WVU Baseball RHP Named to Pitcher of the Year Watch List

WVU baseball sophomore Chansen Cole has been named to the Pitcher of the Year Watch List, released Wednesday by the College Baseball Foundation.

A total of 142 of the nation’s best hurlers are listed on the Pitcher of the Year watch list, released on Wednesday. The pitchers on the watch list represent 26 different conferences and reflect the top mound performers to this point of the 2026 season.

“There is an old adage in baseball that pitchers are usually ahead of the hitters early in the season,” National Pitcher of the Year Award co-chair Brian Melakian said.  “The number of early season dominant pitching performances this year proves that adage to be true.”

In four starts on the mound this season, Cole is 2-0 with a 2.00 ERA. He has 18 strikeouts to just eight walks in 18.0 innings and opponents are hitting just .194 against him. In two of his four starts this season, Cole has gone at least five innings without giving up a run.

Cole is the first Mountaineer on the watch list since Blaine Traxel in 2023. Former WVU pitchers Harrison Musgrave and Alek Manoah were both named finalists for the award in 2013 and 2019, respectively.

Most of this story originated as a WVU press release. 

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