MORGANTOWN- The Major League Baseball Draft got underway on Saturday, July 11 with a few Mountaineers expected to hear their names called.
Dawson Montesa:
The first one off the board was pitcher Dawson Montesa, who was picked by the St. Louis Cardinals with the 72nd overall pick. Most analysts had Montesa ranked anywhere from the 120th-170th ranked player in the draft and his selection was quite a shock although he possesses the potential to be a star in the league.
Montesa struggled through the regular season and never really lived up to his hype he brought with him when he signed with the Mountaineers last year. But in the regionals, super regionals, and College World Series in Omaha, Montesa finally put it all together and was an integral piece on the mound for WVU.
Max Yehl:
The next Mountaineer selected was Big 12 pitcher of the year Maxx Yehl by the Kansas City Royals. The big lefty was the most consistent pitcher for West Virginia this past season and he saved one of his better gems for North Carolina in the CWS when he overcame a tough first inning to dominate the Tar Heels the rest of his outing.
He finished the year 9-2 with a 2.10 ERA. He struck out 105 batters in 90 innings and was a consensus all-American selection and a National Pitcher of the Year finalist.
Paul Schoenfeld:
Paul Schoenfeld spent his lone season in Morgantown becoming a hero thanks to a hit that will never soon be forgotten. In the Regionals against Kentucky with the game tied at 9-9 in the top of the ninth inning, Schoenfeld blasted a 2-run home run that went viral on social media and eventually propelled the Mountaineers to host their first ever Super Regional in Morgantown. He ended the year hitting .452 with four homers and 52 RBI and was considered one of the better defensive centerfielders in the nation.
He was selected no. 236 by the Arizona Diamondbacks, whose owner Ken Kendrick is from Princeton, and a huge WVU baseball donor, alum, and fan.
Ian Korn:
Ian Korn was one of the most consistent pitchers on the WVU staff and apparently the San Francisco Giants noticed as they chose the senior with pick number 298. He was the Division 2 pitcher of the year for Seton Hill in 2025 and that success led him to Morgantown. He was constantly called on to hold leads or just hold teams down and stop the proverbial bleeding. He went 79.2 innings, struck out 70, had a 3.39 ERA, and was 5-2 on the season.
Note: Two incoming WVU transfers were also selected: Infielder Owen Henne and pitcher Kyle Casteel. Henne will accept his draft status and at the time of this writing, Casteel is still deciding. Reese Bassinger agreed to a free agent deal with the Toronto Blue Jays and Armani Guzman announced he will be returning to WVU for the 2027 season, a major boost for the program.
