Apr. 10—MORGANTOWN — It first takes a leap of faith. More than anything else, that's what got the ball rolling for Griffin Kirn.
"When I entered the (transfer) portal, I just felt it was time, " the WVU pitcher said. "If I was going to give myself a chance to play at the next level, it was something I had to do."
It wasn't exactly a blind leap for Kirn, who will get the start at 7:30 p.m. Friday, when the 23rd-ranked Mountaineers (27-4, 7-3 Big 12) travel to Houston.
WVU STATS He had spent two summers playing in the summer Cape Cod League—"I had done pretty well there, " he said.—and he had dominated Division II ball at Quincy (Ill.) University in 2024, finishing 8-1 with a 2.96 ERA.
"It takes a lot of hard work, " Kirn said. "I feel like I kind of grinded and willed myself here. I had to give myself confidence."
Which is where WVU head coach Steve Sabins comes into the picture.
There may be no other Division I head coach—possibly in any sport—who gets more enjoyment from finding an impactful recruit from a place few others bother to look than Sabins.
What he's found in Kirn goes well beyond the Friday night starts and Kirn's 3-0 record so far.
"A big piece of it is that hunger factor and the desire to get better and the belief in themselves that they can pitch at the highest level, " Sabins said. "Sometimes there can be that one red flag that sits in your gut a little bit and you're like, 'That's not going to work.' Griffin checked every box."
At the top of the checklist is Kirn's training and work ethic.
"It was a huge goal of mine, " to be a Friday night starter, Kirn said. "Coming from Division II, it says a lot about me as a person and how hard I worked. It was very emotional for me when I found out I was going to have that opportunity."
At the major Division I level, pitchers are afforded professional trainers and state-of-the-art equipment to enhance their abilities.
"Sometimes you get a young kid in here and they think all of this stuff is normal, " Sabins said. "We monitor sleep and nutrition and we're giving them supplements. They have a cherry juice and muscle milk waiting for them after each game. You have all the latest gear and a technology lab."
And then there is the life of a Division II baseball player.
"He was training at a facility on his own outside of college, " Sabins said. "He had a physical therapist, someone who did needling and massage work outside of the school. He was literally finding every way possible to be good."
On top of that, Kirn was a lefty throwing 88-91. He struck out 259 hitters over 215 innings over his three years at Quincy.
True, those hitters weren't the same caliber of players Kirn faces now, but how do you not pull the trigger and recruit him ?
"He loves to compete and he's doing everything he knows to get better, " Sabins said. "I was like, 'Man, if we can pair that with everything we do here for these kids, I think he's going to have a chance to help us.'
"He's just hungry. He wants it. He takes advantage of every resource we have every day. You're always betting on guys, but that's what we were betting on with Griff."
Kirn just may be in the midst of having that bet pay off. He had his best outing of the season last week in a no-decision against Utah, striking out 14 over 6 2 /3 innings.
His start against the Cougars (19-14, 5-7) today marks the halfway point for WVU in Big 12 play, and the Mountaineers are in contention for a conference title.
WVU enters the series in a five-way tie for second place, with all five teams just ...
