'Do It for the State, Not Yourself': Dawson Montesa's Farewell to WVU

"This team is the New York Yankees of West Virginia."

That is something that has been said a handful of times by West Virginia skipper Steve Sabins, and whether you love or despise the Yankees, you understand the reference. They are extremely important to Mountaineer fans and are the main show in the Mountain State when it comes to college baseball.

Sabins and his staff do a pretty darn good job of explaining that to their players, considering Jedd Gyorko is the only one from the state. Right-handed pitcher Dawson Montesa spent just one season with the Mountaineers, and he understood it, even mentioning the importance of it to the state in his thank-you message after signing his contract with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Montesa's message on Instagram

"Thank you to West Virginia Baseball. Thank you to the fans that showed their everlasting support. Thank you to the coaches and staff who helped guide me to where I am today. Wouldn’t have wanted to do it with any other school. Forever gonna miss this place. Do it for the state, not yourself. #Godisgreat."

It wasn't the smoothest of seasons for Montesa, who really struggled with his command at times, leading to shorter outings for much of the year. He was moved to the bullpen toward the end of the season to try and figure some things out, and that decision by Sabins paid off. Montesa returned to the rotation in a big way, putting up clutch performances against Wake Forest in an elimination game in the Morgantown Regional, a relief outing in extra innings against Kentucky, just one day after throwing over 120 pitches, and then his start against Troy in the College World Series.

Across 19 games (15 starts), Montesa posted a record of 6-5, an ERA of 5.38, and a WHIP of 1.429. He struck out 92 batters while walking 44. Because he was taken in the 2nd round of the 2026 MLB Draft, it made all the sense in the world for him to sign and pass on returning to West Virginia for his senior year. Montesa signed with the Cardinals for $850k.

He has been assigned to the FCL Cardinals (Florida Complex League), which is where the majority of drafted players begin their careers. Assuming all goes well there, he should get promoted to Low-A Palm Beach before the end of the season. He should be reporting soon.

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