The West Virginia baseball team became the first No. 16 seed to reach the College World Series. (AP Photo)

MORGANTOWN — West Virginia baseball has played in 35 states and in Washington, D.C. The Mountaineers have traveled as far as Hawaii to play a baseball game, but never in Nebraska. Until this weekend, when WVU and head coach Steve Sabins head to Omaha, Nebraska, to play in their first-ever College World Series.

WVU is playing in Nebraska for the first time against a team it’s never played before Troy (38-30), in the opening game. The No. 16 Mountaineers have played over hundreds of opponents, and never once has it been the Trojans. WVU makes its College World Series debut on Friday, June 12, at 2 p.m. ET and will be streamed on ESPN.

WVU heads into the College World Series on a five-game win streak after losing to Kentucky on Saturday, May 30, in the regional. The Mountaineers surpassed their most runs ever in a season and have a 45-15 record.

WVU’s been beating teams with its high-powered offense and a lot of home runs. The Mountaineers weren’t a home run-hitting team until the last month of the regular season and in the postseason. WVU hit 13 home runs in the NCAA tournament and five in its last game against Troy.

Gavin Kelly’s 17 home runs lead the team. He also leads the team in batting average, hitting .384, and was the Morgantown Regional MVP. He’s had four home runs in the NCAA tournament.

The Mountaineers’ right fielder, Ben Lumsden, has really burst onto the scene. Lumsden didn’t play much during the regular season, but he’s made a big impact in the NCAA tournament. He had two home runs in the super regional final and has a hit in every NCAA tournament game so far. Lumsden also works a lot of walks.

WVU’s leadoff hitter, Armani Guzman, is a threat on the basepaths and at the plate. Guzman stole 38 bases this season and has 14 hits in the tournament. He hit his first homer of the season in the final game against Cal Poly.

With the home runs and strong hitting, the Mountaineers tallied 29 runs over seven games.

Troy has some power in its lineup as well. The Trojans have hit 93 home runs this season. Catcher Jimmy Janicki’s 19 leads the team. Troy has five players who have hit double-digit homers.

The Trojans top average hitter is shortstop Aaron Piasecki (.346) and Janicki is a close second (.341). Troy has five hitters hitting over .300 on the year.

The Mountaineers pitching is where they take the edge.

WVU has two of the top starting pitchers left in the tournament. Chansen Cole has emerged as an ace in the tournament, with two strong showings. Cole pitched seven innings in Game 1 against Cal Poly and had a season-high 11 strikeouts. Cole is paired with Big 12 Pitcher of the Year Maxx Yehl as a solid one-two punch of starters. Yehl had his ups and downs in his postseason start, but when he’s on his A-game, he’s dominant. Cole and Yehl both have sub-three ERAs.

The Mountaineers have strong bullpen arms when the starters do struggle. Ian Korn was a top pitcher in the Big 12 during the regular season, and Sabins can get quality innings out of Reese Bassinger and Carson Estridge.

Troy’s pitching is still solid, just not as good. The Trojans’ pitching showed up in the super regional. Benjamin Stubbs and Tommy Egan are Troy’s best starters, and one of them will likely get the game ball against WVU. Both don’t have the best ERAs, Egan at 5.38 and Stubbs at 4.93, but both had great starts in the super regionals. Troy’s pitching staff only let up four runs over the two games. Zach Crotchfelt is one of Troy’s top arms out of the pen and has a 3.50 ERA on the season.

WVU is also the favorite when it comes to betting. According to FanDuel, Troy is the least likely team to win the national title, whereas the Mountaineers are fourth. This isn’t the last time Troy has been doubted. The Trojans were one of the last four teams in the NCAA tournament.

But that doesn’t mean Troy should be overlooked. The Trojans beat No. 8 Florida and Miami in the Gainesville Regional, so they can take down Power Four teams.

Troy has won its last six games, so both teams are riding a lot of momentum into the CWS.