Four WVU Baseball Players on Black Bears Initial Roster

Four WVU Baseball players who exhausted their college eligibility will spend another season playing baseball at the Mon this summer, suiting up for the West Virginia Black Bears.

Left-handed pitcher and outfielder Kevin Dowdell, catcher Dayne Leonard, shortstop Tevin Tucker and right fielder Caleb McNeely each made the initial roster for the Black Bears, an MLB Draft League team.

The Black Bears’ schedule runs from June 6 to August 27, so the Mountaineers could miss out on the first series or two if they’re able to advance past the regional round of the NCAA Tournament. 

The first half of the MLB Draft League season (concluding on July 4) consists of games meant to showcase the talent of draft-eligible players ahead of the July 9-11 MLB First-Year Player Draft. 

After that, players who have exhausted their amateur eligibility (as the four Mountaineers have) get a chance to play as professionals in the second half of the season with stipends for housing, food and travel. 

While they face long odds of getting drafted (and would almost certainly love to miss a good chunk of the amateur season, as it would mean a deep tournament run), this crop of Mountaineers has shown that anything is possible, making their final chapter in Morgantown a story worth keeping an eye on.

The Black Bears, the defending MLB Draft League champions, are going to be managed by WVU baseball product and former MLB pitcher David Carpenter.