Projecting WVU's 2027 Pitching Rotation Following Kyle Casteel's Decision to Turn Pro

Talented right-handed pitcher Kyle Casteel signed his pro contract with the Chicago White Sox on Thursday, passing up the opportunity to develop at West Virginia over the next three years.

While Casteel may not have been a part of the Mountaineers' weekend rotation in 2027, he would’ve been a candidate to pitch in the midweek and eventually develop into the ace of this program.

So, with him officially out of the plans, here is how I see the pitching staff shaping up for next spring.

Friday: Chansen Cole

Cole had a tremendous season in his first year with the Mountaineers, successfully making the jump up from Division II. I think it’s safe to say that he exceeded everyone’s expectations, perhaps even that of the staff. I’m not sure anyone could’ve expected him to be one of the Big 12 Conference's best pitchers all season long, and sitting atop the league leaders in ERA.

It will be interesting to see what type of improvements he can make this off-season and whether or not he can add another tick or two onto his velocity. The scout is out on him now, so watching him having to adjust to opposing hitters' approach will be interesting early on next year.

Saturday: Robert Satin

If you could buy stock in a player, the one I would suggest Mountaineer fans invest in would be Robert Satin. All you have to do is look at the long history of success West Virginia has had with Division II transfers, including their hit rate with lefties. Satin fits that profile and had a cup of coffee in big boy baseball with the Florida Gators back in 2024.

Maybe I’m going a little bold here, but it wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest if Satin eventually became the Friday night guy at some point next spring. The stuff is elite, and he can pitch deep into games. This year at the University of Tampa, Satin posted a WHIP of 1.082 and had a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 114:20.

Sunday: JJ Glasscock/Drew Becker

I feel pretty confident that Cole and Satin will be a part of this rotation; however, I’m not as certain about who we’ll get the ball on Sundays. Glasscock and Becker are my top two candidates at the moment, assuming Glasscock will be healthy in time to position himself for this role. Although the Thoracic Outlet Syndrome was/is in his non-throwing shoulder, it’s still going to take time for Glasscock to ramp up after missing the majority of the 2026 season. If he’s healthy, I think he has a chance to be a quality starter and turn himself into a top 10 round draft pick.

As for Becker, he really figured things out this past season with Ashland (Division II), pitching to the tune of a 2.93 ERA and giving up just 49 hits and 67.2 innings of work. He only walked 18 batters on the season, helping create an elite whip of 0.990.

Midweek: Griffen Paige/Colton Hartman

Unlike this season, West Virginia will have a plethora of options to use in this midweek role. If neither Glascock nor Becker gets the Sunday role, they would be in the mix here as well. In addition to Wright State transfer Griffin Paige, Louisville transfer Colton Hartman, and potentially David Hagen, who was in this role in 2026.

I actually think Paige could pitch his way into the rotation, but Hartman struggled in his Sunday role last year at Louisville, mainly due to a lack of command, so he will have to prove to the staff that he can pound the zone before being considered, I would imagine.

Add us as a preferred source on Google