WVU Baseball Poaches Reliever Hambleton Oliver from Baylor

The rich became richer and the poor became poorer on Monday afternoon, as right-handed pitcher Hambleton Oliver of Baylor announced his transfer commitment to WVU Baseball via Twitter. 

The Mountaineers, who won a share of the regular season Big 12 championship, poached the 6-foot-2 reliever from the Bears, who finished last in the conference.

Oliver recorded the fourth-best ERA (4.31) of any pitcher on the Bears in 2023, turning in 39.2 innings pitched in 24 appearances and notching five saves. 

I am forever thankful for my four years at Baylor. With that being said, I am excited to announce my commitment to West Virginia University #HailWV pic.twitter.com/ssqTbT7P9A

— Hambleton Oliver (@hambletonoliver) June 26, 2023

While his ERA isn’t lights out, he’ll almost certainly benefit from playing with a better defense behind him (not to mention increased offensive support). 

The Mountaineers possess quite a bit of pitching talent heading in to next season, but it remains unclear how they’re going to distribute it after losing their No. 1 and No. 2 starters to the transfer portal and graduation. 

Oliver turned in 3.1 innings against the Mountaineers during their May series in Waco, giving up two earned runs. 

Having an accomplished reliever like Oliver to take over in high leverage situations paves the way for young pitchers like Aidan Major and David Hagaman to make the transition from the bullpen to the starting rotation, a savvy transfer portal addition for head coach Randy Mazey and his staff. 

A four year player for the Bears, Oliver has one year of eligibility remaining owing to the COVID-19 year exemption.