With several returning starting hitters from a Super Regional team, West Virginia baseball did not expect to see many open spots for new players. However, true freshman Gavin Kelly has worked his way into the lineup and has made a big impact.
The Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, native is hitting .333 on the 2025 season with a .883 OPS. Kelly is a phenomenal athlete. Recruited initially to back up Preseason All-Big 12 catcher Logan Sauve, Kelly has been moved around the diamond to get him into the lineup. Kelly has seen reps at second base and in left field.
D1Baseball’s Kendall Rodgers dished out some high praise for the freshman slugger this week, drawing a comparison between Kelly and another recent Mountaineer star who was drafted during the 2024 MLB Draft.
“He’s the closest thing to [JJ] Wetherholt that I’ve seen, where it’s just instant impact with great at-bat after great at-bat. He’s seasoned, and he’s special,” Rodgers tweeted.
“He’s the closest thing to Wetherholt that I’ve seen where it’s just instant impact with great at-bat after great at-bat. He’s seasoned, and he’s special.”@KendallRogers spotlights newly ranked @WVUBaseball and star freshman @gavin_kelly18 ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/uBAt4s6wP5
— D1Baseball (@d1baseball) April 16, 2025
Being compared to JJ Wetherholt in any regard is a great compliment to any player. Wetherholt is one of the best players to ever put on a Mountaineer baseball uniform. Getting drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals with the seventh overall pick last year, Wetherholt is the highest player ever drafted out of WVU.
Just cracking this deep WVU lineup is a notable task, but Kelly has gone even further. Not only is he in the lineup consistently, starting in 24 games and appearing in 29 games, but the Pittsburgh native is having a remarkable freshman season. Going along with the high batting average and OPS, Kelly is having 28 RBIs (tied for second on the team in RBIs) and 12 stolen bases. Kelly finds a way almost every time to make a positive impact in the lineup.
His bat is not the only thing that he brings to first-year head coach Steve Sabins’ lineup. A great glove and athletic player on defense. Behind the plate, Kelly has showcased a capable arm throwing out runners. In a game against Arizona, the freshman threw out two would-be base runners. On the season, Kelly is 3-14 on caught stealing.
Rodgers comments on the true freshman will more than likely not be the last praise that Kelly will receive. As WVU climbs or maintains it's place in D1Baseball’s Top 25 rankings, more media attention will be drawn to the whole team and big contributors like Kelly. He certainly has a bright future playing in Morgantown.
WVU (31-4, 10-3) will need Kelly to continue to play at a high level if they have goals of winning the Big 12 Championship or making another Super Regional (or even Omaha) appearance. Mountaineer baseball fans will be excited to see how Kelly’s future in Morgantown will play out.