MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Harrison Musgrave wasn’t exactly obsessing Wednesday over the upcoming major league baseball draft.
Instead, he was driving toward Massachusetts, en route to joining his Cape Cod League summer team, when he answered his cell phone while getting food at a gas station.
Musgrave, draft-eligible after winning Big 12 pitcher of the year honors as a redshirt sophomore, downplayed any buzz surrounding his potential for making the jump to pro ball this summer. The first round will be staged Thursday, with the draft continuing through Saturday.
“If I get a phone call I’ll answer, but I haven’t heard much from teams about the draft,” he said. “I’d imagine it would be the late rounds if I get drafted at all.”
The left-hander was 9-1 with a 2.17 ERA this season, which carried WVU to a surprising third-place finish in the conference and helped the Mountaineers flirt with an NCAA bid. Despite a breakout season that showed scouts his arm was recovered from Tommy John surgery, Musgrave said he expects to be a centerpiece on next season’s West Virginia team.
“Unless something crazy happens, there’s very little chance I won’t be back at WVU next year,” he said.
Musgrave said his year-end evaluation from Mountaineers coach Randy Mazey was straightforward and simple: “Don’t come back out of shape.”
Throughout last season, Mazey attributed Musgrave’s improvement to an offseason regimen that included healthier eating and a more energized training approach.
“It was kind of a crazy season,” he said. “I didn’t have such high expectations — and I don’t think anybody did — to have a season like that.”
Baseball America lists Musgrave as WVU’s top draft prospect, while Perfect Game USA has the pitcher sixth — behind pitcher Corey Walter, pitcher Corey Holmes, first baseman Ryan McBroom, outfielder Matt Frazer and outfielder Brady Wilson. All of those are juniors, except Wilson, who was a senior.