Latest news with #Kartsonas
Dominion Post
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Dominion Post
No. 23 WVU bows out of Big 12 tournament semifinals after 12-1 thrashing by Arizona
ARLINGTON, Texas – The WVU baseball team will hardly miss Globe Life Field, the home of MLB's Texas Rangers. In four seasons, the Mountaineers went 1-7 at the ballpark, including a 12-1 loss to Arizona in the Big 12 Conference semifinals on Friday. BOX SCORE 'We didn't play our best brand of baseball,' WVU first-year head coach Steve Sabins said. 'We've got to recoup and get ready for a regional. It was awesome being one of the final four teams, and Arizona was awesome. We've got to give them a lot of credit.' The conference tournament will be held at the Rangers' spring training field in Surprise, Arizona from 2026-2029. Just a day after setting the program record for wins in a season, the top-seeded Mountaineers (41-14) couldn't find any kind of rhythm against the fourth-seeded Wildcats (38-18). Offensively, junior Logan Sauve – a first team all-Big 12 catcher – was one of the only bright spots for the Mountaineers, going 2-for-3. Sophomore third baseman Armani Guzman went 2-for-2, and junior designated hitter Sam White went 2-for-4. The Mountaineers finished with 10 hits but couldn't muster an extra base hit. Meanwhile, the Wildcats delivered a heavy blow to WVU when Mason White belted a three-run home run off Jack Kartsonas (6-3). That prompted Sabins to replace Kartsonas with junior reliever Robby Porco. While Kartsonas struck out six and walked just two, he allowed five runs on eight hits in four innings. Seven Mountaineer relief pitchers combined to allow seven runs on nine hits. Redshirt junior outfielder Chase Swain, a Manhattan transfer, pinch hit in the seventh inning with an RBI single that kept the Mountaineers from getting run-ruled. He drove home Guzman. 'We scratched a run and showed some life,' Sabins said. The one run allowed WVU relief pitcher Reese Bassinger, a Tarleton State transfer who grew up 52 miles northeast of Globe Life Field to toss a shutout eighth inning. 'I was fired up to get Bassinger in there, and he was super successful,' Sabins said.
Dominion Post
10-05-2025
- Sport
- Dominion Post
Jack Kartsonas' 'unorthodox' journey to WVU could soon put his name among baseball's elite pitchers
MORGANTOWN — With six solid innings Sunday, WVU pitcher Jack Kartsonas will finally reach the NCAA's and Big 12's requirement for innings pitched to be included among the best in earned run average. Depending on how that start goes against Kansas State, Kartsonas could become the Big 12's leader in ERA and possibly settle in as high as third in the country. Six years ago, that statement would have seemed like wishful thinking, maybe even a bit absurd. Even to Kartsonas. 'I always knew what I was capable of, but physically, my first year of college, I just wasn't there yet,' Kartsonas said. That first year of college was at John Carroll University, a Division III school in Ohio. It wasn't exactly where great baseball careers were born and it wasn't exactly where Kartsonas wanted to be. 'I thought I was a lot better than I was,' he admits. The journey Kartsonas took from there into becoming one of the Mountaineers' top pitchers, he calls, 'super unorthodox.' Truth be told, Kartsonas' story is one of belief — both in himself and the belief he had from those close to him — and maybe simply being the right guy at the right time. To be sure, there was plenty of adversity along the way. There was enough bad luck that no one would have blamed Kartsonas if he decided to move on from the game. 'There were a lot of people who had faith in me when not everyone did,' Kartsonas, a native of Pittsburgh said. 'My family kept believing in me. My college coaches at John Carroll believed in me. That allowed me to have the success and the journey I did.' He first got the opportunity to make the leap from Division III to Division I in 2020, when he transferred to Kent State. Then came shoulder surgery after his first season with the Golden Flashes. That cost him 2022. He bounced back and had a solid junior season, rotating between the role of a starting and relief pitcher. Last season, he was used primarily as a starting pitcher. Then came elbow surgery. This is where WVU head coach Steve Sabins comes into the picture. He had first heard about Kartsonas through a friend in the Pittsburgh area named Chase Rowe, who works in amateur baseball. 'When Jack first entered the transfer portal, I called Chase and said, 'What's the scoop on this guy?' like I do about hundreds of players every summer. 'Chase said the guy was an absolute warrior and an animal. The success he had (in 2024) was while he needed surgery.' Sabins pulled the trigger, even though Kartsonas was nowhere near ready to pitch. It wasn't until last Thanksgiving that Kartsonas was even ready to step on a mound and throw again. He didn't begin to pitch to live hitters until January. 'I think they did a really good job of slowly building me up,' Kartsonas said. 