From West Virginia to West Coast: Four Mountaineers drafted by MLB California-based teams
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (BVM) — The West Virginia University baseball program has had many successes, especially in the MLB Draft where the program has seen 102 players selected all-time. This year was no different as the Mountaineers once again saw numerous players selected during the 2021 MLB Draft, a trend during Randy Mazey’s tenure, with four Mountaineers being selected to both the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers, respectively.
Those selected include senior left-handed pitcher Jackson Wolf and junior righthander Ryan Bergert being selected by the Padres in the fourth and sixth round, respectively during the second day of the draft followed by junior right-handed pitcher Madison Jeffrey and junior left-hander Adam Tulloch being selected by the Dodgers on the final day of the draft. The four Mountaineers picked in the draft are the most for the program since 2019, when the team had a record eight draftees and the most pitchers selected in a single draft since 2019 as well. The selections also bring up prospects drafted during Mazey’s tenure since 2013 up to 32.
Wolf, who was selected 129th overall, became just the eighth WVU player to be taken in the top five rounds. During his final season with the Mountaineers, Wolf finished 6-5 with a 3.03 ERA in 14 starts, earning All-Big 12 Second Team honors while he struck out 104 batters, good for No. 3 in the Big 12 and No. 10 in single-season program history.
The lefty was also named to the Big 12 All-Tournament Team after a complete-game win over No. 2 Texas on May 26, at the 2021 Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship. Prior to the season, Wolf was selected as a Preseason third team All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers of America, showing his potential for his final year.
Bergert, the 190th selection, wouldn’t pitch for the Mountaineers during the 2021 season due to an injury, but that didn’t stop the Padres from seeing his potential. In 2020, the then-sophomore finished 2-1 with a 2.92 ERA and finished with a career 4-1 mark and a 2.30 ERA at West Virginia recording 21 career appearances with six starts. He fanned 68 batters and only allowed 15 runs in his two seasons with the Mountaineers and was selected to the Big 12 All-Tournament Team in 2019.
For the Dodgers, they selected Jeffrey in the 15th round at 462nd overall after his strong season out of the pen for the Mountaineers. Jeffrey finished 2-2 with a 6.75 ERA in 18 appearances and struck out 28 with four saves in 20 innings during the year. The Barboursville, W.Va., native logged 36 career appearances since his arrival in Morgantown, all in relief, and he currently sits with a 2-4 record with a 5.79 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 37.1 total innings during his Mountaineers career.
The 2020 MLB champions would again dip in the West Virginia draft pool with their selection of Tulloch who went 0-4 with a 6.27 ERA during his first season with the Mountaineers. The junior made 13 appearances with eight starts during his season, recording 37.1 innings with 52 strikeouts, which allowed him to finish No. 3 on the team in the category.
Though it is not clear if all or any of the players selected will join their respective teams, with the NCAA allowing players to have an additional year of eligibility and non-seniors to elect to return to school to improve their draft stock, it is clear that the Mountaineers are a well-respected program among MLB franchises. With the four Mountaineers potentially making the jump to the pros, expect even more WVU alums to join the ranks in the future, continuing the pipeline of success for Morgantown’s best baseball team.
