Baseball season is poking its head out for West Virginia, as the 2023 campaign gets underway just a day from today on Friday, Feb.17. The Mountaineers will open their season with a three-game road series against Georgia Southern from the Sun Belt Conference.
Randy Mazey’s ballclub will look a lot different than last season, as key players such as Victor Scott, Trey Braithwaite, and Jacob Watters got drafted to MLB teams, while other stars such as Austin Davis and McGwire Holbrook transferred to other schools.
While every school has to deal with the challenges of the NCAA Transfer Portal in today’s age, it’s imperative that coaches succeed in the portal themselves to cancel out the loss.
Mazey and his staff dipped into the portal in the offseason, so before the season gets underway, let’s take a look at the transfers coming into Morgantown looking to make an impact.
Grant Siegel – RHP
Siegel is probably the most impressive transfer coming to West Virginia, as the sophomore right-hander comes in after an impressive freshman season at Tulane.
For the Green Wave, Siegel posted a 7-1 record with a 3.02 earned run average in 59.2 innings. In his first season, Siegel was named to the All-AAC second team and the AAC Honor Roll.
Keegan Allen – RHP
Allen is another right-handed pitcher that transfers into West Virginia after one season in college baseball. Allen brings with him experience in the Big 12 conference, as the Arkansas native played for Oklahoma last season, who finished as the National Runner-ups last season. In a limited role on the Sooners last season, Allen recorded eight strikeouts in seven innings pitched.
Landon Wallace – OF
Wallace brings a little more experience to the table for the Mountaineers, as the outfielder played the last two seasons for the Nevada Wolfpack. In his sophomore season, Wallace batted .313 and hit five home runs while driving in 34 runs in 50 games played. Wallace also impressed in his freshman season for the Wolfpack, as the California native batted .363 with 28 runs batted in. Wallace will likely have some playing time in the outfield with Davis and Scott leaving the program.
Caleb McNeely – SS
McNeely is a redshirt senior that is making a large transition in his last year of college. Since 2019, McNeely has played for Walters State Community College in Tennessee. McNeely flourished in the 2022 season, finishing with a .389 batting average with 22 home runs and 64 runs batted in, good enough to be named Player of the Year in the TCCAA conference.
Blaine Traxel – RHP
Traxel also brings four years of experience to the table, as the Burbank, California native has spent time with Cal State Northridge since 2019. In 19 appearances last season, Traxel struck out 86 batters and has also recorded seven saves in the bullpen in his career.
