By: James Gravley | WV Sports Chat
The West Virginia Mountaineers have a stud catcher in Gavin Kelly. In fact, Kelly is currently projected to be a top five MLB Draft pick in the 2027 MLB Draft.
And on the flip side, Cal Poly, who stands in the Mountaineers’ way for a chance at Omaha for the first time in program history has a catcher who is also making a name for himself.
That name is Ryan Tayman.
Tayman who hit .362 this year with 18 HR and 56 RBI leads the team in every category including HBP with 11. He is also sitting around the top 150-200 MLB Draft-eligible prospects this year.
Tayman is the only Mustang to hit double-digit home runs this year and has hit two long balls in the postseason as well with both coming against Saint Mary’s.
Even though it’s a new season it does need to be mentioned that the Mustangs are 3-9 against Power Five opponents this year.
Washington State: 2-2
Oregon State: 0-3
USC: 0-4
VA Tech: 1-0 (LA Regional)
If WVU’s pitching staff, which will start with Chansen Cole on Friday afternoon, can slow down Tayman then the Mountaineers should be able to win this series. However, if they don’t and he gets timely hits then it could be a long series for WVU fans.
Photo: Cal Poly baseball
