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WVU Baseball Loses Significant Transfer Portal Commit to SEC Program

Southern Illinois catcher John Lemm has chosen Alabama as his school to play baseball for in 2026 after initially committing to the West Virginia Mountaineers.
ByDylan Pauley|
Catcher Logan Sauve 33 makes a catch as The LSU Tigers take on the West Virginia Mountaineers in game 1 of the 2025 NCAA Div 1 Super Regional Baseball Championship at Alex Box Stadium in Baton Rouge, LA. Saturday, June 7, 2025.
Catcher Logan Sauve 33 makes a catch as The LSU Tigers take on the West Virginia Mountaineers in game 1 of the 2025 NCAA Div 1 Super Regional Baseball Championship at Alex Box Stadium in Baton Rouge, LA. Saturday, June 7, 2025. | SCOTT CLAUSE / USATODAY Network / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

An increasingly popular saying in college sports is that “the portal giveth, and the portal taketh away.” Sometimes, it can even do both with the same player.

Southern Illinois catcher Jon Lemm originally committed to WVU on June 18. And less than a month later, the backstop has now swiched course and announced that he has committed to Alabama. Lemm hit 19 home runs and collected 56 RBIs while hitting .255 in his lone season with SIU.

Lemm made a great addition to the 2026 roster, especially considering that the fate of Logan Sauve and his future at WVU is up in the air until the conclusion of the MLB Draft. Getting a left-handed hitting catcher that showed pop in his bat was a great get for Steve Sabins in the portal. Unfortunately, it did not pan out for long.

Alabama finished with a 41-18 overall record and a 16-14 record in arguably the toughest college baseball conference in the country. Alabama was a two-seed in the Hattiesburg Regional before losing the only two games they appeared in during that regional.

Losing out on a catcher like Lemm is a tough pill to swallow. A legitimate guess why Lemm decided to switch his commitment? The amount of competition at the catcher position for WVU in 2026.

One player who would be competing with Lemm for the starting job was Division 3 transfer Michael Smosna. Smosna committed to WVU on June 24. Less than a week later, Lemm found a new home with Alabama. Smosna was just the start of the competition for Lemm, however -- sophomore Gavin Kelly had a breakout season as a freshman in 2025 and catcher is one of multiple positions he could see playing time at next year.

Smosna and Kelly are just the two confirmed catchers that will be on the roster for the 2026 season -- Sabins and his staff are still awaiting the decision of Logan Sauve, who is draft eligible but might be opt to return for his senior season.

With all of the competition at the catcher position, it makes sense how that might scare a transfer recruit away from WVU. That is a lot of talent to be trying to outperform to earn a starting spot in the lineup.

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