Cooper Moore is expected to be the Saturday guy and he has as solid, well-rounded arsenal giving him a pretty good floor. They have quite a few transfers who could round out the rotation like Kannon Carr and Manning West.
For their lineup, they faced an offseason challenge after losing their top six hitters and several key reserves from the 2024 lineup to graduations, the draft, and free agent signings.
However, the return of third baseman Michael Brooks, who missed part of last season with a broken hand and subsequently fell off draft boards, provides a major boost. Brooks, who slashed .331/.425/.612 with 22 extra-base hits in 37 games, brings consistency on both sides of the ball and remains one of the team’s most reliable defenders at third base.
Alongside Brooks, returning players like Chase Diggins, Ty Wisdom, and Mike Koszewski add versatility across the infield and outfield, while a deep group of transfers, including Sawyer Smith, Brady Counsell, and Derek Cerda, elevate the roster’s overall talent. The Jayhawks are just a fun and intriguing team that might get slept on by many.
West Virginia Mountaineers
The Mountaineers were a strong team in the conference last year finishing 19-11 and 36-24 overall. They ended up making a Super Regional and losing to North Carolina in heartbreaking fashioned in their retiring Head Coach’s final season.
While they did lose key pieces like JJ Wetherholt who was a first-rounder in the 2024 MLB Draft, there is a lot to like with this team. Junior catcher Logan Sauve is the guy to watch. Last year he slashed .308/.379/.484 with 37 RBI. He’s a stalwart behind the plate and brings a ton of leadership traits into the clubhouse as well. Just an overall guy you want to build your lineup around.
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