MORGANTOWN — West Virginia baseball’s season ended less than a week ago, and there’s already some major movement heading out of Morgantown through the transfer portal.
Mountaineers freshman infielder Zahir Barjam has entered the transfer portal, according to D1 Baseball and multiple other sources. D1 Baseball releases the weekly rankings every week during the season that the NCAA recognizes.
Barjam wasn’t a daily starter in WVU’s College World Series run, but he was usually the first player off the bench in a pinch. He still managed to secure four starts, playing as the designated hitter. Barjam had 33 at-bats, three RBIs, four doubles and hit .273 as a true freshman.
Barjam played in four NCAA tournament games, registering one at-bat in each, including in a big pinch-hit spot with the game on the line in the first game against Kentucky. If he hit a home run, Barjam would tie the game for WVU. Steve Sabins had so much trust in the right-handed hitter that he took out Tyrus Hall after Hall had multiple hits in the game.
“Barjam has been in that role for us pretty much all season,” Sabins said in putting in Barjam. “Barjam has legitimate power, also really good bat-to-ball skills. In those moments, I think trusting in the roles that guy has been in.”
Barjam flew out in the moment to end the game.
Sabins had a lot of trust in him because he was a highly recruited player out of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He played at P27 Academy in South Carolina for Corey Warner, who is the owner and founder of the academy, and was rated as the No. 1 shortstop and No. 2 overall player in South Carolina by Perfect Game. He was the No. 49th-rated shortstop in the country.
With multiple appearances throughout the 2026 season, Barjam was expected to be a starter come the 2027 season. There are a lot of players from WVU’s lineup that won’t be back, like Sean Smith, Brodie Kresser, Paul Schoenfeld and more. The Mountaineers need to do some rebuilding of the lineup if they want to get back to the CWS.
WVU wasn’t the best power-hitting team top to bottom, but as Sabins said, Barjam would’ve brought that power. He can also play in the middle infield, which will be a position of need in 2027, without Kresser playing second when star Gavin Kelly catches.
Barjam isn’t the first WVU player to hit the transfer portal, but he’s one of the most notable because he was expected to have a major role in the future of the program. The Mountaineers have multiple pitchers to enter the portal, like Bryson Thacker and Mac Stiffler, and hitter and first baseman Ryan Maggy.
Sabins has started to rebuild the roster through the transfer portal, even while he was coaching the team at a chance to play in the national championship game. The Mountaineers signed Le Moyne outfielder Jack Cannon, Seton Hill shortstop Owen Henne and Tennessee catcher/outfielder Cash Williams for hitting support. WVU also added a bunch of arms for the pitching staff.
Some high school signees could also make an impact, including three middle infielders.
