Pascagoula’s Sean Smith Jr. is headed to the Men’s College World Series with West Virginia!

Before heading to Omaha, Nebraska for the 2026 NCAA Men’s College World Series, Pascagoula’s very own Sean Smith Jr. joined WXXV Sports Director Ansley Brent to discuss what this season has meant to him, what makes the West Virginia ball club so special, and how playing baseball on the Mississippi Gulf Coast has prepared him for the biggest stage in College baseball.

Smith Jr. is currently the designated hitter for the West Virginia Mountaineers who swept Cal Poly in the Morgantown Super Regional with final scores of 12-2 and 17-1 to advance to the World Series Tournament. He had a huge moment in game one, hitting a three-run home run to get the scoring going for the Mountaineers in game one. Smith Jr. is a reliable bat for West Virginia, currently hitting .320 with 70 hits, 53 RBI’s and scoring 46 runs. He had four hits and four RBI’s in the Cal Poly series alone.

During his high school career, Smith Jr. was a Captain for the Pascagoula Panthers that helped lead his team to the 2021 State Championship games. After graduation he stayed on the coast, playing two years for Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. He then competed in the Sun Belt Conference with Georgia Southern for the following two season before transferring to West Virginia this season.

Smith Jr. and the Mountaineer will kick off their College World Series journey this Friday, June 12th with a 2pm first pitch against Troy. We wish Sean and West Virginia good luck as they aim to clinch the World Series title!