Right before the most important part of West Virginia baseball’s season -- an NCAA Super Regional matchup against the LSU Tigers -- the recruiting process is underway as head coach Steve Sabins is also busy bringing top talent to the program for the 2026 season.
Just a couple of days after the announcement that one of the top Division II hitters in the Transfer Portal, Paul Schoenfeld of Colorado Mesa, had committed to the Mountaineers, Sabins and staff have landed another top talent from the Division II ranks in right-handed pitcher Chansen Cole.
Already the second super impressive DII commit for the Mountaineers as Chansen, the #29 ranked pitcher in all of D2 last year, joins Paul Schoenfeld, the #33 ranked hitter in all of D2 last year. Great start for @WVUBaseball. https://t.co/yLaiUZ5055 pic.twitter.com/wY5YRsCndl
— 64Analytics (@64Analytics) June 5, 2025
Cole is transferring in from Newberry College in South Carolina. Entering his sophomore season in 2026, Cole posted a 7-5 record for the Wolves with a 3.39 ERA in 14 starts, adding 97 strikeouts in 87.2 innings of work. Standing at 6’4”, Cole’s lengthy presence can fill a lot of innings of work for the Mountaineers in 2026.
Sabins not afraid to find gems in the portal from the DII ranks
The Mountaineers just picked a commitment from Shoenfeld this past Sunday, and around three days later, they find themselves landing a capable pitcher from the DII ranks. You also can scan the current roster and see such moves have a blueprint for success at WVU.
An example of a Division II talent that made the transition to the Big 12 and thrived? Look no further than the Mountaineers' ace in 2025, Griffin Kirn. The left-handed pitcher chose to come to WVU after closing his four-year career with Quincy University in Quincy, Illinois.
His decision to transfer to WVU was rewarded with plenty of accolades -- he's been named Big 12 Co-Pitcher of the Week, First Team All-Big 12, Clemson Regional All-Tournament Team, and Big 12 Championship All-Tournament Team throughout the course of the season. Kirn set a great example of coming into a program, working hard, getting better each and every day, and then competing every start and every pitch.
Having so many seniors and potential draft picks in the 2025 MLB Draft, the need to restock on talent has to be on the mind for Sabins. Whenever WVU’s season is over, hopefully after a trip to Omaha for the College World Series, there should be an increased effort and emphasis to recruit from the portal and bring talented players to Morgantown for the 2026 season.
One of the players in the portal that probably would be sought after for WVU fans could be Carson Tinney from Notre Dame. He could be a great presence to this lineup, especially if Logan Sauve would move onto a professional baseball career.