West Virginia has added another electric arm through the transfer portal with the commitment of Florida International right-hander Owen Puk.
Puk, a redshirt junior in 2025, made 13 appearances this past season with 12 starts, going 4-1 with a 4.91 ERA. He struck out 51 batters over 40.1 innings while holding opponents to a .224 batting average. His arsenal features a big-time fastball that averages in the mid-90s and has touched 99 MPH, paired with a slider that consistently generates swings and misses.
He showed flashes of dominance throughout the season. Puk opened the year with five scoreless innings and five strikeouts against Stonehill and recorded a career-best nine strikeouts in just four innings versus New Mexico State. He followed that with eight strikeouts and only one hit allowed over five innings at Middle Tennessee, and threw four scoreless frames with six punchouts at Bethune-Cookman.
Puk also proved valuable in relief, tossing scoreless outings against Bucknell, Delaware, Louisiana Tech, and No. 17 Western Kentucky.
In 2024, he made 15 appearances (10 starts), striking out 28 in 26 innings. He notched seven strikeouts in a three-inning stint against Florida Atlantic and struck out the side at Iowa late in the season. He missed the 2023 campaign due to injury.
A native of Iowa and product of Marion High School, Puk was ranked as the No. 12 overall player in the state and No. 6 right-handed pitcher by Perfect Game. He helped lead Marion to a 2021 state championship and earned First-Team All-State and WAMAC Conference Player of the Year honors.
Baseball runs in the family, his brother, AJ Puk, was the sixth overall pick in the 2016 MLB Draft and is currently a pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Puk’s power pitching and versatility as both a starter and reliever make him a valuable addition to West Virginia's staff, which is looking to carry its momentum into another standout season.
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