While at Central Catholic, Gavin Kelly was looking for a place where he could call home for his college baseball career. West Virginia was the spot for him.

“Growing up, I didn’t really have a college team that I followed or wanted to go to,” Kelly said. “And early on in my, I guess, high school career, my parents helped me realize that the coaches are going to be the ones that finish raising me.”

So far, job well done. The star sophomore catcher and utility player is slashing .384/.720/1.204, tallying 89 hits, 57 RBIs, 17 home runs and 157 total bases, all of which lead West Virginia.

Kelly has been a catalyst for guiding the Mountaineers to the College World Series for the first time in program history. They begin the double-elimination tournament against Troy at 2 p.m. Friday.

“At the end of the day, you’re playing an athletic sport, so just be an athlete overall,” Kelly said. “And then the coaching staff has done a tremendous job with making sure that I’m sharp and confident in both positions, whether it’s certain practice being at one position or splitting time at both. And so just preparation and being an athlete.”

The Mountaineers have been electric up and down the batting order, especially as of late, with their offense carrying them to 12-2 and 17-1 victories over Cal Poly in the Morgantown Super Regional.

Kelly had four hits, including a home run, in the Cal Poly sweep, a modest performance compared to the monstrous games the sophomore has had this season, like his three-RBI, two-homer showing against Kentucky in the regional round.

“The lineup’s really been tremendous, and we’ve had a lot of different contributors in that lineup and a lot of different kids step up in big moments. … I think in the postseason, it’s hard to not recognize what Armani Guzman has done in that leadoff spot just from an energy standpoint and an on-base standpoint, and stolen base, big hits,” West Virginia coach Steve Sabins said. “He’s had more power.

“And then I think from the power standpoint, our lineup’s evolved. I don’t know the numbers, but I would imagine that half of our home runs are in the last 20 percent of the season.”

That last portion of the season coincides with when Sabins started to stick with a consistent lineup for each game.

“And I don’t know if that was smart or not, but it felt like a lot of players just got comfortable. Whenever you show up to the yard, whatever spot you’re in, you just go compete and play,” Sabins said. “Some guys got hot in certain spots. I was potentially overmanning the lineup a little bit. And for the last 20, 25 percent of the season, it’s essentially been the same lineup every time.”

The Mountaineers still use a flexible approach for their pitchers.

“We have a lot of guys that are swing guys. So, for example, come in the fifth and finish the game, or pitch one inning on the back end or be a starter that you hadn’t started a ton,” Sabins said. “So we really try to get the whole concept of roles just out of the mind, because it’s like if you’re a pitcher, go get outs. If you’re a hitter, have a quality at-bat, whatever those things are.”

Now, fresh off dominating wins in the Super Regional, Kelly and the Mountaineers leave their country roads for those in Omaha, Neb., hoping to continue their hot streak in the program’s first NCAA College World Series.

It has been a steady climb for the Mountaineers over the past several seasons, with each result building on the previous one, culminating in this year’s trip to Charles Schwab Field, the first time a 16-seed has made it to Omaha.

“In 2017, we cracked through to the regional for the first time in 21 years. And then in 2019, we hosted a regional for the first time in 65 years, and I think that kind of put our program on the map nationally to some extent,” Sabins said. “And then now we’ve been to four consecutive NCAA Tournaments, three consecutive super regionals and now in Omaha. I would say it’s probably unusual that the growth is this linear.”

The Mountaineers, though, are not done yet. They have the toughest part of the climb ahead.

West Virginia takes on Troy, the lone mid-major to reach the College World Series, in its first game Friday. The Trojans bats have carried Troy on its Cinderella run, scoring more than seven runs per game. Their pitching staff has allowed nearly six runs per contest.

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“The athleticism is impressive. Three guys with over 19 steals; obviously, they can do some skill game. That Kelly kid is as good as it gets, as just an overall player. He’s a dynamic guy who can dump you. He still can run,” Troy coach Skylar Meade said of WVU. “I think they have a real identity and, of course, from a pitching perspective, they have pitched really well. They assault the strike zone, and I think all their pitchers, for the most part, they understand how they get you. And they stay in character often.”

And the opponents only get stronger from there. Thirteen-time College World Series entrant North Carolina and 2022 national champion Ole Miss round out Bracket 1.

“Super excited for this group of kids. They’ve worked so hard and sacrificed so much to be here. It’s really important for the state and the university and our community,” Sabins said. “So to be able to do something as a unified group and represent our state is really important to us. And these kids have been right in the middle of it to my left (Kelly and Cole).

“So just happy to be here, ready to compete. Trying to keep the guys focused on what’s important; that’s just preparation of these games coming up.”

The College World Series features eight teams split between two double-elimination brackets, with the winners facing each other in a best-of-three championship series. Alabama, Oklahoma, Georgia and Texas make up the all-SEC Bracket 2.

“There’s zero doubt that Mountaineer Nation will be in full force here in Omaha,” Sabins said. “I think near every politician and representative from the athletic department, and fans and supporters and alumni will be here. That’s one of the most special things about West Virginia is that there’s a deep passion for the university.”