Projecting West Virginia's Starting Lineup & Stats for the 2026 Season

We are officially two days away from the start of the 2026 West Virginia baseball season. The Mountaineers will open up on the road with a three-game weekend series against Georgia Southern, where Division II transfer Chansen Cole will get the ball on the bump.

What about the lineup, though? What could it look like on most nights? Below is my starting lineup projection for the Mountaineers' main nine. Of course, others will start at other spots here and there, and bench pieces will be rotated in. Also, this is not a projection of the batting order, just an around-the-horn look at who will likely start at each position.

LF Brock Wills

Projected stats: .305 AVG, 8 HR, 32 RBI

Wills is one of the handful of veteran bats the Mountaineers added through the transfer portal this offseason, coming to Morgantown via UNC Wilmington. In three seasons there, he hit .300, knocked twelve homers, and recorded 87 RBI.

CF Armani Guzman

Projected stats: .322 AVG, 4 HR, 26 RBI

Guzman will move from the infield to center, replacing the speedy Skylar King. It took him a while to snap out of a slump last year, but once he did, he quickly became one of WVU's most consistent and clutch hitters. His performance in the Clemson regional was special and earned regional MVP honors.

RF Paul Schoenfeld

Projected stats: .338 AVG, 10 HR, 44 RBI

All Schoenfeld did at Colorado Mesa was hit. Well, not literally, but you get the point. He batted .400 across three seasons while increasing his home run, RBI, and stolen base totals year over year.

3B Tyrus Hall

Projected stats: .276 AVG, 3 HR, 22 RBI

In two seasons at Bossier Parish CC, the Canadian native belted 11 home runs and collected 63 RBI. Despite being a corner infielder, he's a legitimate threat on the basepaths, swiping 43 bags in his career.

SS Matt Ineich

Projected stats: .290 AVG, 2 HR, 21 RBI

As a true freshman at Ohio, Ineich hit .387, drove in 25 runs, and had an excellent eye at the plate, walking 21 times compared to just 11 strikeouts. At season's end, he was named to the All-MAC Second Team.

2B Gavin Kelly

Projected stats: .307 AVG, 6 HR, 43 RBI

Kelly is going to be the heartbeat of this team. His bat is as exciting as it gets on this roster, and he has a good glove, too. Kelly will also catch some games, but when he doesn't, he'll likely slot in at second base. Last year he nearly hit .300 as a true freshman while driving in 37 runs. He's the next star of WVU baseball.

1B Brodie Kresser

Projected stats: .274 AVG, 2 HR, 28 RBI

Kresser was primarily the shortstop last year for the Mountaineers, but because of an arm injury, he'll be forced to flip over to the left side. Can play second as well, however, first seems to make the most sense considering they don't have a true, proven first baseman on the roster.

C Matthew Graveline

Projected stats: .283 AVG, 7 HR, 40 RBI

The Ohio State transfer has turned into an "elite catcher" according to head coach Steve Sabins, so I'm going to assume that means he'll be taking most of the reps behind the plate. When he does need a day off from catching, Kelly can slide in, and Graveline can move to a corner outfield spot. In 159 career games with the Buckeyes, he hit .277 with 19 home runs and 116 RBI.

DH Sean Smith

Projected stats: .291 AVG, 5 HR, 31 RBI

WVU can rotate who it uses here and in the corner outfield spots and first base, but we'll go with the Georgia Southern transfer, Sean Smith. Last season, he hit .352 with nine round trippers and 32 RBI while drawing 29 walks and slugging .599.