May 9—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.