MORGANTOWN — West Virginia baseball landed a top ACC arm out of the transfer portal Tuesday night. The Mountaineers received a commitment from Louisville starting pitcher Colton Hartman, according to multiple sources. 64Analytics was on the story first.
Hartman is an Ohio native and heads to Morgantown as a senior transfer, and if he chooses, is draft-eligible this offseason. Hartman is a big 6-foot-3 left-handed pitcher who spent three years with the Cardinals. Last year, Hartman made 11 starts and had 14 appearances, in which he went 4-2. He posted a 5.91 ERA, which was a drastic improvement from 2025, when he had an 11.65 ERA. Hartman picked up a lot of strikeouts and, in 45.2 innings, struck out 56 batters. He had a season-high seven Ks in two games in 2026 against Northern Kentucky and Pitt.
Hartman and Louisville learned he works best as a starter. He was primarily a bullpen arm his sophomore year, and that’s when he posted the 10-plus ERA. He started in just four games that season out of 17 appearances, including in the NCAA tournament against Coastal Carolina. Hartman didn’t get an out and allowed five runs in that game.
His true freshman year, Hartman was a starter and had a similar ERA to last season. He made eight starts in 12 outings. Hartman had 37 strikeouts as a true freshman.
Being a starter in his first year in college wasn’t surprising, given his high school career at Lebanon High School in Ohio. Hartman was named 2023 Southwest Ohio Baseball Coaches Association Pitcher of the Year and had a 6-2 record with a 1.18 ERA and 88 strikeouts in 53 innings his senior year. He threw a seven-inning no-hitter and had 15 strikeouts in the game. Hartman had 114 strikeouts as a junior.
It’s a full-circle moment for Hartman because WVU was in the mix when he was coming out of high school. Indiana, Ohio State, Cincinnati and Tulane were also in the field when he picked Louisville.
The transfer portal has officially closed, so the Mountaineers who haven’t entered are staying on the team. WVU and Steve Sabins have lost some young players, but have added a lot of transfers, even while part of the portal period was during the College World Series.
This is the Mountaineers’ second Power Four transfer, joining Tennessee catcher and outfielder Cash Williams. Hartman is WVU’s fifth transfer pitcher and second left-handed pitcher.
A focus of this offseason is replacing some big arms who helped the Mountaineers get to the semifinals of the CWS. Pitchers Ian Korn, Reese Bassinger, Ben McDougal and Carson Estridge have all run out of eligibility. Starting pitchers Maxx Yehl, who was the Big 12 Pitcher of the Year, and Dawson Montesa are both eligible for the MLB Draft, so if they choose to go, those are two top starters needing to be replaced. Hartman will most likely be a starter for WVU next year since he struggled out of the pen his junior year.
Even if the transfer portal is closed, athletes can still commit weeks down the road. There is no more entry.
