Recruiting the Division II and junior college levels is not a popular thing for power conference teams to do, but West Virginia head coach Steve Sabins and his coaching staff mine the lower levels 24/7, searching for the next imapct player for the Mountaineers.
After what they’ve been able to do with guys like Derek Clark, Griffin Kirn, Kyle West, Chansen Cole, Ian Korn, Dawson Montesa, Paul Schoenfeld, Tyrus Hall, etc., it’s become a pretty easy recruiting pitch for Sabins when he goes after some of the top talent at those respective levels.
“For all four of those guys to be massive impact top players in the country, All-Americans, is really a remarkable story,” said about this year’s crop of transfers. “We’ve had three Division II pitchers in our starting rotation for the last three years. All of those guys, by the way, have become draft picks in their senior year. So, it’s unheard of. They’re transferring after having quality Division II seasons, not getting an opportunity to play professional baseball, coming to West Virginia, playing at the highest level, having success, and being drafted. And so when I get to sell that on the phone to the recruit or in person or look the parents in the eyes and say, ‘Why should you choose West Virginia?’ There’s proof in the pudding.”
It’s one thing to hit on multiple transfers from the lower levels, but for those guys to become some of the best players not only on WVU’s roster but also in the Big 12 is incredibly impressive. It’s also a way for a program like West Virginia to compete on the national stage, which they are currently doing by playing in Omaha. They’re never going to splurge the type of money the LSUs, Texas, Floridas, UCLAs, or what have you spend, so while they all try to outbid one another, the Mountaineers can take advantage of snatching up some of the best talent that continues to fly under the radar.
There are a lot of similarities between the players Sabins recruits and the people of West Virginia. Both are often overlooked, tough, gritty, have a blue-collar work ethic, and so on. It’s why this team has been so successful over the last handful of years. Nothing is given to them.
“Mentality-wise, those are the right guys,” Sabins said. “We probably have a little bit of a soft spot for the guy that shows up here hungry, wanting to get better, maximizes his opportunity, and believes that he hit the jackpot playing at West Virginia. We don’t always do the best with the guy that is entitled or thinks that we owe him something, right? So, like, we’ve been able to get these kids that are going up a level. It’s almost like hiring internally someone that’s like I’m their guy, and I’m going to go maximize everything for them. It’s more of that like run through a brick (wall) mentality. Our program has evolved, and the players we have access to has evolved, and the talent of recruiting has evolved. But I think it’s really important for us to stay focused on there’s some combination of appreciation and work ethic and talent that goes into these kids being great here.”
On Friday, the two pitchers who took the mound for the Mountaineers in their first-ever game in the College World Series, Chansen Cole (Newberry) and Ian Korn (Seton Hill), both came in from the Division II level. There will be more of these types of players heading to Morgantown soon, too.
West Virginia already has seven JUCO, Division II or III players committed to play for them in 2027: RHP Korey Alston (Odessa JC), RHP Drew Becker (Ashland, D-II), INF Owen Henne (Seton Hill), INF Ryan Piekutoski (USC-Sumter JC), OF Colin Coonradt (Johnson County JC), and OF Seth Williams (Galveston College JC).
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