One of the significant team leaders who is responsible for the West Virginia Mountaineers making their second-consecutive NCAA Super Regional, Logan Sauve, may or may not return to Morgantown in 2026. That's because there is a serious chance that Sauve will enter the 2025 MLB Draft and pursue a professional baseball career.
Sauve will have a ton to consider after the season is over. The 2025 MLB Draft will begin on July 13, and the decision to enter the 2025 MLB Draft is more than likely quickly approaching. And given Sauve might move on, Steve Sabins would be wise to make a big effort to land one of the biggest names at the position currently on the transfer portal market -- Notre Dame catcher Carson Tinney. However, the decision isn't fully in Sabins' hands.
Tinney entered the transfer portal on Monday, but did so with a “do not contact” tag -- meaning coaches are not allowed to reach out to him unless he makes first contact with them. This is often used when a player already has a select number of targets that he knows he wants to choose from.
Unfortunately, speculation from On3’s Chandler Vessels indicates that Tinney could already have selected a new team. But WVU's reputation as a baseball school has been on the rise, and if Tinney gives the Mountaineers the chance, Sabins should go after Tinney with every resource he can offer.
Tinney resembles Sauve as a great catcher with massive upsides both behind-the-plate defensively and at-the-plate offensively. This season, Tinney is batting at an average of .348 and recorded 17 home runs this season while earning a .991 fielding percentage and tossing out 17 would-be base stealers for a .405% success rate in throwing runners out. Tinney was named First Team All-ACC for his efforts.
It might just be a long shot, but if Tinney would reach out to Sabins and staff, WVU baseball fans would have to believe that Sabins and company would heavily pursue Tinney in the portal. He could be a program-changing player for whoever lands his services next season.