Three Mountaineers Earn Midseason All-American Honors

25 games into their 2026 campaign, the West Virginia Mountaineers baseball team sits at 20-5 overall with a solid 7-2 record in Big 12 play. Head coach Steve Sabins has his team well-positioned to potentially host another regional and even a super regional should they continue their dominance throughout the second half of the season.

With how well the Mountaineers have looked so far this season, it should not come as a shock to anyone that three Mountaineers were named midseason all-Americans by Perfect Game.

A trio of Midseason All-Americans in Gold and Blue!#HailWV x @PerfectGameUSA pic.twitter.com/fbILvbHIkC
— WVU Baseball (@WVUBaseball) April 1, 2026

Gavin Kelly, Second Team

Kelly has emerged as one of, if not the best, on this entire Mountaineers squad. The true sophomore boasts a .415 batting average with 106 at-bats. He leads the team in hits with 44 and counting and is also tied for the team lead in home runs.

Kelly has also developed well as a second baseman for the Mountaineers. During his freshman season, he was used all around the infield and even behind the dish as a catcher. He is still listed as a “utility” on the official roster, but Kelly has established himself as one of the best second basemen in the nation this season.

Maxx Yehl, Third Team

The Mountaineers needed someone to step up in their rotation, and Yehl has emerged their best pitcher. The numbers for the left-handed pitcher are truly astounding. His 39 innings pitched are the most on the team, and his ERA still sits at 1.38. Yehl has allowed just six earned runs all season while striking out 48 batters and counting.

Batters hit just .191 when facing the redshirt junior, who has a perfect 5-0 record on the season. If West Virginia is going to make another deep postseason run this season, Yehl will be a huge reason why.

David Perez, Freshman Second Team

Perez played shortstop in high school and was recruited as one, but you wouldn’t know based on the way he has come in and pitched as a true freshman. Perez has been called into action nine times this season, and in just 13 innings pitched, he has struck out 18 batters and displayed great control.

Perez’s role should continue to grow as the season goes on. Sabins tends to recruit players on athletic and baseball ability rather than for specific positions, and Perez may be the coach's latest success story with that way of thinking.

Sabin's squad has the second-best record in the conference and has its most important series to date this weekend as they welcome the Big 12-leading UCF Knights to Morgantown for a three-game series. You can catch Kelly, Perez, Yehl, and the rest of the Mountaineers squad this weekend as they try to capture first place in the Big 12.