WVU Baseball is days away from returning, and head coach Steve Sabins addressed the media to give a detailed preview of the 2026 season. They open the regular season with a three-game series against Georgia Southern in Statesboro, Georgia. They play Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, and Sabins announced two starters for the first two games. He also gave some must-see news about his best pitcher, Chase Meyer. Read more: Sabins reveals pitcher Chase Meyer 3-4 weeks off pace for Mountaineers.
Chase Meyer
Chase Meyer is WVU’s best returning pitcher, but he is dealing with an injury to start the season. Sources close to Chase Meyer say that he broke his finger during the Mountaineer Challenge in the first week of December. WV Sports Nation interviewed Sabins on Monday, February 5, 2026, but did not mention the injury or his rehabilitation progress. John Fredericks and Mitch Rogers asked Sabins about Meyer, but he did not mention Meyer’s injury in the interview he did with WV Sports Nation. There is a lack of transparency from Coach Sabins in this regard, but Sabins nonetheless detailed the injury and his return at the press conference.
“But he’s probably, I hate to use the word behind, but just from a scheduling standpoint and a buildup standpoint, he’s probably three or four weeks behind the rest of the pitching staff,” Sabins said. “But he’s in a great spot. He was up to 97 miles per hour two days ago in Columbia, South Carolina.”
Meyer appeared in 22 games last season, starting three of them. He finished the season with a 3.94 ERA in 48 innings pitched. He had a 9-2 record, with one save, and 63 strikeouts in key innings for WVU last season. Meyer was named to the Preseason All-Big 12 Team, WVU’s only selection. The injury to his throwing hand is not season-ending, but it will change his utilization this season.
“He’ll be coming out of the bullpen early this season just because he’s probably at a two-inning, maybe three-inning, max depending on how efficient he is early on,” Sabins added. “But he’s capable of anything he wants to do. If he competes well and throws strikes, he can be a starter, he can be a closer, he can be a middle reliever.”
Meyer is a special arm talent and is important down the stretch. His health is of the utmost importance to this team, so they are unlikely to rush him back before he is absolutely ready.
Opening-day starters
Chansen Cole was named the starter for the opening game against Georgia Southern. The right-handed transfer from Newberry College is a sophomore with a lot of innings under his belt. He pitched 87.2 innings last season and has shown consistency this season.
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Maxx Yehl is starting on Saturday for the Mountaineers, according to Sabins. He did not pitch last season due to injury while recovering from Tommy John surgery. He is a left-handed pitcher with a bright future ahead of him following collegiate baseball. Yehl did not start a game for WVU in his first two seasons and is now the Saturday starter, so the coaching staff has a lot of belief in him.
Dawson Montesa is a transfer from Division II from Adelphi. He threw 116.1 innings, went 10-7, and recorded 155 strikeouts as a sophomore. Sabins did not say whether Montesa would start against Georgia Southern, but said he would be a starter for WVU.
Position players
Brodie Kresser started 58 games at shortstop for WVU last season, but is going to play second and first base this season. He played last season with a torn labrum, which required surgery in the offseason. He is healthy, but does not have the arm strength to play shortstop. Kresser is practicing at first base and has experience at second base, which is useful when Gavin Kelly is behind the plate.
Matt Ineich is starting at shortstop this season, after playing at Ohio in 2025. Ineich is solid at shortstop and should play a key role in the offense. He and Gavin Kelly should bat in the top three spots in the order, according to Sabins.
Kelly was behind the plate in 18 games last season, but Matthew Graveline could provide flexibility. The senior transfer from Ohio State has earned the respect of Sabins and the coaching staff and is poised to earn more opportunities at catcher. Sabins also mentioned the versatility of Kelly, who played 27 games at second base last season, allowing them to get Graveline in the lineup.
This article has been updated from an earlier version that stated Chase Meyer broke his finger on Thanksgiving break.
Coach Sabins said in the presser Meyer broke his finger during the Thanksgiving break. Upon seeing the story, Meyer family members contacted WVSN to
directly dispute that account, and said it was from playing basketball during the Mountaineer challenge in the first week of December.