'I missed the whole fall. The first time I got back on the mound was around Thanksgiving. I didn't face a hitter until mid-January. The progression of my pitch count earlier in the year lined up with where my arm was at. Now I'm at the point of throwing about 100 pitches a week and feeling really good.' He'll enter Sunday's game with a 6-1 record and a 1.84 ERA. That just may be a tad better than really good. 'He's prepared for anything that comes his way, just because of everything he's been through,' Sabins said. 'He's decided he's going to keep working hard, no matter the results. He's going to stick with it. He's been through adversity and he's going to be a part of a team and do anything he can to help it. 'In his world, he's probably living his best life going from Division III to Kent State to injury and surgery to being on a really great team and leading a great team.' Kartsonas began the season as a reliever. It wasn't until a month ago that WVU promoted him to Sunday starter. That promotion came with a bit of luck. Sabins knew he wanted to change his pitching rotation and started naming names to his assistant coaches. WVU assistant Jacob Garcia chimed in, 'What about Kart?' 'I was like, well he's 23-years old and has starting experience and he's fully healthy,' Sabins recalled the moment. 'We'll give the ball to Jack and see how many pitches he can throw.' Since taking over as a starter, Kartsonas has gone at least six innings in each of his four starts. He's allowed just a combined three earned runs over those games. With just one more game like that, Kartsonas' journey will have gone from a little Division III school in Ohio to having his name on top of all other pitchers in the Big 12 and among the nation's best. 'If someone would have told you six years ago that I'd be here right now, no one would have believed you,' he said.
Dominion Post
05-05-2025
- Sport
- Dominion Post
No. 13 WVU shuts out Texas Tech to secure series win, inches closer to Big 12 title
GRANVILLE — For a moment, flash back to last Thanksgiving. While most were thinking turkey and stuffing, Jack Kartsonas was just beginning to step on a pitcher's mound again. 'Every pitch means a lot to me,' Kartsonas said after pitching seven shutout innings Sunday to lead No. 13 WVU to a 5-0 victory against Texas Tech inside Kendrick Family Ballpark. 'I've gained a really cool perspective on how fragile baseball is.' Coming off elbow surgery last season while pitching for Kent State — 'I felt like I wouldn't have been able to sleep at night if I didn't get the surgery and give it one more go,' Kartsonas said. — WVU head coach Steve Sabins has said it was 'taking a chance' going after Kartsonas in the transfer portal. That gamble has paid major dividends for both Kartsonas and WVU (39-7, 18-4 Big 12). For the Mountaineers, they now find themselves inching closer to an outright Big 12 title. WVU's magic number for a league championship is down to three with six Big 12 games remaining. That means either three wins by WVU or three losses by Arizona State — or some type of combination of the two — secures a title for WVU and the No. 1 seed in the upcoming Big 12 tournament. For Kartsonas, he's transitioned himself to one of the best pitching stories in the Big 12. 'Kartsonas has been excellent consistently the entire season, regardless of role,' Sabins said. 'He's got a 1.59 ERA on the year. I think the numbers speak for themselves. 'The kid, the personality, the persona, the confidence, the want-to and the desire all match up with his ERA and his numbers.' Texas Tech (16-28, 11-13) was shut out for the first time this season, as WVU secured its eighth Big 12 series win. It was WVU's first shutout against a Big 12 team since beating Kansas State, 13-0, last May. Kartsonas has been a major reason why. While he still needs a few more innings to register with the Big 12 and NCAA leaders, his role as a Sunday starter has been solidified 'I've had a super unorthodox journey,' said Kartsonas, who actually began his career as a pitcher at the Division III level. 'I had shoulder surgery in 2021 and missed a year. I had the elbow procedure this summer. 'I'm super appreciative of Sabins and the whole staff for believing in me and taking me on, but also for the trust they show in me every time I go out there.' Only in the sixth inning did Texas Tech have a runner reach as far as third base. Carson Estridge came on in the eighth to complete the shutout with two more scoreless innings. WVU broke the game open in the seventh inning, following Kyle West's two-run home run that sailed 421 feet onto the roof of the new performance center. It was West's 50th career home run in college, which includes the 30 he hit while playing for the University of Charleston. 'There's been a lot of growth over those 50 home runs,' West said. 'Each one has been different. Each one means a little something to me. Just looking over all 50, it's been a lot of growth.' WVU, which travels to Pitt at 6 p.m. Tuesday to conclude the nonconference schedule, took a 3-0 lead in the fourth after Brodie Kresser drove in two runs with a double down the left-field line. Grant Hussey also doubled to score Kresser. Turns out, that was all Kresser needed, as he picked up his sixth win of the season. 'It was great, shutting a team out is awesome,' Kartsonas said. 'I knew our guys were going to score eventually. It was really fun.'
