WVU Baseball
WVU Baseball Adds Pitcher, Continues Search for D-II Gems
WVU Baseball picked up another transfer commitment on Sunday, June 22, with Division II right-handed pitcher Dawson Montesa joining the Mountaineers. Montesa announced his decision in an Instagram post. Already knowing his audience, Montesa selected John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads” as the backing track to his post.
A rising junior with two seasons of eligibility remaining, the 6-foot-1, 185 pound Montesa pitched 72.1 innings for Long Island’s Adelphi University during the 2025 season, putting up a stellar 1.99 ERA and striking out 105 batters. He struck out at least ten batters in five different appearances and possesses a four seam fastball that sits in the low 90s. He also offers a curveball and slider, both in the high 70s, and a splitter that checks in between 83 and 85 miles per hour on the radar gun.
West Virginia enjoyed success with Division II pitching transfer Griffin Kirn during the 2025 season, seeing him earn an All-American selection as the Friday starter for a team that made the Super Regional round of the NCAA Tournament. Now, they’re doubling (quadrupling) down, adding Division II players like Ian Korn, the pitcher of the year in the classification, Chansen Cole and outfielder Paul Schoenfeld in addition to Montesa.
The approach comes with risk, but Mountaineers head coach Steve Sabins showed during his first year at the helm that he isn’t afraid to take an unorthodox approach to coaching… and West Virginia enjoyed the best season in program history as a result.
