Korn has the makings of a future ace as WVU is rebuilding their rotation
For the second time in as many years, West Virginia baseball is having to rebuild their starting rotation. For the second time in as many years, West Virginia is relying upon pitchers from the Division II level to help complete that rebuild.
Two years ago, WVU’s ace was Derek Clark, a DII transfer. This past year, Griffin Kirn was WVU’s ace, a DII transfer. All signs now point to Ian Korn being the ace for the Mountaineers in 2026, making it very likely that he will continue the trend.
“I had many other offers, from some rivals of WVU as well. I felt as though WVU was in the best spot to win a championship, they have absolutely amazing facilities and resources to develop and get better every day, the coaches are absolutely amazing guys and great baseball minds. As soon as I went on my visit, I got that feeling that WVU was the spot to be, between the relationships everyone had with each other and hearing what they had to offer,” Korn said.
Korn’s prestige on the mound is no secret. The Division II pitcher of the year was a workhorse for Seton Hill this past season. Korn finished the year with a 1.81 ERA, going 11-2 in 14 appearances. Korn tossed 84.1 innings, striking out 83, while walking 17. In addition to that, out of the 60 total hits he gave up, only 16 went for extra bases.
The theme of limiting hitters to weaker contact is something that has been a trend throughout Korn’s entire career. In four seasons, Korn has pitched 133.1 innings and given up only four home runs. West Virginia is returning only 32 percent of their starts on the mound from last season, while they also lost about half of their total innings pitched.
While Korn has had a lot of success on the mound, he is not the only pitcher WVU has added this offseason who is likely to make a difference.
WVU also has added Dawson Montesa, another Division II star, with an ERA of 1.99 this past season, as he was a DII All-American. In total, they have added seven pitchers out of the transfer portal, with Korn headlining the group.
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