OMAHA, Neb. – On Friday, June 12, the West Virginia Mountaineers won their first-ever College World Series game, 7-5, over the Troy Trojans.
The win was highlighted by the relief outing that right-handed pitcher Ian Korn had. Korn pitched six innings in relief for West Virginia after the starting pitcher, Chansen Cole, left the game after 2 2/3 innings.
In those six innings, Korn had four strikeouts and allowed just one run to the Trojans. The only run he allowed was a solo home run by Jimmy Janicki.
Korn talked about his big outing on the mound at Charles Schwab Field.
“Every guy is ready to go on our pitching staff,” Korn said. “Sometimes, we get the chance to go a little longer in our outings. You have to come out firing with all of your pitches. Our goal is always just to go out there and throw strikes, and that is what I did.”
This season, Korn has a 2.95 ERA in 76 1/3 innings of work. Over that same stretch, he has 67 strikeouts and has allowed just 27 runs. The win in the College World Series on Friday against Troy was his sixth win of the 2026 college baseball season.
Division II Roots, Sabins thoughts on Korn and his background
Korn is in the midst of his first season with the West Virginia Mountaineers. In 2025, he played Division II college baseball for Seton Hill University in Greensburg, Pa.
While at Seton Hill, Korn was the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Pitcher of the Year. He was also the Division II National Pitcher of the Year after receiving nominations by the National College Baseball Writers’ Association (NCBWA) and the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA).
West Virginia head coach Steve Sabins talked about Korn as a player and the chip he brings because of his Division II background.
“He [Korn] has developed later over the course of his career,” Sabins said. “A lot of the time, these Division II kids have faced adversity along the way. Sometimes things have not been easy for them. That matters in this sport.”
Up next for West Virginia
The West Virginia Mountaineers will now play the winner between North Carolina and Ole Miss on Sunday, June 14. That game is at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, and the first pitch is at 7 p.m. ET. The game is on ESPN.
WBN NCAA: https://worldbaseball.com/league/ncaa/
PHOTO: Via Ian Korn on Instagram (@ian.korn)
