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WVU Baseball's Kyle West Continues His Incredible Baseball Journey

West Virginia native Kyle West is set for the next step in a baseball career that resembles a feel-good Hallmark story.
ByDylan Pauley|
Jun 7, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers Kyle West (39) motions to the dugout in front of teammate Grant Siegel (37) in the fifth inning of the DI Baseball Super Regional against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Boshamer Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Camarati-Imagn Images
Jun 7, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers Kyle West (39) motions to the dugout in front of teammate Grant Siegel (37) in the fifth inning of the DI Baseball Super Regional against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Boshamer Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Camarati-Imagn Images | Jeffrey Camarati-Imagn Images

When a player goes to a Division II program out of high school to play baseball, many of these players dream of doing great at the Division II level, getting noticed, and then climbing up into the Division I ranks. Not only did one native West Virginian and WVU baseball star make such a story a reality, he took it even further, dominating at the Division I level and now earning his opportunity at the professional level of the sport.

During the 2025 MLB Draft, five WVU baseball players heard their names called. Two of those Mountaineers started as Division II players before coming to WVU, one of those being outfielder Kyle West. The Yankees selected West in the 13th round (404th overall pick) of the draft. It comes as one of numerous milestones in the Hedgesville, W.Va native's baseball journey, which has taken him from small-town Appalachia to the Division 2 ranks to the Power Four level and finally to an MLB organization.

West did not get much attention from the Division I ranks when he graduated from Hedgesville High School. Instead of giving up on the chance at playing at the next level, West decided to play at the University of Charleston for two seasons before transferring to WVU. In his two seasons at UC, West hit .374, adding 30 home runs and 102 RBIs in 100 career games for the Golden Eagles.

West made the transition to the Division I level when he committed to play for the Mountaineers for the 2024 season. In two years and 115 career games, West hit for an average of .298 with 25 home runs and 81 RBIs. During his last season for the Mountaineers, West was a consistent cog in the middle of the WVU batting order, hitting for a .339 average with 11 home runs and 38 RBIs. West posted a 1.088 OPS in his final season as a Mountaineer.

More than likely, the Hedgesville native will be headed to either the FCL Yankees (Florida Complex League), Tampa Tarpons (Single-A), or the Hudson Valley Renegades (High-A). As a 13th-round pick, West will more than likely be going somewhere in the minor leagues below the Double-A level.

West’s home community of Hedgesville has to be proud of the accomplishments that West has achieved in his baseball career. West has certainly earned everything that he has been given and represented WVU baseball very well, and Mountaineer fans are wishing nothing but the best for West.

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