Sabins Signs Nine Players for 2028 Season - West Virginia University Athletics

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - West Virginia University baseball head coach Steve Sabins has announced the addition of nine student-athletes for the 2028 season.

Joining the program are Enmanuel Acevedo (New York, N.Y.), Cole Cheatham (Liberty, Ind.), Austin Gerken (Orange, Calif.), Kadyn Hines (Lindside, W.Va.), Matt Moscarino (Strongsville, Ohio), Daniel Padilla (Ocoee, Fla.), Griffin Pomper (Plantation, Fla.), Cooper Sievert (Muskego, Wis.), and Brady Stewart (Overland Park, Kan.).

"This class is a great fit for who we are as a program," Sabins said. "We went after physical, competitive kids who love to work and want to be pushed, and we got them. On the mound, Kadyn Hines, Enmanuel Acevedo, Cole Cheatham and Matt Moscarino give us four right-handers with real arm strength and a bright future in this program. Kadyn is a West Virginia kid from James Monroe, and keeping the best arms in this state at home matters to us. Enmanuel and Cole have the size, the stuff and the makeup to pitch meaningful innings in the Big 12. These three high school arms have superstar potential with work and development. Moscarino has won at Baldwin Wallace, pitched on the NCAA Tournament stage and carries himself like a pro on and off the field. We've had a lot of success with guys who took the non-traditional path, and Matt is hungry to prove he belongs at this level. We believe our player development staff and our Biomechanics & Performance Center will help all four reach a level they haven't even imagined yet."

"Our position player group brings a little bit of everything. Daniel Padilla is a 6-foot-5 athlete with big-time raw power. Cooper Sievert is a tough, versatile infielder with a solid arm who can play anywhere on the dirt. Austin Gerken comes out of one of the best high school programs in the country at Mater Dei. He's a versatile right-handed hitting catcher who can run and play multiple positions. Brady Stewart is a left-handed hitting shortstop who was one of the top players in Kansas coming out of St. Thomas Aquinas, and his year at Johnson County will have him ready to compete the day he gets here. Griffin Pomper adds an experienced left-handed bat behind the plate. Pomper is a gritty and competitive ballplayer who will push our team forward the moment he steps on campus."

Enmanuel Acevedo | RHP | New York, New York | Poly Prep Country Day School
Enmanuel Acevedo plays for Matt Santa at Poly Prep Country Day School in Brooklyn, New York. According to Perfect Game, Acevedo is the 264^th-ranked player in the country and the No. 65 right-handed pitcher. In the state of New York, he is the fourth-ranked overall player and second-ranked right-handed pitcher. The son of Ney Acevedo Guzman and Enedina Cruz Jimez, Acevedo is undecided on a major at West Virginia.

Cole Cheatham | RHP | Liberty, Indiana | Union County High School
Cole Cheatham plays for Ryan Neihoff at Union County High School in Liberty, Indiana. Cheatham is a three-time All Tri-Eastern Conference selection and was named the Best Baseball Player by the Connersville News-Examiner. Through three years of high school, he has 296 strikeouts. Cheatham is ranked as the No. 72 player in the country and No. 11 right-handed pitcher by Perfect Game as well as the top RHP in Indiana and second-best overall player in the state. The son of Brian and Amanda Cheatham, he is undecided on a major at West Virginia.

Austin Gerken | Catcher | Orange, California | Mater Dei High School
Austin Gerken plays for Richard Mercado at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California. He is ranked as the No. 379 overall player and No. 33 catcher in the nation by Perfect Game as well as the 55^th-ranked overall player and sixth-ranked catcher in the state of California. The son of Jeff and Genise Gerken, he plans on majoring in Business, Entrepreneurship and Innovation at West Virginia.

Kadyn Hines | RHP | Lindside, West Virginia | James Monroe High School
Kadyn Hines plays for Tom Gardinier at James Monroe High School in Lindside, West Virginia. He was named first-team All-State his sophomore and junior year in baseball by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association as well as first-team All-State for basketball and second-team All-State for football in his junior year. He is the top-ranked player in West Virginia by Perfect Game as well as the No. 160 right-handed pitcher in the nation. The son of Michael and Paula Hines, he plans on majoring in Business at West Virginia.

Matt Moscarino | RHP | Strongsville, Ohio | Baldwin Wallace University
Matt Mosarino will join the Mountaineers in 2028 after playing four years at Baldwin Wallace University in Berea, Ohio. Through his junior season with the Yellow Jackets, Moscarino is 10-3 on the mound with a 3.65 ERA and 113 strikeouts in 145.1 innings pitched. He was named All-Ohio Athletic Conference Honorable Mention in 2026. Moscarino played at Padua Franciscan High School under coach Ryan McSweeney were he was named All-Ohio and Crown Conference MVP in 2022. The son of Richard and Michelle Moscarino, he plans on majoring in Accounting at West Virginia.

Daniel Padilla | Outfielder/First Base | Ocoee, Fla. | TXNL Academy
Daniel Padilla plays for Brian Martinez at TNXL Academy in Ocoee, Florida. He is ranked as the No. 250 player and No. 55 outfielder in the country by Perfect Game as well as the 35^th-ranked player and 9^th-ranked outfielder in the state of Florida. He was named to the 2025 Perfect Game Junior National Showcase and earned All-Tournament Team honors at the 2025 Perfect Game 16U WWBA National Championship. The son of Ariel Padilla and Tania Torres, Padilla plans on majoring in Business at West Virginia.

Griffin Pomper | Catcher | Plantation, Florida | Polk State College
Griffin Pomper is currently at Polk State College after spending one season with Jacksonville University in 2026. With the Dolphins, Pomper played in 28 games, making 16 starts, and hit .219 with three doubles, 10 RBI, and 12 runs scored. Before college, he played at NSU University School under head coach Dan Rovetto where he was First-Team All-County his senior and junior seasons. The son of Richard and Chrissy Pomper, he plans on majoring in Business at West Virginia.

Cooper Sievert | Infielder | Muskego, Wisconsin | Wisconsin Lutheran HS
Cooper Sievert plays for Steve Kargus at Wisconsin Lutheran High School. He was named the Woodland Conference – West Player of the Year as well as First-Team All-State by Prep Baseball Report and Third-Team All-State by the Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Association in addition to being First-Team All-District and All-Conference. Sievert is the No. 9 player and No. 2 shortstop in Wisconsin and the No. 110 shortstop in the nation by Perfect Game. The son of Mark and Jodi Sievert, he plans on majoring in Finance at West Virginia.

Brady Stewart | Infielder | Overland Park, Kan. | Johnson County CC
Brady Stewart will join the Mountaineers after a year at Johnson County Community College in Overland Park, Kansas. He graduated from Satin Thomas Aquinas High School where he played under coach Rick Sabath and was a two-time First Team All-Conference and three-time state champion. He was the No. 213 player in the country for the Class of 2026 by Perfect Game and No. 59 shortstop as well as the No. 8 overall player in Kansas and second-ranked shortstop. The son of Craig and Kerry Stewart, he plans on majoring in Business at West Virginia.

"As a group, these nine young men have the talent, the character, and the drive to help us keep doing things that have never been done here," Sabins said. "They're joining a program that expects to compete for championships every year, and they're ready for that challenge. We can't wait to get them to Morgantown."

For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUBaseball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

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