COMMENTARY
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Under healthier circumstances, West Virginia could have been the team in the driver’s seat Sunday night, instead of flailing to keep pace with Wake Forest.
While Demon Deacons coach Tom Walter likened the 12-8 regional-clinching win to a “prize fight of punch-and-counterpunch,” the Mountaineers clearly were punching with the proverbial arm behind their back.
Actually, two of them.
Michael Grove watched the NCAA regional from the bleachers, wearing a cyborg-style brace after recent Tommy John surgery. Connor Dotson remained unavailable with one of college baseball’s weirdest injuries — an arm bone that snapped during warmups two months ago.