Well, fall ball is officially over, which means we are one step closer to WVU baseball being back. And honestly, after the season the Mountaineers had last year, I am already ready for February.
WVU is coming off a pretty impressive season, finishing with 47 wins and making it all the way to Omaha for the first time in program history.
Not bad, right?
But as exciting as last season was, this year’s team is going to look a little different. Head coach Steve Sabins has some new faces to work with, some important
players to replace and some pretty high expectations heading into 2027.
So, now that fall ball is over, what did we learn?
The new guys could bring some serious power
One thing that stood out to me was the potential WVU has at the plate this season. Sabins recently talked about newcomers Colin Coonradt and Ryan Piekutoski, who combined for around 60 home runs at the junior college level last season. And that is a lot of home runs.
Now, obviously, playing in the Big 12 is going to be a little different, but I think it is pretty exciting to see what these two could bring to the lineup.
Last season, WVU was really good at being aggressive on the bases, and now it looks like the Mountaineers could have some extra power to go along with that. And if these guys can adjust to Big 12 pitching, I think WVU’s offense could be pretty fun to watch.
There is still plenty of experience coming back
Even with all the changes, WVU still has some pretty important players returning.
Gavin Kelly is back after hitting .382 with 19 home runs and 63 RBIs last season, which is obviously a pretty big deal.
Armani Guzman, Tyrus Hall and Matt Ineich are also returning, giving WVU some familiar faces to build around.
And I think that is going to be really important.
These guys know what it takes to win, and they have already experienced playing on one of the biggest stages in college baseball. But WVU is also replacing five spots in its lineup, so there is still a lot to figure out before the season starts. I think it will be interesting to see which newcomers step up and how Sabins puts everything together.
The pitching staff still has some questions
Now, this is probably one of the biggest things I am interested in heading into the season.
WVU lost some important pitchers, including Maxx Yehl, Dawson Montesa and Ian Korn. And replacing those guys is not going to be easy.
The Mountaineers have plenty of arms to work with, but figuring out who takes over those roles is going to be pretty important.
Who’s going to be in the starting rotation? Who’s going to step up out of the bullpen?
Those are things we still do not really know.
Sabins has talked about evaluating his players throughout the fall, so I think the next few months are going to be important for figuring out what the pitching staff will look like. There is definitely talent there, but we will have to wait and see how it all comes together.
There is still a lot to figure out
One thing that became pretty clear after fall ball is that WVU still has some decisions to make.
Sabins and his coaching staff have been evaluating players, looking at what worked and what still needs improvement. And with so many new faces, I think that is expected. Just because WVU had a great season last year does not mean everything is automatically going to fall into place this year. The Mountaineers still have to figure out their lineup, pitching rotation and how all these new players fit together.
But I also think that is what makes this season exciting.
We already know what this program is capable of. Now we get to see what this new group can do.
So, are we going back to Omaha?
Okay, maybe it is a little early to start talking about that. But can you really blame WVU fans for thinking about it?
After watching the Mountaineers make it all the way to the College World Series last season, I think expectations are going to be pretty high. And while fall ball does not tell us everything, I do think there is a lot to be excited about.
WVU has some really good players returning, some interesting newcomers and a coaching staff that has already proven it can compete with the best teams in the country. Of course, there are still questions, especially when it comes to the pitching staff and replacing some of last year’s production. But overall, I think WVU is in a pretty good spot heading into 2027.
Now we just have to get through the next few months without baseball.
February cannot come soon enough.
