Jackson Wolf parlayed a memorable senior season at West Virginia into a fourth-round selection in the 2021 Major League Baseball Draft.
Wolf, a left-handed pitcher, was chosen Monday by the San Diego Padres with 129th pick.
With the 129th pick in the 2021 #MLBDraft, the Padres have selected Jackson Wolf from West Virginia University (WV). pic.twitter.com/qxqKObhy02
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) July 12, 2021
The ace of West Virginia’s staff last season, Wolf was an All-Big 12 Conference second-team selection. In 14 starts, the Gahanna, Ohio native was 6-5 with a 3.03 ERA and 104 strikeouts in 89 innings.
The 89 innings Wolf threw were 35 more than any other Mountaineer pitcher. A 6-foot-7, 200-pound southpaw, Wolf was the only WVU player to be chosen to the all-conference first or second team.
Wolf’s final two starts at West Virginia were victories over Texas, including a complete game in the Mountaineers’ 5-2 victory over the Longhorns in the Big 12 Baseball Championship.
West Virginia won nine of Wolf’s 14 starts last season, including each of his last four.
Prior to the pandemic stopping the 2020 season, Wolf had enjoyed a strong start to that year and was 3-1 with a 1.05 ERA in four starts.
Wolf was the first Mountaineer selected in the 2021 MLB Draft. Later Monday, right-handed pitcher Ryan Bergert was also selected by the Padres in the sixth round with pick No. 190.
Bergert was out all of last season after undergoing offseason surgery on his elbow.
As a freshman in 2019, the 6-foot-1, 205-pound right-hander was 2-0 with a 1.85 ERA over 17 appearances and two starts. He struck out 38 in 34 innings and held the opposition to a .190 batting average in his only full season at West Virginia.
Bergert ended that season with 10 straight scoreless appearances spanning 19 1/3 innings and earned a spot on the All-Big 12 Tournament Team.
A Canton, Ohio native, Bergert was 2-1 with a 2.92 ERA before the 2020 season came to an end. Over four starts, he struck out 30 in 24 2/3 innings of work.