WVU Baseball Announces the Signing of Catcher, LHP

On Monday, the WVU baseball program announced the signing of two more new players.

First, West Virginia inked Division-III catcher Michael Smosna a week after he committed to jump up to the Big 12.

“Excited to announce my commitment to West Virginia University. Thank you to everybody who has gotten me to this point. Thank you to Coach Sabins and staff for the opportunity. Go Mountaineers!,” posted Smosna on X.

Smosna will now elevate his game from McMurry in Abeline, Texas to West Virginia in the Big 12. He comes to WVU as the reigning SCAC Player of the Year who hit .439 with seven triples and slugging eight home runs.

Later in the day, Steve Sabins and company revealed the signing of left-handed pitcher Bryson Thatcher. He committed to WVU on June 27.

A 6-foot-2, 189 pound redshirt sophomore, Thacker appeared in five games for the Volunteers last season, posting a 0.00 ERA with seven strikeouts across 4.1 innings.

Tennessee made the Super Regional round of the NCAA Tournament but despite Thacker’s success on the mound, he didn’t appear for any game action after mid April.

Thacker attended high school in Rome, Ga. where he earned four-time all-state selections, tossing a perfect game during his freshman year. Perfect Game ranked him as the No. 52 left-handed pitcher nationally during his senior season, when he put together a 1.20 ERA with 343 strikeouts across 170 innings pitched.

With that sort of durability, expect Thacker to work his way into the starting rotation at some point during his college career.

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