.@WVUBaseball taking in its first practice in a regional since 1996. Let's gooo…. pic.twitter.com/bvaxG56WqW

— WVU Sports (@WVUSports) June 1, 2017

The last time West Virginia and Maryland met in baseball, Alek Manoah was cruising along through five innings. He allowed a leadoff double in the sixth inning to a left-handed batter. He allowed a two-out, two-run home run to a left-handed batter. He, um, left with a 4-2 lead, but the Terrapins were awake and won 7-6.

Keep that in mind.

Suppose it all works out nicely for the Mountaineers in tomorrow’s 2 p.m. game in the Winston-Salem regional. WVU likely advances to face Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons have one of the best power hitters in the country. Gavin Sheets has 20 home runs and 79 RBIs. Both lead the ACC and rank among the top seven in the nation. He, too, is a lefty.

Of all the well-documented trouble WVU has had with its pitching staff this season, there’s one additional item to consider: Zero pitches thrown with the left hand this season.

“It really handicaps us,” Mazey said. “The majority of the lineups in the Big 12 are left-handed. There are very few predominantly right-handed lineups in the league. Most of the good teams you see anywhere are going to have one or two good lefties in the middle of their lineup. We don’t have an answer to match that.”