The transfer portal has been very kind to West Virginia on the mound over the past couple of seasons, and they turn to it yet again as they look to rebuild their rotation.
In 2023 it was Blaine Traxel. In 2024 it was Derek Clark. Pitchers who came to West Virginia for one season out of the transfer portal and succeeded immediately. For the Mountaineers, they lost 70 percent of their innings pitched last season, but will be looking to use the portal to replace those arms in 2025.
"We have some really special transfers on the mound that I’m really excited about," West Virginia head coach Steve Sabins said.
The first of the transfers that is likely to make the weekend rotation is Griffin Kirn. Kirn comes from Quincy University, a Division II school in Illinois. In 2024 he tossed 82 innings with 100 strikeouts, with 27 earned runs and 27 walks.
Sabins was very high on the left-handed Kirn, comparing him to another Division II star turned Mountaineer, Derek Clark.
"I think if you look up the numbers, I think Griffin has more innings pitched than maybe 80 or 90 percent of our team combined. I think he has over 220 college innings under his belt. So just extremely mature, experienced left-handed strike thrower," Sabins said. "And in college, if you can put old guys on the mound that handle their heartbeat and throw strikes, you've got a chance. So really excited about him.
"Derek Clark was similar to that mold. He was a left-handed bulldog who threw strikes with a lot of experience, and they both pitched in the Cape Cod League before coming here, and that's what Griffin Kern did as well. So I'm excited about him."
Elsewhere on the mound is Reese Bassinger. Bassinger comes to WVU from Tarleton State, where he threw almost 70 innings, striking out 57, giving up 23 earned runs, and walking 17 last season.
"He's just one of those rubber-armed, lower-slot right-handed pitchers. And if you look at Tarleton last year, they won the WAC championship through that tournament. And Reese Bassinger pitched in five consecutive games on five consecutive days to win that tournament. So you just don't see that ever, especially in a Power Four conference. And so he's one of those kind of old-school, throwback, gritty guys that wants the ball every day and doesn't know, you know, to talk about his shoulder being sore or his elbow hurting. He really loves to pitch," Sabins said.
Jack Kartsonas is another name WVU added in the transfer portal this offseason, throwing more than 40 innings, striking out 47, giving up 28 earned runs, while walking 15.
Sabins said Kartsonas was a guy the Mountaineers took a chance on. He was hurt to end his career at Kent State, and was coming off surgery in the summer so Sabins and his staff didn't quite know what they were getting at the time, but now hopes it pays off.
"He was an injured player when we signed him, but he was Kent State's Friday night starter and got hurt a little bit and became a reliever, but really gutted through pain and injury in his final year at Kent State. He had surgery this summer, and so we signed a player that may be some question marks on health, but he's come back healthy, and hopefully our bet pays off because he's just a great worker, great kid," Sabins said.
Another name is Joe McDougal, who is a transfer from Potomac State in West Virginia. McDougal tossed more than 50 innings in 2024, striking out 77, walking 39, and giving up 33 earned runs.
Sabins is high on McDougal as a left-handed option for the Mountaineers after WVU lost Maxx Yehl to season-ending surgery in the fall.
"He's a left-handed pitcher, we don't have very many of those on the team," Sabins said of McDougal. "He's a strike thrower, Mountaineer through and through, and he's been having really good outings. So, right now, he fits a little bit more in a long-relief kind of role because he throws strikes. He's trying to work quickly. He pitches to contact. He was at Potomac State last year and has come here and made some strides developmentally just because of the resources we have and what type of character that kid is. He's a really good worker, and I look forward to seeing him on the mound as well."
Out of the four pitchers mentioned, they combined to throw about 250 innings in 2024, combining for 281 strikeouts, 111 earned runs allowed, and 98 walks. Out of WVU's returners not including Yehl, they combined for roughly 130 innings, with 147 strikeouts, 102 walks, and 71 earned runs.
----------
• Talk about it with West Virginia fans on The Blue Lot.
• SUBSCRIBE today to stay up on the latest on Mountaineer sports and recruiting.
• Get all of our WVU videos on YouTube by subscribing to the WVSports.com Channel
• Follow us on Twitter: @WVSportsDotCom, @rivalskeenan, @wesleyshoe
