Questions still remain, but WVU baseball has interesting potential for 2026
MORGANTOWN — Three years ago, Logan Sauve enrolled at West Virginia as the top-ranked prep catcher from Pennsylvania.
Sam White actually turned down the opportunity at a professional hockey career in Canada to play college baseball.
The most successful season in WVU baseball history did not begin with a 4-2 win against Jacksonville on Valentine's Day in 2025.
Instead, WVU's Steve Sabins, who wrapped up his first season as head coach with a 44-16 record and a trip to the super regionals, said it was a process.
WVU FINAL STATS
'What we were able to do this season was a compilation of effort, for me, over the last decade,' Sabins said. 'The snapshot of the last two years, for me, is not accurate, although they've been the most successful two years in program history. It's been a lot of work by a lot of great people over the course of 10 to 15 years.'
What did that process involve? In short, it was a collection of having things spin the right way over a long period of time, whether that was through recruiting battles, the transfer portal, the MLB draft and the development of WVU's players.
'I would say that I want us to be remembered as a great group of young men who worked every day to become the best players we could become,' Sauve said. 'I think that translates to the performance we put on the field this year. Playing in back-to-back super regionals is something I never envisioned happening in this program.'
The obvious question is what's next, a difficult one to answer in the moments following the Mountaineers' 12-5 loss to LSU, which eliminated WVU from the NCAA tournament in the round of 16 for a second consecutive season.
Still, Sabins took a stab at it.
'There's been more exponential growth over the last 10 years, maybe more so than any program in the nation,' he said.
In other words, there are no expectations this was the end of an era for the Mountaineers.
The steps taken toward the 2026 season begins a month from now, when the MLB draft begins July 13.
As of now, there is no WVU player ranked among the top 200 prospects for the draft, which constitutes enough players to cover the first five rounds and compensation selections.
The draft does stretch 20 rounds over the course of three days, and it will be the totality of the draft that will provide the first clues as to what the 2026 roster will look like.
Players like White, Sauve and Skylar King could all be selected in the later rounds, but all would have the option of returning for their senior season.
Then there are some hard-throwing pitchers such as Carson Estridge and Robby Porco, who would have the same options.
It's possible WVU could have all or none of those players returning next season.
Pitchers Griffin Kirn and Jack Kartsonas are out of eligibility. Kirn and Kartsonas were the top two starters by the end of the season. Weekend starter Gavin Van Kempen announced he was entering the transfer portal on Tuesday.
The school's all-time home run leader, Grant Hussey, as well as outfielders Kyle West and Jace Rineart are also out of eligibility. That's a combined 27 home runs and 126 RBIs that needs replacing for next season.
Senior shortstop Brodie Kresser has a season of eligibility remaining. He did not walk during the team's Senior Day festivities, but there's been no word if he will return to college. He was third on the team with 41 RBIs this season.
Then there are underclassmen such as Armani Guzman and Gavin Kelly, who may be the foundation of the team's offense next season.
Kelly was an all-Big 12 freshman after hitting .299 with 37 RBIs. Guzman was named the MVP of the Clemson Regional and batted .327 with 22 RBIs.
On the mound, sophomore Chase Meyer and his blazing 97 miles-per-hour fastball makes him a top returner. He finished 9-2 this season with a 3.94 ERA.
Lefty Maxx Yehl is also expected to return next season after sitting out this season following Tommy John surgery. He was 2-0 with a 3.99 ERA in 2024.
What also is known is WVU's 2025 recruiting class is ranked 36th in the nation by Perfect Game — fourth among Big 12 schools — and includes a healthy dose of high school pitchers and infielders.
Canadian pitcher Ben Goodacre, Michigan pitcher Wyatt Mosley and South Carolina shortstop Zahir Barjam will be some of the incoming freshmen to keep an eye on for next season.
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