MORGANTOWN, West Virginia —Β West Virginia’s Gavin Kelly will have the opportunity to represent both his university and his country after being named to the 28-man USA Collegiate National Team that will compete in the inaugural World Collegiate Baseball Championship in Taichung City, Taiwan, from July 11-15.
Kelly earned his spot on Team USA following an impressive 11-day training camp that featured workouts, practices and intrasquad scrimmages across North Carolina and Virginia. During the camp, he showcased the versatility that made him one of college baseball’s top players this past season, appearing at catcher, second base and right field. In eight games, Kelly batted .250 with two doubles, four RBI and two runs scored while continuing to prove he can impact the game in multiple ways.
Gavin is officially on Team USA πΊπΈ
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— WVU Baseball (@WVUBaseball) July 5, 2026
The honor adds another milestone to what has already been a historic year for the Mountaineer standout. Kelly becomes just the second player in West Virginia baseball history to make the USA Collegiate National Team, joining former Mountaineer star JJ Wetherholt, who earned the honor in 2023.
Kelly is coming off one of the best offensive seasons ever by a Mountaineer. He hit .382 with 19 home runs, tying the program’s single-season record, while posting a 1.202 OPS. He also led West Virginia with 63 RBI and 70 runs scored, and his 96 hits were the most by a Mountaineer since Wetherholt’s 101 in 2023 and are tied for the third-most in school history.
His dominant season also earned him consensus All-America recognition. Kelly was named a First Team All-American by D1Baseball and the College Baseball Foundation, a Second Team All-American by Perfect Game and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association as a second baseman, and earned Second Team All-America honors from Baseball America as a catcher.
Team USA will open pool play against Korea on July 11 before taking on Chinese Taipei on July 12 and Japan on July 13. The top teams will advance to the semifinals on July 14, with the gold and bronze medal games scheduled for July 15. Kelly will now have the chance to add an international championship to what has already been an unforgettable season and further cement his status as one of the premier players in college baseball.
