By: James Gravley | WV Sports Chat
Steve Sabins and the WVU baseball team have been on a roll. They somehow miraculously escaped their own regional then cake walked through Cal Poly to advance the College World Series for the first time ever in program history.
And in the middle of all that they landed the commitment of Southern New Hampshire University pitching transfer Zak Whitney.
In 81 innings pitched this past season he struck out 95 batters while allowing just 30 walks. He did give up 85 hits but only allowed 41 runs. He threw 1,208 pitches and went 7-2 with a 3.89 ERA.
There was some competition from other programs to get the services of Whitney.
“I was talking to a good amount of schools. USF, Virginia Tech , UVA, Kentucky, Xavier, Stetson, and some other notable programs,” said Whitney. “However WVU felt like the best fit. Their gameplan, the way coach Sabins approaches the game. The way coach Reily approaches pitching. It all just made sense. It made me want to get to campus asap and compete, get better, work harder. Everything about this place made sense.”
Whitney also credits the ability to see how players from the past have transferred from the DII ranks to WVU, most notably Dawson Montesa.
“WVU was circled in my spots to land. My good friend Jack Davis had told me about Dawson [Montessa] who also pitched in the NE10 and gone to WVU. I then did some research and learned that WVU is known for taking D2 arms and turning them into absolute animals with the resources they have on campus,” he said.
The recruitment process really took off once Whitney entered the portal. He even noted that “for the first 72 hours I can probably count on my hands the hours I was awake and not on the phone.”
Now that WVU is in Omaha, it raised the question to Whitney if that helped the Mountaineers land him over the other programs he mentioned that were heavily involved in his services.
“Oh man, 100%. Absolutely,” said Whitney. “I love to compete and win especially with the team. Any time you can get a winning atmosphere and guys who also want to win. It helps everything. Knowing that the culture and success at WVU is continuing to grow only helps me want to come in and compete for a spot in that rotation.”
And speaking of rotations. Whitney doesn’t expect to be a bullpen guy, he fully is betting on himself to be a starter but, keeping the humbled mindset that a starting job won’t come easy.
“I see myself as a starter,” he noted. “That being said nothing comes easy. I know that when I show up to campus there are plenty of other guys who are going to work for that spot.”
“That’s what I love about it. Being able to compete and show the staff and my teammates I can tremendously benefit the team being a starter. With that being said, I will do anything asked of me to help the team win. That’s all that matters at the end of the day. Doing what you’re asked to help the guys win. That’s the most important to me.”
When it comes to his pitching arsenal he mixes it up with a cutter, fastball, sweeper and changeup. He sits low-to-mid 90s and pitches with a lower slot angle.
But what truly led Whitney to commit and sign with WVU? The no ego atmosphere. The no mentality of “he’s better than me” mentality. The coaches just want players to be better athletes; but more importantly better humans.
“What led me to WVU, the fact that every coach in the room has no ego, they want you there to get better. They want you to be a good human. They take care of you. From the nutritionists and academic support. To the team trainer and strength coach. They have it all down to a tee. It is really hard to not get better at WVU and turn yourself into a dominant force on the mound.”
Photo: Zak Whitney IG
