West Virginia’s pitching staff headed into the 2026 season looks ready to lead a Mountaineer squad into their third-straight Super Regional appearance. Read more: Meet the 2026 WVU pitching staff.
Headlined by Division 2 stars and returners primed to make a jump from last season, the staff is filled with bright, young talent that will allow head coach Steve Sabins and company to have plenty of options to turn to during the season.
With the season opener against Georgia Southern just days away, let’s take a closer look at all the arms WVU has its disposal for the year.
LHP- Bryson Thacker
Thacker, a redshirt sophomore, enters his first year with the Mountaineers after being apart of the Tennessee Volunteers pitching staff for the past two seasons. The Georgia native redshirted his first season, and played sporadically his sophomore campaign.
For the Volunteers he recored seven strikeouts and gave up no runs in 5.1 innings of work. While Thacker didn’t see much action at Tennessee, he was still previously ranked the No. 52 LHP coming out of high school. He should be a nice addition to the bullpen.
LHP- Maxx Yehl
As a redshirt junior, Yehl enters his fourth season with WVU. Although he didn’t pitch at all last season due to injury, the tall lefty has a bright future ahead of him.
In 2024 he led the team in appearances with 24. During that time, he went 2-0 to go along with two saves and a solid 3.99 ERA. Yehl also recorded 32 strikeouts in just 29.1 innings of action. Now healthy, Yehl will be another lefty out of the bullpen that Sabins can trust and use in many different situations.
LHP- Joshua Surigao
Surigao is another newcomer to the squad this season after transferring in from Hawaii. The sophomore spent just one season with the Rainbow Warriors and recorded four strikeouts in two appearances. He also didn’t allow a run during that time.
The South Carolina native doesn’t have much collegiate experience. However, he makes up for it with his potential. He was the No. 3 ranked LHP coming out of South Carolina, and No. 34 overall. As Surigao grows more comfortable on the mound, he should a great piece to WVU’s staff.
LHP- JD Costanzo
Costanzo enters his second season with the Mountaineers after being forced to sit out his first year due to injury. Currently listed at 5-foot-10 and 165 pounds, the young lefty may need to add some muscle before he becomes a consistent contributor. Despite that, he may be able to see some playing time early before WVU starts its Big 12 slate.
LHP- Wyatt Mosley
Mosley is a freshman who is entering college after a stellar high school career. He record a 0.33 ERA for all four years, while also striking out 515 batters. Coming out of Michigan, Mosley was the No. 3 ranked LHP in the state, and No. 50 in the whole country.
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LHP- Andrew Middleton
Middleton joins the Mountaineer staff after two season at UMass. He had a total of 18 appearances for the Minutemen during his two-year stretch with them. He went 3-2 with a 3.09 ERA and 54 strikeouts in 35 innings of action.
Now in the Big 12, Middleton could have some growing pains facing higher level batters. However, he has a good amount of experience in college and should see some action throughout the year.
LHP- Ben McDougal
McDougal is the first West Virginia mentioned so far, hailing just down the road at Bridgeport. As a junior last season, he made 19 appearances on the mound and recorded a respectable 3.63 ERA. He also recorded two saves.
Another tall lefty, McDougal now enters his senior season with the Mountaineers. After a successful season last year, he should expect to see more action for his final year. He has earned the coaching staff’s trust and is more than capable of delivering quality outings.
RHP- JJ Glasscock
Glasscock now has the honor of starting the list of righty’s on the team. After redshirting his first year due to injury, Glasscock had an up-and-down start to his career last year. In six innings he managed to strikeout seven, but also gave up five runs in the process. Throw in nine walks and it’s no question that Glasscock struggled with command in his first year.
With a full offseason under him, Glasscock will look to improve off those numbers this season. The Virginia native may get some opportunities early to see if he’s ready to be a bigger part of the rotation.
RHP- Bryson Hoff
Hoff is another West Virginia native after growing up in the state capitol, Charleston. As a freshman last season he appeared in six game last season, but could only finish 1.2 innings. A large part of that was due to giving up five runs and three walks.
Another case of control issues, Hoff will need to prove to the coaching staff early that he is able to withstand longer appearances. Just like Glasscock, Hoff might be able to demonstrate his growth in the earlier part of the season.
