West Virginia Wins 2025 MLB Draft League Championship
MLBDL West Virginia Black Bears

West Virginia Wins 2025 MLB Draft League Championship

Published on September 5, 2025 under Major League Baseball Draft League (MLBDL)
West Virginia Black Bears News Release


STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - The West Virginia Black Bears captured the 2025 MLB Draft League title with a 12-5 win over the State College Spikes in the championship game on Thursday evening. Playing through a steady rainfall, the Bears bested the Spikes at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park with 10 unanswered runs to win their third league title in four seasons.

Heading into the championship matchup, the Black Bears had taken nine of 11 contests against State College, sweeping the Spikes in two of their last three meetings. West Virginia's offense dominated the second half of the season as the team finished first in extra-base hits (108) and second in runs scored (266), while the pitching corps posted a league-best 4.09 ERA.

On the mound for State College, Carter Holjes got his sixth start of the season. The righty from Cary, N.C., crossed paths with the Bears once before, holding West Virginia to five hits and one run on August 3. Holjes continued to keep the Bears at bay in the title game with a scoreless first inning.

Right-handed pitcher Jacob Weaver stepped up for his eighth start as a Black Bear in the bottom of the first. Weaver entered the game with a 2.25 ERA against the Spikes and 13 strikeouts through two games at home (August 3 and August 14). On the road, however, Weaver fought to establish a rhythm, giving up the first Spikes run on an RBI double from T.J. Salvaggio.

West Virginia bounced back with two runs in the second. Landon Frei scored the first Bears' run with a sharp line drive to right field. Alex Ungar, who led off the inning with a double, came home to tie the game. A single from second baseman Alex Rodgers plated Frei to give the Black Bears the lead. But with Weaver back on the bump in the bottom of the inning, the Spikes tied the game at two with a sacrifice fly that scored Gavin Lewis Jr.

After a scoreless inning for West Virginia, a pitching change brought out Jason Bollman in relief of Weaver to start the third. Bollman, who had just thrown eight innings at Frederick on Sunday, showed signs of fatigue early as the Spikes surged ahead for a two-run lead. Manager Jon Nunnally sent in Ricky Harrison with two outs on the board and runners on the corners. Harrison and the defense recorded the final out at first to halt the State College threat but ended the inning trailing 4-2.

The Black Bears dug in, displaying the offensive power that clinched the second-half title with a 7.5 game lead. Spikes' ace Luke House replaced Holjes for the fourth to face the middle of the Bears' order. After the full-count walk of Ungar, Frei singled to drive him in and cut the lead to one.

The final five innings were all West Virginia as the Bears scored nine runs and held State College to three hits. Back-to-back doubles from Jordan Peyton and Drew Collins knotted the game at four in the fifth. The Black Bears took the lead after Jace Rinehart caught an RBI single off Alec Sparks that scored Collins to put the Bears up 5-4.

Sparks's struggles continued into the sixth as he walked Frei and Rodgers, prompting Spikes' manager Tim Battle Jr. to send in Andrew D'Alessio in relief. With D'Alessio on the mound, Peyton, Collins, Rinehart and Judah Morris drove in four runs in consecutive at-bats to take a 9-4 lead. Another pitching change ensued as Battle tapped righty Jack Hagan to secure the final out. Hagan narrowly avoided additional runs with Morris thrown out at home to end the inning.

The Bears pulled away for good with another multi-run frame in the eighth. Lead-off hits from Rinehart and Morris put runners in scoring position after Morris stole second. Will Rogers scored Rinehart on a ground ball that bounced to left fielder Lewis before a single from catcher Jake Berg brought Morris home. Rogers scored the final West Virginia run on a force out at third to go ahead 12-4.

As the offense continued to pad its lead, the West Virginia bullpen quietly kept State College down through the eighth. Cameron LeJeune pitched a hitless inning in the fourth and allowed just one in the fifth. Michael Foltz Jr., Joe Steeber, and Spencer Hill all threw scoreless frames in their single innings pitched, taking down the Spikes in the sixth, seventh, and eighth, respectively.

Wes Burton entered in the ninth with a comfortable lead, in need of three outs to clinch the championship. The closer stepped to the mound with a 1.54 ERA and four saves in his 13 appearances. Attempting a late rally, Spikes' Cole Caruso sent a ball deep to left field for his first home run of the year. Burton remained unfazed, closing the game with three straight outs.

In one of the most productive days for the offense all season, West Virginia finished with 20 hits - the second highest number in a single game, after the record-breaking 21-hit performance on Opening Day (19-4 win over Frederick). Landon Frei was perfect at the plate with three hits and two walks, adding two runs and two RBI to his season totals. Record-setter Jace Rinehart ended his season going four-for-six with a double, two runs and two RBI. Rinehart recently broke the league record for consecutive games with a hit (21), cementing an incredible second-half. Judah Morris capped his full year with the Bears with three hits in five at-bats, a run, an RBI, and a stolen base. Morris also finished the 2025 season with eight home runs, the most in the league.

With the win, the Black Bears have captured three MLB Draft League championships in four seasons, winning back-to-back titles in 2022 and 2023. The Bears threw their weight around in the second half with 10 straight wins, breaking the team's record for consecutive wins set in the inaugural season (2015). West Virginia finished the 2025 campaign under first-year manager Jon Nunnally with a 45-28 record, the second-highest number of wins in team history (48 in 2022), and a 29-15 record in the second half.

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Major League Baseball Draft League Stories from September 5, 2025


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