Two Former West Virginia Starters Are Hitting the Transfer Portal

Originally posted on West Virginia Mountaineers on SI
By Schuyler Callihan | Last updated Jun 13, 2025 8:13 AM ET

The portal giveth and the portal taketh. Although West Virginia hasn't been bitten hard by the portal yet, they have taken some hits since the end of the season, with two former starters, pitcher Gavin Van Kempen and third baseman Chase Swain, set to leave the program.

Van Kempen pieced together a strong sophomore campaign, where he posted a 3.14 ERA and a 7-1 record in 13 games. The expectation was that he would be one of the arms WVU could count on in 2025, but for some reason, things just didn't pan out that way. GVK got the starting nod 13 times this season but was hit hard, allowing seven homers in 39.2 innings of work and an opponent's batting average of .261, up 61 points from 2024. His final appearance came in the regular season series finale against Kansas, where he had a wild pitch and gave up a hit and a run in 0.1 innings.

Swain's stay in Morgantown was rather brief, just transferring into the program from Manhattan last offseason. He was the Mountaineers' starting third baseman for the majority of the season, and for the most part, hit the ball well. He finished the season batting .321 with two homers and 30 RBI, but saw his role peeled back in the postseason, paving the way for Armani Guzman.