Did WVU Just Drop a Clue About Its Pitching Plans vs. Troy?

Unfortunately for Steve Sabins' squad, they enter today's game against Troy in an all-too-familiar situation — facing elimination and having to win three straight games to survive and advance.

Just a couple of weeks ago, the Mountaineers got a heroic performance from Dawson Montesa against Wake Forest, where he went 7.1 innings, throwing 122 pitches, which went a long way in preserving West Virginia's bullpen for the remainder of the regional.

Perhaps he will have an opportunity to replicate that outing this afternoon against the Trojans as the Mountaineers' season is on the line once again. This morning, the WVU baseball team's X account posted its usual gameday graphic, and it featured Montesa, fellow right-handed pitcher David Hagen, and catcher/outfielder Matthew Graveline.

Game Day!

🆚 Troy
⚾️ Men’s College World Series
⌚️ 2 p.m. ET
📍 Omaha, Neb.
🏟️ Charles Schwab Field
📺 https://t.co/zSRPl1Wz6F
📻 https://t.co/oFlU2piOff
📊 https://t.co/RQTCjes3MF #HailWV pic.twitter.com/3vmepjHLCu
— WVU Baseball (@WVUBaseball) June 16, 2026

This doesn't necessarily mean Montesa or Hagen will get the start, but they usually include that day's starting pitcher on the graphic. They had Maxx Yehl on Sunday's graphic and had both Chansen Cole and Ian Korn on the photo ahead of the Troy game, both of whom pitched that day.

Montesa did not pitch in the super regionals against Cal Poly and has yet to pitch in Omaha, so he is well rested, having not appeared in a game in 15 days. I'd be willing to bet that if WVU were to win this afternoon, he would be available either Wednesday or Thursday, depending on the situation and his pitch count from today, assuming he does take the mound.

After hitting a bit of a rough patch in the regular season, Hagen has seemingly turned a corner, turning in four quality outings dating back to his five-inning, one-run start against Marshall. In three postseason appearances, he has a 1.29 ERA over seven innings of work, notching six strikeouts to just three walks. He's also only allowed five hits.

"(Carson) Estridge has thrown a ton for us. (Dawson) Montesa has thrown a ton for us. (Ben) McDougal threw five innings for the regional. (Ian) Korn," Sabins said Sunday when asked about the pitching possibilities. "(Chansen) Cole didn’t have a very long outing; he threw 55 pitches, and Cole is very good, obviously. Troy got him a little bit, but my bet is that they wouldn’t have the same amount of success just because Cole can make adjustments and is a great pitcher. But great options."

If Montesa or Hagen does get the start, I'd imagine Chansen Cole and Ian Korn, for that matter, would be available if needed. Once the starting pitcher is announced, we will update our live game thread.

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