After years of flirting with a spot in Omaha, the West Virginia Mountaineers made it to the College World Series last June. West Virginia pulled off some heroics to get past Kentucky in the Regional, swept Cal Poly, and wound up winning two games before being eliminated by UNC. Now, the push to return begins.
The Returnees
Well, last year was a good one for Gavin Kelly.
The West Virginia star infielder was a dominant force during the Mountaineers’ run to Omaha last June. And overall, Kelly had 96 total hits, hit 19 home runs, and walked (43) almost as many times as he struck out (45) over 63 total games. Kelly was also named to the USA collegiate national team in July.
That season put Kelly in a strong position to be picked in at least the top 10 of the 2027 MLB Draft.
Armani Guzman did not go pro after what was a fantastic junior season, giving the Mountaineers one more chance to win with their sparkplug from 2026. Guzman batted .321 last season, walked 39 times, and stole 42 bases. That stolen base total put him in a tie for fifth in DI last year.
Guzman finished 2026 on a very high note, as he wound up slashing .344/.494/.422 with 17 walks and 18 stolen bases over 20 contests with Chatham in the Cape Cod League. He was above the league median in terms of take tendencies. But what was very interesting was that very few of those takes (24.7%) resulted in called strikes.
Tyrus Hall and Matthew Ineich are the other two notable returning hitters. Ineich was an on-base machine as a sophomore, as the former Ohio transfer walked 56 times in 64 contests. Hall, meanwhile, had seven home runs, 16 extra-base hits, plus three multi-hit games during the postseason tournament.
As for the pitching staff, familiar names like Maxx Yehl and Dawson Montesa are gone and off to pro ball. The most notable returning pitcher is junior Chansen Cole, who struck out 109 batters over 99 innings as a sophomore.
Cole doesn’t throw very hard at all, with his sinker capping out at around 90 MPH. However, Cole is a big groundball pitcher who can also effectively change the look thanks to the changeup and curveball.
David Hagen, David Perez, Joshua Surigao, JT Huether, and Weston Smith are also among the pitchers who are back in Morgantown for 2027. Hagen and Perez saw significant work out of the WVU bullpen last year.
The Newcomers
The Mountaineers were able to fill out some holes in the pitching staff via the transfer portal.
Colton Hartman, a senior left-hander, came over from ACC power Louisville this past summer. Hartman was a big high school recruit for the Cardinals back in 2023, and there were times that the left-hander showed that potential with Louisville. This past season, Hartman struck out 56 times over 45 innings.
However, walks were a problem for Hartman. Just this past season, he allowed 33 walks. One year earlier, the senior walked 17 over 17 innings, working primarily as a reliever.
West Virginia added another experienced pitcher with senior Griffen Paige. Paige was the ace for Wright State this past season, one that saw him strike out 77 over 76 innings. He was also part of the Raiders team that competed in the 2025 NCAA tournament.
The Mountaineers will hope that they’ve struck gold with another top D2 pitcher. One year after Dawson Montesa became a key piece after transferring over from Adelphi in New York, Zak Whitney from Southern New Hampshire came over for 2027. As a freshman in 2026, Whitney struck out 95 over 81 innings and posted a sub-4.00 ERA for the Penmen.
As for the offense, Jack Cannon would have ranked second in DI with a .439 batting average last season had Le Moyne not been in its transition period. Still, it did not negate what an incredible 2026 was for the now-senior outfielder. In total, Cannon had 86 total hits, 10 of which were home runs, over 47 games.
Chase Ecker stole 27 bases as a freshman for William & Mary. Ecker finished second on the team, behind now-North Carolina infielder Jamie Laskofski.
Cash Williams, a redshirt freshman from Tennessee, also joined the Mountaineers.
There are also nine true freshmen on the 2027 WVU roster. Among them is Massachusetts product Henkel Acevedo, a high school showcase star from the Northeast.
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