GRANVILLE, W.Va. – The tradition began back when Gavin Kelly was still a youngster growing up in Pittsburgh.

“Growing up, my dad would always post little motivational quotes on our mirror that my brother and I shared,” the WVU sophomore second baseman said Wednesday after collecting three hits in the Mountaineers’ 12-2 victory against Marshall inside Kendrick Family Ballpark.

The game ended in the eighth inning due to the 10-run mercy rule.

It’s that thought of daily motivation Kelly carries with him now as a developing star with the 17th-ranked Mountaineers (22-7). He can’t hide from it and doesn’t want to.

“I have goals I want to stay at,” he said. “I have it all written down on my bathroom mirror.”

Kelly’s list is that reminder of where he wants to be, where he wants the Mountaineers to be, as well. If he somehow skips brushing his teeth in the morning, the same list of goals can be found on his phone or in his journal.

Some of the things on the list are individual accomplishments. There’s also the goal of helping WVU reach the College World Series.

Somewhere on that list, Kelly admits, is to hit at least .350 this season. He’s likely to surpass that goal by a mile.

Kelly’s three hits – two singles and a double – has him hitting .417, which is good for fifth-highest in the Big 12. It was his seventh three-hit game of the season and his 16th game this season with multiple hits.

Not bad for a guy who didn’t become a fixture in WVU’s lineup until the middle of his freshman season and hit .299 over his first year.

“I always knew what I could do at this level,” Kelly said. “Last year was definitely a misunderstanding of what I can do. I wasn’t happy with it.”

That all seems to be in the past now, because his batting average has jumped more than 100 points. He’s driving in runs and hitting for more power, while also displaying the ability to hit to all fields. His two singles against the Thundering Herd went to left field and center field. His double went down the right field line.

“Growing up, I was always going to the right side of the field,” Kelly said. “Like, that was the only spot I was hitting. To be able to open up the left side definitely helps out. It’s nice.”

The last time a WVU hitter made this type of offensive jump between his freshman and sophomore season, it ended up being one of the more individual historical seasons in the program’s history, that being J.J. Wetherholt’s 2023 season in which he led the nation in batting average.

“It’s a fair comparison,” WVU head coach Steve Sabins. “J.J. led the country in hitting as a sophomore and went on to be a first-round draft pick. He got called up to the big leagues within two years and is now hitting leadoff for the (St. Louis) Cardinals.

“That’s pretty big shoes, obviously, and to say that’s a fair comparison kind of shows you what we’re talking about.”

The Mountaineers finished with 15 hits in all and Ian Korn (2-0) picked up the win in relief. He went three innings, struck out two and allowed two hits and no runs. Kenyon Collins took the loss for Marshall (14-17), which has lost nine of its last 10 games.

West Virginia secured the mercy-rule win in the eighth inning when pinch hitter Zahir Barjam singled home Paul Schoenfeld, handing the Mountaineers their 60th all-time against the Thundering Herd. Marshall is now the third-most beaten team by WVU, trailing both Pitt (122) and Duquesne (73).

WVU now heads out on the road to begin a three-game series at Texas Tech. The Mountaineers will begin that series trailing both UCF and Kansas in the Big 12 standings, with those two schools playing each other this weekend.