Bridgeport Alum Ben McDougal to Get Extra Year of Eligibility for West Virginia Baseball
By Michael Minnich on October 03, 2026
"He's been on the mound for some of the biggest moments...and he's not done yet!"
With that tweet, and a video of his nameplate and uniform in the locker room, West Virgiina baseball made official what the court system had granted shortly before that: Bridgeport's Ben McDougal will be back as a member of the Mountaineers baseball program.
McDougal was part of a group of WVU athletics and 2022 high school graduates that had gone to court to get a preliminary injunction to get a fifth year.
It's especially appropriate for McDougal to get the extra year, as he could have easily taken a medical redshirt after injuries to his back and flexor kept him out for most of the 2026 campaign.
Instead, he worked his way back, pitching 5 2/3 innings in the regular season.
He was called upon to pitch the final five innings of West Virginia's thrilling 11-9 victory against Kentucky to stave off elimination in the NCAA regionals, getting the win.
Then, he got the final outs of WVU's Super Regional clincher against Cal Poly and the last out of the program's first-ever NCAA College World Series victory over Troy.
Now, as WVU writes a new story for 2027, Ben McDougal's ink will be on it.
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