West Virginia sophomore pitcher Bryson Hoff was throwing a simulation game on May 2 when he felt a sharp pain in his right elbow.
“I threw a few more pitches and it didn’t feel any better,” Hoff recalled.
Within a week, Hoff was diagnosed with a grade 2 distal UCL tear, a significant injury that would sideline him the remainder of the 2026 season and well beyond.
“There was definitely some disappointment and it’s frustrating,” Hoff said. “I tried to just stay even-keeled. I didn’t know exactly know what it was as soon as it happened. I knew what it could be. I had to get a MRI and second opinion, and once I knew I’d need surgery, I thought it is what it is. Fortunately, I have a really good chance to get a lot better and start from the ground up. I know it sucks, but I’m grateful we have such a good training staff that can help me get back healthy and be better than I was before.”
Huff stayed with the Mountaineers for what remained of the most successful season in school history, one that ended with a 47-17 record, two wins in the Men’s College World Series and two victories short of a spot in the MCWS Final.
Two weeks after the season, Hoff traveled to Arlington, Texas for internal brace surgery from Dr. Keith Meister, head team physician and orthopedic consultant for the Texas Rangers, known as a nationally renowned orthopedic surgeon who specializes in elbow, shoulder and knee reconstructions for throwing athletes.
Meister has a history with the Mountaineers having handled previous similar surgeries for WVU pitchers Maxx Yehl, David Hagaman and JD Costanzo.
Yehl, the 2026 Big 12 Conference Pitcher of the Year, was recently drafted in the third round by the Kansas City Royals, while Hagaman was a fourth-round selection of the Texas Rangers in 2024 and Costanzo pitched sparingly for WVU in 2026 after missing all of 2025 due to injury.
“Our athletic trainer has developed a good relationship with Dr. Meister and his people. It was kind of a no-brainer,” Hoff said. “Once I knew I’d need surgery, I contacted his office and it was pretty easy from there.”
More than three weeks removed from the operation, Hoff is in the early stages of rehab. He returned to Morgantown four days after the procedure and has been completing daily rehab with Athletic Trainer Steven Rosier.
Next week will be Hoff’s fourth and final week in a brace. Then comes the next step of what is expected to be a a nine-month recovery.
Should the Charleston native stay on track with his recovery timeline, he can begin throwing in October. A former standout at George Washington High School, Hoff is hopeful to be available for game action by early April of the 2027 season.
“I do my rehab every day and work with Steven Rosier. I can’t lift yet, but I’m starting to strengthen the forearm back up,” Hoff said. “I’m also working with [biomechanist] Dr. Courtney Semkewyc right now on lower half rotation. That’s something I’ve struggled with. I don’t want to say this a fresh restart, but I can take this time to work on things and build them up to be much better than where I was beforehand.”
A member of the WVU baseball program each of the last two seasons, Hoff pitched 1.2 innings across six appearances as a true freshman.
“I got to experience a little bit of everything as a freshman,” Hoff said. “I pitched in the second game of the year and had some success. I had a little bit of success in spots, but also had some failures, too. That’s going to happen at the collegiate level. Everybody is good. For me, it was about learning from failure. It’s a long season and we play a lot of games, so just wanted to find ways to get better and always be a better teammate.”
In the most recent campaign, the right-hander made his only appearance at Kennesaw State when he recorded two outs and surrendered a pair of runs.
Regardless of availability, Hoff traveled with the Mountaineers throughout 2026, including to Omaha for the program’s first appearance on the premier stage in college baseball.
“It was probably the greatest baseball experience of my life to date,” Hoff said. “It was unbelievable. That first game with the flyover was unbelievable. The people there and how nice everybody was, the atmosphere in general, even though I wasn’t playing, it’s some of the most fun I’ve ever had. It was an unbelievable experience and I’m hoping to go back and actually be able to pitch next year.”
For a West Virginia native, being present for the abundance of memories WVU baseball created in Steve Sabins’ second year as head coach was particularly meaningful.
“Coach Sabins lets the guys know all the time how much it means to the state. I took a moment pretty much every game to appreciate what we were doing and the run that we made was truly special,” Hoff said. “The first win over Kentucky in the Morgantown Regional, I almost teared up during “Country Roads.” It was one of the most surreal moments ever. Those viral “Country Roads” moments were special.”
While Hoff would have preferred avoiding an injury that’s become all too common throughout the college and professional ranks, he remains grateful it wasn’t a grade 3 tear that would’ve required an approximate 14-month recovery.
With an optimistic outlook, Hoff also believes he was at least somewhat fortunate to get a glimpse of the highest level of college baseball from a non-player perspective.
“I spoke with Maxx Yehl about this because he missed all of the 2025 season, and I feel like it kind of gets you out of compete mode,” Hoff said. “You’re kind of blinded all the time by compete, compete and compete. But when you can’t, you see things you wouldn’t have noticed before from pitchers, hitters, body mannerisms, whatever it may be. I learned a lot being able to watch that last part of the season from a different perspective.
“Now it’s about doing everything in my power to get a little bit better each day and getting closer to where I need to be.”