Dawson Montesa Intends to Sign with Cardinals, Skip Senior Year at WVU

What we all expected is all but official for the Mountaineer right-handed pitcher.

WVU Athletics Communications

West Virginia right-handed pitcher Dawson Montesa informed me Sunday morning that he intends to sign with the St. Louis Cardinals, who selected him with the 72nd overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft, passing on his senior year in Morgantown.

With the NCAA's new eligibility rules set to go into place, Montesa would have technically had two years left, but going that early pretty much ended any thought of his return. The pick value at his draft slot is approximately $1.17M.

After a rough freshman campaign, Montesa was dominant in his sophomore year at Adelphi (Division II), recording a record of 8-1 and pitching to the tune of a 1.99 ERA. There, he had great command of the zone, striking out 105 hitters, while walking just 24 in 72.1 innings of work.

In his one and only year in Morgantown, he fought control issues for much of the season, but still had the electric stuff to get him out of jams. He spent some time as West Virginia's Friday night starter, but then got bumped to Saturday, and eventually Sunday, where he found more success.

Toward the end of the season, Montesa was moved to the bullpen in hopes of figuring some things out, and he sure did. His start against Wake Forest in the Morgantown Regional was one of the most impressive performances I've seen. Yeah, he gave up a few runs, but he pushed through adversity multiple times and gave WVU length, which they needed in the worst of ways after Maxx Yehl couldn't get out of the first inning the prior night against Kentucky.

Just when you thought he had given everything, he was called back into action the very next night in relief, recording two outs to keep the game against Kentucky tied heading to the bottom of the 10th. He threw 122 pitches against Wake, and in his first pitch against the Wildcats, he touched 97 on the gun. Just insane stuff.

What is Montesa's future at the next level?

WVU Athletics Communications

I believe the Cardinals are going to want to see what he can do as a starter first, as they should. If he can pitch more efficiently, he could turn into a star at the next level as a starter. But if, for whatever reason, he struggles, it's far from over for him. With that velocity and that kind of movement on his breaking ball, he could be a legit closer.