Carroll grad Paul Schoenfeld plays hero for West Virginia with season-saving HR
The green light came to Paul Schoenfeld’s wrist in the top of the ninth inning Sunday night.
For West Virginia, it was a signal to swing.
For Wichita, it became something bigger: a Bishop Carroll graduate, a Butler Community College product and a fifth-year senior who had taken the long way to college baseball’s biggest stage getting the chance to save a season with one swing.
Schoenfeld did not miss it.
With West Virginia’s season hanging in the balance in an NCAA Regional elimination game against Kentucky, the Wichita native turned on a hanging breaking ball and launched a two-run home run over the right-field wall, the decisive blow in an 11-9 comeback win that forced a winner-take-all game Monday.
“I’m blacked out right now,” Schoenfeld said during an on-field ESPN interview. “This is crazy.”
The moment arrived after West Virginia had already pushed its season to the edge.
The Mountaineers lost their first showdown with Kentucky, 11-9, on Saturday, which sent them into an elimination doubleheader Sunday. They survived the first game with a 10-5 win over Wake Forest, then found themselves three outs away from the end of their season in the nightcap against Kentucky.
West Virginia trailed 9-6 entering the top of the ninth.
Then came the rally to extend their season.
The Mountaineers put pressure on Kentucky, climbed back into the game and tied the score on a balk. That brought Schoenfeld to the plate with a runner on base, the game tied and the chance sitting there for someone to turn a desperate rally into one of the most memorable wins in West Virginia postseason history.
Schoenfeld glanced at his electronic wristband and saw the sign from West Virginia coach Steve Sabins.
The green light.
“I’m going to get my hack off here,” Schoenfeld said he remembered thinking.
On a 1-0 count, Schoenfeld got an 81 mph breaking ball that stayed up and leaked over the inside part of the plate. He got all of it, pulling the pitch with a committed swing that sent the ball soaring over the right-field wall for just his fourth home run of the season.
ESPN tracking data measured the swing at 91.3 mph off the bat and 343 feet of carry.
The ball cleared the fence, Schoenfeld took off around the bases and Kendrick Family Ballpark erupted into postseason pandemonium. Schoenfeld, a 5-foot-11 outfielder from Wichita, had just delivered the biggest swing of his college career.
“I’ve never seen anything like that in college baseball,” Sabins said. “I don’t think anybody that’s ever primarily covered West Virginia baseball has ever seen anything like that before.”
West Virginia finished the comeback in the bottom of the ninth, setting up a third game against Kentucky at 5 p.m. Monday. The winner will advance to an NCAA super regional.
The moment added another chapter to a winding baseball journey for Schoenfeld.
The 2021 Bishop Carroll graduate began his college career at Butler Community College. He then spent three seasons at the Division II level with Colorado Mesa, where he became one of the most productive players in the country.
His final season at Colorado Mesa in 2025, Schoenfeld hit .420 with 89 runs, nine home runs, 55 RBIs and 19 stolen bases, putting himself in position to make the jump to West Virginia for his final college season.
He has done more than prove he belonged.
Schoenfeld became a full-time starter in the outfield for the Mountaineers and earned second-team all-Big 12 honors. He owns the second-highest batting average on the team at .345, while also giving West Virginia plus speed, a plus glove and several highlight-reel catches in center field.
His value showed up across the stat sheet. Schoenfeld had scored 44 runs, driven in 46, stolen 23 bases and ranked second on the team with 115 total bases.
He had already been one of West Virginia’s most complete players.
On Sunday night, he became its hero.
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