MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – In June, West Virginia baseball paid the price for its historic success in 2019.
Just weeks after the Mountaineers hosted postseason baseball for the first time since 1955, they lost the bulk of the talent that brought them to such heights.
All six WVU juniors that were selected in the MLB Draft ended up signing – pitcher Alek Manoah (Toronto, first round), pitcher Nick Snyder (Arizona, 11th round), pitcher Kade Strowd (Baltimore, 12th round), center fielder Brandon White (Los Angeles Angels, 17th round), catcher Chase Illig (New York Yankees, 29th round) and pitcher Sam Kessler (Detroit, 34th round).
Now the Mountaineers are reaping the dividends of success. Perfect Game Baseball rates the incoming class as 21st in the country, which makes this the highest rated class in WVU baseball history.
The 17-man class is headed by two MLB draftees who decided to go the college route. Left-handed pitcher Daniel Batcher (Lakeland, Fla.) was chosen in the 33rd round by the Toronto Blue Jays, while catcher/infielder Matt McCormick (Orland Park, Ill.) was a 40th-round pick of the Cincinnati Reds. With heavy turnover at each of their positions, both should compete for starting roles next spring.
Outfielder Tyler Demartino (Potomac, Md.) is another highly-rated signee. Perfect Game pegged him as one of the nation’s Top 200 prospects and No. 2 overall in the state of Maryland.
Perfect Game originally rated West Virginia’s signing class as 38th nationally in December, but the Mountaineers got a considerably boost as the draft decimated multiple signing classes nationally. West Virginia only lost one signee to the draft – outfielder Terence Doston, who was also committed to the football team as a wide receiver.
2019 West Virginia baseball signing class
LHP Daniel Batcher (Lakeland, Fla.)
LHP Jake Carr (Saint Albans, W.Va.)
OF Tyler DeMartino (Potomac, Md.)
OF Austin Earl (Everett, Wash.)
RHP Haden Erbe (Lafayette, La.)
RHP Skylar Gonzalez (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
OF/3B Chris Klein (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
RHP Justin Koehler (Holiday, Fla.)
RHP Carter Lyles (Danville, W.Va.)
C Matt McCormick (Orland Park, Ill.)
IF Dominic Ragazzo (Hockessin, Del.)
RHP Hunter Rosenbaum (Webster, Wis.)
OF Victor Scott (Powder Springs, Ga.)
RHP Sam Servello (Hollidaysburg, Pa.)
RHP Jimmy Starnes (Richmond, Va.)
RHP Tyler Strechay (Collegeville, Pa.)
RHP Jacob Watters (Rocky Gap, Va.)