College baseball and baseball fans around the country are filled with excitement as the start of baseball season has arrived at the collegiate level. Let's take a look at how the West Virginia Mountaineers will begin the season with their opening series at Georgia Southern.
Starting Pitchers For WVU Baseball vs. Georgia Southern
Heading into their weekend series against Georgia Southern, the starters on the mound for WVU have been announced. Getting the ball on Friday will be Newberry College transfer Chansen Cole. Starting game two of the series on Saturday,will be left-hander Maxx Yehl. Making the final start of the series, which is now a Saturday double-header, will be Adelphi transfer Dawson Montesa.
WVU Baseball head coach Steve Sabins revealed the weekend rotation:
— Nick Castrilli (@CastrilliNick) February 9, 2026
Friday- Chansen Cole
Saturday- Maxx Yehl
Sunday- *Dawson Montensa
Sabins revealed this rotation in a media session today.
*- He did not specify what day Montensa starts, he did order Cole and Yehl.
Gavin Kelly, Dawson Montesa Players To Watch For The West Virginia Mountaineers
At the plate, WVU will be led by a top prospect in the 2027 MLB Draft, sophomore Gavin Kelly. Returning to Morgantown after a spectacular freshman season earning a spot on the All-Big 12 Freshman Team, the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, native was special in his freshman season.
Working at several different spots in the field, including catching, the Pittsburgh native slashed .299/.402/.395 as a freshman in the Big 12. Adding 37 RBIs, two home runs, two triples, and 16 stolen bases, Kelly provided a very well-rounded presence in the middle of the lineup. Originally recruited to be a catcher, Kelly’s athletic ability allowed for him to find playing time all around the field, seeing defensive innings at second base and left field in addition to his time behind the plate.
Montesa might be the most exciting and intriguing starter for the upcoming weekend series anywhere on the field. Transferring in from Adelphi, Montesa went 8-1 last season recording a stellar 1.99 ERA over 72.1 innings pitched also adding 105 strikeouts. Sporting a 13.06 strikeouts per nine innings, Montesa proved that he could pile up some strikeouts.
Game one’s first pitch is scheduled for 6:30 P.M. EST on Friday. Game two is scheduled to start at 2:00 P.M. EST on Saturday as the first game of the doubleheader; game three will start roughly at 5:00 P.M. EST. All games will be streamed on ESPN+.