West Virginia baseball continues to excel, as they're off to a hot start for the second consecutive season. After a strong undefeated start to their season last year, which ended in a second straight appearance in the NCAA Super Regionals, they've opened with a 20-5 record in 2026 and have most recently been projected as one of the Top 8 seeds as an NCAA Regional host in the NCAA Tournament.
Two players that have played a significant role in the team's performance this season are pitcher Maxx Yehl and infielder Gavin Kelly – now, both have been awarded for their impressive efforts to begin the season.
Maxx Yehl, Gavin Kelly named to Midseason All-America Team
This week, D1Baseball, one of the largest college baseball outlets responsible and the outlet responsible for the Top 25 poll used by the NCAA, released their Midseason All-America honorees, and both Yehl and Kelly found themselves as recipients of the accolade.
More honors for Maxx and Gav!#HailWV x @d1baseball pic.twitter.com/kxVCHc1pt2
— WVU Baseball (@WVUBaseball) April 2, 2026
Yehl is in his fourth season with the program, but missed last season due to injury. He picked back up where he left off this year however, excelling on the mound for the Mountaineers. He has pitched 39 innings across seven appearances, recording 48 strikeouts while allowing just 26 hits and nine runs in 611 pitches. He is 5-0 on the mound and has registered a 1.38 ERA on the season.
Kelly plays all across the infield, depending on where he is needed most in the lineup on any given day. At the plate, Kelly is batting .415 with 44 hits in 106 at-bats, tallying 30 runs, 26 RBIs, 13 doubles, two triples, and four home runs. In the field, he has recorded 143 put outs, 36 assists, and just three errors.