MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — What West Virginia’s starting lineup of position players looks like Friday for its season opener at Georgia Southern will almost certainly change for Game 2 Saturday, and again in the series finale Sunday.
The Mountaineers will carry a much different look with an abundance of new personnel than a year ago in Steve Sabins’ first season as head coach that yielded a single season program record 44 victories with a second straight appearance in a Super Regional.
While many of the names have changed, Sabins is confident versatility will again be a strength of the 2026 squad.
“It’s hard in the fall when positional coaches are working with somebody, because there’s only so much information that each player can intake,” Sabins said. “When you are learning bunt defenses, plays, cuts and relays, and all these things that are position specific, sometimes practice can get sloppy or go longer than you would like, because people are all over the place. But every year when you get to the season, you’re always one injury away from [thinking], ‘it would be really nice if that senior who can rake could go to first base.’ We think we’ve addressed most of those things.
“It really starts with recruiting athletes, because if you have a bunch of big-body stiffs that have to play the corners, this conversation becomes a lot more difficult. I am proud of that fact, and sometimes that can bite you in the ass, too, if a player is not prepared for a position and you’ve dreamt it up, but we think we’ve put the work in to make sure kids are confident in those spots.”
Ohio State transfer Matthew Graveline and returning sophomore Gavin Kelly are expected to be the primary catchers, while James Madison transfer Creed Erdos adds depth. Kelly gained valuable experience behind the dish last season as a true freshman and also played second base and left field.
“Graveline has turned into such an elite catcher and so consistent offensively throughout the fall, we’re going to have to see how that plays out,” Sabins said. “If it ends up being a 50/50 split, I wouldn’t be surprised at all, or if Graveline ended up catching a little bit more, it wouldn’t be shocking, just because of Kelly’s versatility. Graveline has gotten so good behind the dish, and selfishly, as coach, you always say, ‘well Kelly could turn some double plays at second or field every bunt at third base. He’s just so good with the glove. You always start saying well if anybody is struggling at any other position, Kelly could probable handle it. We’ll have to see how the games go early on, but we are very convicted in our catching core that it’s extremely talented.”
Another position where Sabins could opt for multiple players to regularly split time is first base, where returning veteran Brodie Kresser is working for the first time in addition to logging reps at second.
Primarily a shortstop in 2025, Kresser underwent offseason surgery to repair a torn labrum.
“That was definitely not in the agenda,” Kresser said of trying first base. “To be on the field, I’m down to play anywhere.”
Kresser is part of an extensive list of players to practice in the preseason at first, a group that also includes Ben Lumsden and Ryan Maggy among returners, transfers Paul Schoenfeld and Brock Wills and freshmen Zahir Barjam, Tyrus Hall and Matthew Rohbaugh.
“Just because [Grant] Hussey had played there so much and that was taken for granted, first base was the biggest hole, learning experience, tryout, whatever you want to call it,” Sabins said. “Everybody at some point put on the big mitt over there to see if they could pick a ball.”
Kresser doesn’t quite yet have a full month’s worth of experience at first, but hasn’t done anything to take himself out of the mix.
“We put him over there for the first time about three weeks ago, and within a couple at bats, the third baseman threw a ball and he picked it, and was like, ‘why is everybody saying this is so hard here? The glove is huge.’ He had fun with it. Kresser is the ultimate team guy. There’s no ego. Nothing but winning in that kid. You could put him anywhere on the field and he’s just having with it.”
Kresser’s previous position of shortstop will now be manned by Matt Ineich, who was among the most productive freshman in all of college baseball last season at Ohio. Ineich earned all-Mid American Conference second-team honors after batting .387 with 55 hits and 25 RBI.
“He is an animal. Fom a sophomore class position player perspective, he and Gavin Kelly are an extremely dynamic crew that’s going to be really fun to watch,” Sabins said. “Very likely that Kelly and Ineich will both be in the one, two or three hole fairly consistently for the Mountaineers this season. Ineich has been great defensively. He’s solid at shortstop. Kind of a quiet killer mentality and he’s able to turn the page and move on to the next play about as fast as anybody I’ve ever coached.”
Much like Hussey had a stranglehold on first base throughout his career, the Mountaineers grew accustomed to Skylar King in centerfield as well.
With King no longer around, returning junior Armani Guzman will start in center. Guzman has proven to be a valuable utility man over the course of his career and is transitioning back to the outfield on at least a somewhat consistent basis after logging reps at third last season and training at second this fall.
“Guzman and Paul Schoenfeld have been excellent in the outfield,” Sabins said. “They are both true centerfielders and will probably both get their shot in center, but going to start with Guzman.”
Schoenfeld is a transfer from Division II Colorado Mesa and has caught Sabins’ eye.
“A fifth-year guy with a high baseball IQ,” Sabins said. “I’ve fallen in love with how that kid plays the game and how he approaches every day.“
Willis and Lumsden join Guzman and Schoenfeld as left-handed bats that can play the outfield.
The right-handed hitting Graveline has extensive experience in left field from his time with the Buckeyes. Sean Smith, a Georgia Southern transfer, is another right-handed hitter that can play the outfield.
“There are essentially four left-handed veteran bats, two veteran right-handed bats, and then you sprinkle in some younger guys that have developed nicely,” Sabins said. “Maxwell Molessa, a returning sophomore and left-handed hitter. Sean Goldy, a freshman [and right-handed hitter]. We certainly have options and that’s where it’s always interesting. When Kelly is catching, where does that put everybody else? Who’s hitting if you want to matchup lefty versus righty?”