Pair of WVU Baseball Stars in Running for National Awards

A pair of WVU baseball stars have been named as semifinalists for college baseball’s Heisman – the Dick Howser Trophy.

Sophomore Gavin Kelly and redshirt junior Maxx Yehl learned the national honor on Thursday, while Kelly was also named a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award.

Kelly leads the Mountaineers in nearly every offensive category including batting average (.391), home runs (12), RBI (46), hits (72), OPS (1.178), slugging percentage (.696), and total bases (128). A versatile defender, he has played 26 games behind the plate and 20 games at second base with a .985 fielding percentage, including throwing out 38% (9-for24) would-be base stealers.

Yehl has been a force on the mound for WVU this season, coming off Tommy John surgery in 2025. He is 7-1 and currently leads the Big 12 with a 2.04 ERA while striking out 79 batters in 66.1 innings pitched. The Portville, N.Y. native is coming off his best start of the season where he went the distance at No. 7 Kansas, striking out nine in a 4-1 victory.

Kelly becomes the third Mountaineer to be named a Golden Spikes semifinalist, joining Alek Manoah (2019) and JJ Wetherholt (2023) while Kelly and Yehl are the third and fourth Howser semifinalists, also now joining Manoah and Wetherholt.

Find more coverage of the WVU baseball program at WV Sports Now.