Kevin Brophy Announces He Will Use Extra Eligibility, Return to WVU for 2021

WVU’s Kevin Brophy gave Mountaineer nation some good news just ahead of the weekend. In a social media post Friday morning, Brophy announced he will be wearing a Mountaineer uniform again in 2021.

“I’m honored to say that I am going to throw the old gold and blue on for one more year,” Brophy wrote. “We have some unfinished business! See you soon Mountaineer nation!”

Unfinished business… pic.twitter.com/jQHf8D5IJZ

— KB (@kevinbrophy_13) June 26, 2020

Brophy, a senior in 2020, was one of many student-athletes across the nation granted another year of eligibility due to their seasons being cut short because of the COVID-19 outbreak.

The NCAA announced in March that the league would allow schools to extend student-athletes’ eligibility by one year. The NCAA will also allow Spring teams to carry more scholarship athletes than usual to account for returners and incoming recruits.

In his 116 games as a Mountaineer Brophy, an infielder, made 79 starts. He hit .246/.303/.344 this season with eight RBIs, three doubles and a home run. In his career, he is a .277/.313/.411 hitter with 61 RBIs and 16 home runs.

In addition to Brophy, pitcher Dillon Meadows and outfielder/pitcher Braden Zarbnisky’s season were also afforded an extra year of eligibility if they so chose. Zarbnisky, who would have run out of eligibility in 2018 if he had not been injured in the preseason and missed the whole year, has already teased at returning to WVU.

Year 4 pt. 3…? 👀👀

— Braden Zarbnisky (@Zarb26) March 30, 2020

Despite WVU only seeing the baseball field for 16 games, the Mountaineers were sitting at 11-5 on the season and had yet to drop a series.

Meadows contributed in a large way from the mound, allowing no runs across seven innings and striking out nine. For his career, Meadows has a 4.50 ERA. He has two saves and 44 career strikeouts to 20 walks. There has been no word so far whether he plans to return.