San Diego Padres Draft WVU Left-Hander Jackson Wolf

West Virginia left-handed pitcher Jackson Wolf has been drafted by the San Diego Padres with the 129 overall pick in the fourth round of the 2021 MLB Draft.

𝘿𝙧𝙖𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙙.@jackson123w is headed to San Diego!#HailWV | @Padres pic.twitter.com/Ptg8zL2jOY

— WVU Baseball (@WVUBaseball) July 12, 2021

Wolf, a senior from Gahanna, Ohio, has worked exclusively as a starter with the Mountaineers the past three seasons. At 6-foot-7 and 200-pounds, Wolf is a slim lefty with a side-arm delivery. He pairs a low-90s fastball with a sweeping slider as his out pitch. He broke out as the team’s ace in 2021, going 6-5 in 14 starts with a 3.03 ERA and 104 strikeouts in 89 innings. He was named second-team All-Big 12 following the season.

Wolf’s best performances this season were his last two, when he pitched the Mountaineers to a pair of upset victories against then-No. 2 Texas. In his final regular season start on May 20, Wolf gave up three runs in 5 1/3 innings against the Longhorns as WVU won 5-4. Wolf’s next start came in the Big 12 tournament where he out-dueled Big 12 Pitcher of the Year and first-round draft pick Ty Madden with a one-run, complete-game masterpiece as WVU won 5-1.

Wolf started three games during the shortened 2020 season and went 3-1 with a 1.05 ERA. He made 13 starts as a sophomore in 2019 as WVU’s mid-week starter, going 2-4 with a 5.17 ERA. He pitched 24 1/3 innings as a true freshman in 2018 with a 4.07 ERA.