WVU P Dawson Montesa Drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals

The first Mountaineer has been taken in the 2026 MLB Draft.

WVU Athletics Communications

Saturday evening, the St. Louis Cardinals selected West Virginia right-handed pitcher Dawson Montesa with the 72nd overall pick (2nd round, Comp B) in the 2026 MLB First-Year Player Draft

For much of the season, it looked like Montesa may have to return for what would be his senior year to improve his draft stock. He had the electric stuff all year long, but really struggled with consistency, especially when it came to throwing strikes. The lack of efficiency resulted in a move to the bullpen, which ended up being a great thing for him to reset and find some confidence.

Montesa pitched two of the best games of his young career when West Virginia needed him most in elimination games against Wake Forest during regional play and against Troy in the College World Series.

Against Wake Forest, Montesa exerted every ounce of energy he had (for that day), going 7.1 innings (122 pitches), allowing four runs and striking out seven. WVU's bullpen was not in a great situation because of Maxx Yehl not making it out of the first inning the day before against Kentucky, so they desperately needed him to pitch deep to give them a chance to not only win that game, but to win two against Kentucky as well.

In the game against Troy, Montesa gave up just a pair of hits and no runs in 5.1 innings before turning it over to the bullpen. He ended his 2026 season with a 6-5 record and an ERA of 5.38.

In all likelihood, Montesa being selected this early means we have seen the last of him in a Mountaineer uniform. He will have until Monday, July 27th, at 5 p.m. ET to make that decision. If he gets better control of his pitches, he could become a very special talent at the next level, whether that's as a starter or a high-leverage reliever.

Potentially joining a pair of former Mountaineers down the road...

Jul 7, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman JJ Wetherholt (26) is hit by a pitch from Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Jacob Misiorowski (not pictured) during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The St. Louis Mountaineers?? The West Virginia Cardinals??? However you want to coin them, the Cardinals' organization clearly respects what Randy Mazey and Steve Sabins have built. This is the third time in the last five years that they have selected a Mountaineer, the other two being outfielder Victor Scott II and infielder JJ Wetherholt, who just signed a massive eight-year, $112.M contract extension, making him the highest-paid Mountaineer baseballer ever.

If Montesa signs and rises quickly through the Cardinals' system, we could see all three on the big league roster at the same time.