as always there's a good bit of focus on the swings in the cage. West Virginia, as a team, appeared a bit overanxious at times over the past weekend, and getting back to a more disciplined approach could be on the checklist for several hitters.

Barry notes that for each, though, there's usually one or two items that are on the agenda during BP.

"We all have that one thing we're trying to work on, whether it's something in your swing or in your approach," he explained, neatly separating the physical versus the mental work that both contribute to hitting well. "It's just doing what you need to get ready for the game, and to attack the pitchers."

Overall, the Mountaineers did that well against Texas Tech, Wednesday's opening round opponent in the Big 12s. The Mountaineers scored 24 runs against the Red Raiders in taking two of three contests earlier this year while rapping out 28 hits, and they'll be trying to get back into that same zone on Wednesday.

"It's hard to say what goes on in everyone's head in each at-bat," Barry said of the team's struggles at the plate over the last three games. "But I know that's not the team we are."

Indeed, it's not. Nearly half of Barry's hits have gone for extra bases, and WVU has typically followed up subpar showings with good ones. Barry has done the same, producing 17 hits in games immediately following WVU's 13 losses prior to the season ending series, and is aiming for more of the same.

"It's honestly the same approach as any other game," he said of the impeding postseason. 

SEAMS AND BARRELS

The retractable roof at Globe Life field was closed for all games last year, and Barry expects that to be the same this year. 

"It wasn't that different (to play under)," he said of the cover. "Being a major league field, you know the conditions are going to be great."

- -- -- -- - 

The next Mountaineer batter that is hit by a pitch will be the 100th of the season. The 2023 team has already smashed the single season record in that category by 10, and has also set a single season standard with 304 walks.

WVU is just one home run short of the team's season record, which is 76 set in 2003. 

- -- -- -- - 

WVU and Tech are tied 18-18 in the all-time series. The Mountaineers have a 5-1 advantage in neutral site games, with all of those having been played at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City.