RHP- Ian Korn
Korn is one of the former Division 2 stars that is primed to have a big year for the Mountaineers. He spent four years at Seton Hill, where he compiled a 2.84 ERA and 145 strikeouts in 40 appearances. That includes 18 starts.
The Pennsylvania native is coming off his best season to date after being named the 2025 D2 Pitcher of the Year. He recorded an impressive 11-2 record to go along with a 1.81 ERA in his final year with the Griffins.
There’s no doubt Korn will be another standout pitcher for the Mountaineers that previously played at the D2 level. It’s just a matter of how good he truly can be.
RHP- Luke Lyman
Lyman is entering his senior year with the Mountaineers. He’s coming off a year where he appeared in 10 games, but went 1-1 with a 9.00 ERA.
While that number is considerably high, Lyman has the potential to be a high strikeout guy. In just eight innings last year he struck out 11. It will all be based on if he can get his control taken care of.
RHP- David Hagen
Hagen is coming into the new season after having a stellar freshman campaign. In 23 innings, the Ohio native struck out 13 batters while recording a 2.35 ERA. He also went 2-0.
Now a year older, Hagen is primed to play a big role in WVU’s bullpen. Expect him to get a lot of opportunities throughout the season. He’s someone that Coach Sabins can count on to consistently throw strikes.
RHP- Reese Bassinger
Without a doubt, Bassinger will be one of the leaders for WVU’s pitching staff this season. Entering his final year of college, the Texas native is coming off his best season where he was named an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention.
Related: Meet the 2026 WVU baseball infield
He led the team last season with 30 appearances and was someone the coaching staff could always count on to get out of tricky situations. There’s no doubt that he is primed to have another big year, and potentially get drafted to the MLB after his WVU career is done.
RHP- Dawson Montesa
Similar to Korn, Montesa is another former D2 standout. As a sophomore last season he was named to the D2CCA All-America First Team. He also broke the Adelphi College season record with 105 strikeouts in 72.1 innings last season.
Montesa was one of the best pitchers at the D2 level, and should have no problem jumping up to the Power 4 level. Alongside Korn, they will help stabilize WVU’s starting pitching options.
RHP- Chansen Cole
Cole is the third standout D2 pitcher that was added to WVU’s pitching staff this offseason. Playing for Newberry College last year, the South Carolina native recorded a 3.39 ERA and held batters to an impressive .220 average. He also struck out 97 batters in just 87.2 innings.
Just a sophomore, Cole still has a lot of room to grow and develop while on the Mountaineers. He was another great addition that Coach Sabins was able to snag from the lower levels.
RHP- Bryant Yoak
Yoak is another West Virginia native who is an absolute flamethrower. No stranger of reaching 97-98 mph on his fastball, Yoak showed some promise last season in his 5.1 innings of work. However, it was his command that forced him to come out of games early and often.
If he can get that under control, the sky is the limit for the young righty.
RHP- Carson Estridge
Estridge is entering his fourth year with the Mountaineers after boasting three successful years. Last year was a little shaky for the Virginia native as he records a career high 6.14 ERA. However, he still managed to tie his career best of 48 strikeouts.
Estridge has the ability to be one of the better pitchers in the nation, but too many times last season he found himself in unfavorable pitcher counts. He will need to be more efficient earlier in counts if he wants to bounce back from last season.
RHP- Chase Meyer
Last but not least, the leader of the pitching staff. Meyer is coming off a 2025 campaign where he was named an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention. He recorded a 3.94 ERA and 65 strikeouts in 48 innings. He also posted an impressive 9-2 record.
WVsportsnation correctly reported on his finger injury, which at first Coach Sabins said he broke on Thanksgiving Break. Despite the small setback, Meyer is still primed to lead this pitching staff. He has the potentials to be one of the top pitchers in the nation and a future high MLB draft pick.
More freshmen coming up
There’s a number of freshmen, especially right handers, that given time should certainly help the Mountaineers. That includes Brayden Robinson, Hudson Cavallo, Ben Goodacre, David Perez, Weston Smith, and JT Huether.
What’s next
A lot of these pitchers mentioned will play a big role for WVU this season. They and the rest of the team will get their first taste of action in the new season on February 13. That is when WVU opens the 2026 season against Georgia Southern in a first of three game series.
