MORGANTOWN — At first glance, Gavin Kelly is not exactly what you’d expect out of a college catcher.
Listed at 6-feet tall and 170 pounds, the WVU freshman has the build of a middle infielder, maybe a center fielder, but definitely no catcher.
“I’ve bounced around, but I’ve been a catcher for the majority of my later years,” he said Tuesday after the 24th-ranked Mountaineers mercy-ruled Towson 16-5 in eight innings inside Kendrick Family Ballpark.
WVU pulled off the mercy-rule ending on Spencer Barnett’s grand slam in the eighth. Barnett also had a solo shot in the seventh and finished with five RBIs.
But, back to catchers and the stereotype that goes along with the position. Catchers have some meat on their bones, broad shoulders and massive forearms.
Fun fact: In the history of professional baseball, no catcher has ever led the major leagues in stolen bases.
And then there is Kelly, who if you listen to WVU head coach Steve Sabins, just may be destined one day for a life in the pros.
“He could have signed a professional contract out of high school, but he chose to come to West Virginia instead,” Sabins said.
For now, Kelly — a product of the Pittsburgh suburbs — is working his way toward more playing time with the Mountaineers, using both his bat and his legs to accomplish it.
“Gavin Kelly has been fantastic,” Sabins said. “He’s a high-end player that we knew in high school could be a high-end player. His best days are ahead of him. He’s a fast catcher who can hit. That skill set is unique.”
Kelly was 2 for 3 with a double and three RBIs against Towson to push his batting average up to .407 on the season. That tells his story so far from the plate.
What he did with his legs is something different entirely. Like the fact he scored from second base on a ground ball to the shortstop.
Or going from first to third base on a wild pitch. These are Rickey Henderson-type feats and not something you see from catchers.
“I see myself as an athletic catcher,” Kelly said. “My speed came later in my high school career. I was pretty average before that. Once I started training and hitting the weight room, I saw my speed jump.”
The term “athletic catcher” just may become the next big thing at WVU, because Sabins said that’s the position Kelly is best suited for.
“I think he does break the mold,” Sabins said. “If you want to keep his legs long term, then probably catching every day is not the best option.
“The guys who can run usually play center field or shortstop. For him, he’s in such a good position to have a major impact as a catcher.”
A rotation of WVU pitchers cruised until the sixth inning when the Tigers (4-12) broke up a no-hit bid and then the shutout with two runs on two singles and three hit-by-pitches.
By then, the Mountaineers (15-1) had already built a 9-0 lead and Sabins was going deep into his bench.
The only real intrigue centered around Sam White’s 12-game hitting streak coming to an end.
The junior second baseman walked in all three of his plate appearances and scored twice. He never got much to swing at, making contact only once on a pop foul ball down the third base line that was a few feet from landing in fair territory.
Other than that, WVU’s offense was a collection of timely hits mixed in with 10 walks and three errors from the Tigers.
Skylar King and Ben Lumsden also drove in two runs and sophomore Chase Meyer picked up his third win of the season on the mound.
Meyer started and went two innings. He allowed no hits or runs.
WVU now gets prepared for the start of Big 12 play on Friday, when the Mountaineers travel to Oklahoma State. The Cowboys were picked to win the Big 12 in the preseason.
