Kevin Brophy will be back in a West Virginia baseball uniform.

The Randolph, New Jersey native announced his decision to return to the program via Twitter Friday morning.

Brophy, a senior third baseman for West Virginia last season, will have one season of eligibility remaining thanks to the NCAA Division I Council granting all spring-sport student-athletes an additional year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic shortening the 2020 spring sports season.

For the 2020-2021 academic year, the 35-man roster limit in college baseball will be eliminated.

West Virginia assistant baseball coach and recruiting coordinator Steve Sabins told WVSports.com that the team’s three seniors from last season in Brophy, Braden Zarbnisky and Dillon Meadows would be welcomed back to the team if they decide to return.

"We cherish guys that have been in the fire and wanted to be here and led our team," Sabins said this past April. "Those guys will absolutely be taken care of. They absolutely have a spot on this roster. We want them back.”

In early April, Brophy told WVSports.com that not playing baseball next year wasn’t an option for him.

“(Baseball’s) been my life and it has been since I could walk,” Brophy said. “If the draft comes around and it’s good then that’s what I’ll do, but if not, then I’ll have West Virginia for another year. You can’t beat that.”

No West Virginia players were selected during this year's MLB Draft which was shortened from 40 rounds down to just five.

During the abbreviated 2020 season in which the Mountaineers finished with an 11-5 record, Brophy batted .246 with 15 hits, eight RBIs and one home run.

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