West Virginia added Division II All-American Dawson Montesa over the weekend and he joins the Mountaineers ready to make the most of his opportunity.
Montesa comes to West Virginia from Adelphi University, a Division II school where he posted a 1.99 ERA in over 70 innings pitched this season.
"This past season was one of my best pitching seasons in my career. I figured I owed it to myself to go into the portal and explore my options. I figured if I wanted to play Major League Baseball, I’d have to go to a school that would properly develop me into the player I need to be, and WVU is that place," Montesa told WVSports.Com.
Montesa had 105 strikeouts and only 24 walks this season, making a sizeable jump from his freshman season, where he had a 7.36 ERA in 44.0 innings pitched.
After entering the portal, Montesa immediately heard from head coach Steve Sabins, who was very vocal with him throughout the process.
"The recruiting process went smooth, I realized that they truly cared about me, and they were making those big pushes to get me on campus to visit. The first day I entered the portal, Sabins called me right away to introduce himself and express his feelings on me playing for the Mountaineers. The whole coaching staff was so supportive and helpful on the visit, it really showed how much they cared about me and my family, and how much they wanted me a part of their family," Montesa said.
Montesa is one of many transfers WVU has added in this cycle from the Division II level. Add that to the recent success of Division II players such as Derek Clark, Griffin Kirn, and Kyle West, and a place like West Virginia stands out to many transfers at the DII level when they are being recruited by the Mountaineers.
"All the DII success was a selling point and reassured me that they don’t care where you’re from as long as you can compete and make a difference. Being a starter is a big thing for me, and them saying I have the opportunity to compete for a starting role really made me think I belong here," Montesa said.
While Montesa wants to compete at the highest levels of college baseball, he also still will carry a chip on his shoulder with him from the Division II level to WVU.
"Coming from a DII school, I’m hungry for an opportunity, and I’m willing to do anything to win games," Montesa said.
That idea of winning games is something he expects to do at West Virginia, as he's seen the Mountaineers be on the doorstep of making it to the College World Series.
"I hope to help the program make that final push to Omaha and compete for a national championship. I hope to give the fans what they want and see yet another successful season," he said.
Montesa is coming to WVU with a competitive mindset and wants to do whatever it's going to take to win in a West Virginia uniform next season.
"I’d like to think of myself as a competitive person. I’ll always want the ball no matter the pitch count, and I will throw in any game you need me to throw in. I hope the fans and the players later see that I’m a great teammate and I want the best for everybody and the team," Montesa said.
He also knows exactly what kind of presence he’s bringing to Morgantown.
"I chose West Virginia because they’re a successful program and really care about their players. I’m excited to be a part of the culture and bring my 'give me the ball' mentality to the team and help make a push to Omaha," he said.
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