Sophomore utility man Gavin Kelly is putting together a big-time season with the West Virginia Mountaineers. He recently put together a two-home run game against the Marshall Thundering Herd on May 5. The Mountaineers won that game 7-2 at GoMart Ballpark in Charleston, W. Va.
In 2026, Kelly had a .394 batting average in 170 at-bats. He also has a .488 on-base percentage, 16 doubles, 10 home runs, and 43 RBIs. Kelly is in the top 20 in the country in batting average.
Kelly is coming off a big 2025 season
Kelly’s sophomore breakout season in 2026 is coming off the back of a great freshman season in 2025. Coming out of high school, Kelly was a top ten player from the state of Pennsylvania in the 2024 class and the number one catcher from the state.
In 2025, he stepped onto the scene in Morgantown in a big way. Kelly finished with a .299 batting average, a .402 on-base percentage, six doubles, and 37 RBIs.
He was on the Big 12 Conference’s All-Freshman team and part of a historic season for West Virginia.
The Mountaineers finished the 2025 season 44-16 overall and 19-9 in Big 12 play. They won the Big 12 regular season title and won the Clemson regional in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. West Virginia appeared in a super regional for the second-straight season.
Upcoming Big-Time Big 12 Matchup for West Virginia
The West Virginia Mountaineers have a 32-13 overall record this season. They also have a 16-8 record in conference play.
Their next game is on Friday, May 8, against the Kansas Jayhawks. The game is at Hoglund Ballpark in Lawrence, Kan. The first pitch is at 7 p.m. ET.
The weekend series matchup between West Virginia and Kansas is a top-25 matchup. According to D1 Baseball’s recent top 25 rankings, the Mountaineers are 15th in the country, and the Jayhawks are 7th in the country.
WBN NCAA: https://worldbaseball.com/league/ncaa/
PHOTO: West Virginia utility Gavin Kelly (2) during an NCAA baseball game against Arizona State on Friday, March 27, 2026, in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
