The West Virginia Mountaineers baseball team had their best season in program history in 2026, capped by their first-ever trip to the College World Series – and that run shoved WVU into the national spotlight. Now, one player from the team will get the action to step back into the national spotlight to represent the US in international action.
USA Baseball released the roster for the Collegiate National Team on Sunday, and Gavin Kelly found himself among the final 28-man roster. Kelly forged himself as one of the top 2027 MLB Draft prospects in college baseball this past season, and he becomes just the second West Virginia player to represent the Mountaineers on the team in program history after current MLB star JJ Wetherholt.
Introducing our 2026 Collegiate National Team roster 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/OFqreC0UiR
— USA Baseball CNT (@USABaseballCNT) July 5, 2026
Kelly qualified for the team following an 11-day training camp. During eight games at the camp, Kelly batted a .250 average and recorded two doubles, four RBI, and two runs scored, with the games consisting of both intrasquad scrimmages and games against Appalachian League opponents.
Trip to World Collegiate Baseball Championshp a once in a lifetime opportunity for Gavin Kelly
The team will travel next week weekend to compete in the inaugural World Collegiate Baseball Championship, which is set to be held at Taichung City Intercontinental Baseball Stadium in Taichung City, Taiwan. The action will begin on July 11, and will continue through July 15.
The tournament consists of three days of pool play, followed by semifinals and finals. Kelly and the US team will open pool play on July 11 against Korea, then will play Chinese Taipei on July 12 and Japan on July 13. If they advance past pool play, they will play in semifinals on July 14 and then in either the bronze medal or gold medal game on July 15.
This is a thrilling opportunity for Kelly – not only does he get a chance to represent himself on the international stage, but he has the opportunity to do so during a first-of-its-kind event. And for West Virginia, it's just another boost to the baseball program – as well as the overall brand – back into the national spotlight once again.
Though it's not like West Virginia has really left the spotlight. Between the Country Roads postgame tradition going viral early in the NCAA Tournament, to the College World Series run, to West Virginia's postgame tradition taking over the World Cup, the last few months have been an exciting boon to the WVU brand.
And of course, there's also the added benefit of Kelly, who will be back for one more season in Morgantown, getting the opportunity to play more competitive baseball this summer on the international stage, where he'll compete against – and alongside – some of the best talent in the world.
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