By: James Gravley | WV Sports Chat
This the second and final transfers to watch for ahead of the 2026 season for West Virginia. In the first installment, I broke down the three positional players to watch for ahead of the 2026 season.
Below is the full list of transfers into the baseball program for the 2026 season.
•LHP Andrew Middleton – (UMass)
•LHP Joshua Surigao – (Hawaii)
•LHP Bryson Thacker – (Tennessee)
•RHP Ian Korn– (Seton Hill – D2)
•RHP Dawson Montesa – (Adelphi – D2)
•RHP Chansen Cole – (Newberry – D2)
•OF Paul Schoenfeld – (Colorado Mesa – D2)
•INF Matt Ineich – (Ohio)
•C Michael Smosna – (McMurry – D3) *no longer with the team*
•C Matthew Graveline – (Ohio State)
•OF Brock Wills – (UNCW)
•OF Sean Smith – (GA Southern)
•INF Colton Sims – (Vandy)
•C Creed Erdos – (JMU)
Here are my three pitchers to watch for a breakout 2026 season for WVU:
No. 1 — Dawson Montesa, RHP, Adelphi – D2
— Montesa went 8-1 with an 1.99 ERA with a whopping 105 strikeouts with just 24 walks allowed over 72 innings this past season. He was also tabbed as one of NCAA’s top transfer pitchers to watch for in 2026. He has a quick delivery, strong stride to the plate that will change the D1 hitters with WVU this season.
No. 2 — Andrew Middleton, LHP, UMass
— Middleton is coming off of a Tommy John 2025 campaign that seen his season end before it really got started. Right before conference play Middleton was shut down after feeling some elbow pain which halted his season after only four appearances. In those four appearances he did however manage 29 strikeouts, walking 11 over 11.2 innings of work. If healthy, he could be one of the young leaders on the mound for WVU in 2026.
No. 3 — Ian Korn, RHP, Seton Hill – D2
— Korn has the chance to do something that is very rare at the collegiate baseball level. Be the third straight best pitcher to transfer in from DII to DI and become the ace of the pitching staff. The 2024 season saw Derek Clark, a DII transfer be the ace and this past year, Griffin Kirn was WVU’s ace, also a DII transfer. This past season Korn held down Seton Hill with a whopping 1.81 ERA, going 11-2 in 14 appearances. In 84.1 innings of work he struck out 83, while walking only 17 batters.
