Carson Estridge is the latest WVU Baseball player headed to the professional ranks.
After four seasons in a West Virginia uniform, the veteran right-hander signed an undrafted free agent contract with the Houston Astros on Friday, becoming the sixth Mountaineer to join an MLB organization this week. He also pitched for the West Virginia Black Bears this summer, which gave Houston another opportunity to evaluate him before signing. Read more: Estridge inks UDFA deal with Houston Astros.
For Estridge’s family, the moment marked the culmination of years of hard work and dedication;
“Krista and I are ecstatic for Carson and couldn’t be more proud of the hard work he’s put in to earn this opportunity,” Carson’s father, Jon Estridge, told West Virginia Sports Nation. “It’s really been a magical four years for him at WVU culminating in Omaha! We are thankful to every coach along every stop on his baseball journey and are pumped to be new Astros fans along with WVU Baseball!”
A career built on consistency
The Haymarket, Virginia, native leaves Morgantown with his name in the history books, tying Noah Short for the most appearances by a pitcher in WVU history with 76.
In that time, Estridge posted a 4.41 career ERA with an 11-4 record. He also made 12 starts, all coming during his first three seasons, while pitching 151 innings and recording 165 strikeouts.
Estridge began his career in a variety of roles, including starting games during his first three seasons, but eventually became one of West Virginia’s most dependable bullpen arms.
Playing his best at the right time
This past season, during the Mountaineers’ run to Omaha, Estridge came out of the bullpen 22 times. He threw 35 innings with 34 strikeouts, a 3.09 ERA and a 4-0 record.
In Omaha, Estridge delivered two scoreless appearances out of the bullpen. He earned All-Big 12 honorable mention honors before the College World Series.
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The outings in Omaha allowed scouts to evaluate the right-hander against some of the best competition in college baseball.
The next chapter
Estridge joins Dawson Montesa (Cardinals), Maxx Yehl (Royals), Paul Schoenfeld (Diamondbacks), Ian Korn (Giants) and Reese Bassinger (Blue Jays) as Mountaineers to joining professional organizations following the 2026 season.
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