So fired up to announce my staff, Russell Raley, Cody Atkinson, and Ryan Tuntland. Three guys that build relationship with players, big plus

— Derek Matlock (@Matlock_UTRGV) June 17, 2017

Four names. Three members of the 2017 West Virginia baseball staff. Matlock, of course, was the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator who was named the Vaqueros head coach earlier this month. Atkinson was a volunteer assistant and Tuntland the director of operations this past season.

I trust WVU manager Randy Mazey wasn’t going to promote one or the other to Matlock’s spot, so now we assume Mazey will use his cache to add to his coaching staff. What’s interesting is Mazey has long been known for his prowess with pitchers. He gave a lot of his authority to Matlock this season, probably similar to what Dana Holgorsen is doing — or preparing to do — with Jake Spavital in the fall.

As for other changes…

… still no public word yet about Kyle Davis and Christian Young and what they’ll do. The Mountaineers will be happy with either outcome. They’ll be better with both on the 2018 roster, but they’ll be happy to see one or both sign a pro contract, too.

Davis would be the top returning hitter on the team and someone expected to do first-team all-conference stuff for a NCAA regional team. He’s a corner outfielder and the only player who started every game this past season, so that loss, should it happen, is a big one. WVU returns the rest of its starting outfield, plus a top reserve and two players who redshirted and Braden Zarbnisky, so it’s not a lost cause.

And then there’s this wrinkle, according to hitting coach Steve Sabins, who works with the outfielders: Move an infielder to the outfield … like Davis, a former second and third baseman. “We have too many good players and too many good bats for four infield positions,” Sabins said.

WVU has two recruits who could shape that decision in shortstops Tyler Doanes and Tristen Hudson, plus-level hitters who are expected to be good enough to play. Catcher Connor Hamilton is physically ready to play and agile enough to play in the outfield, too.

The Mountaineer only lost one pitcher, and Jackson Sigman did pitch in more games in any single season than anyone before him, so that loss is a loss, too. But WVU would rather not need one person that often, and the number of available starting pitchers means there will be an ample number of relief pitchers. Young, too, has plus-level stuff, albeit against lesser opponents, but the Mountaineers will not be at a loss for pitchers because of the incumbents and the recruiting class, which includes Hudson and probably two other 2018 contributors.

High school righty Sam Fuller “may be one of the more polished pitchers we have coming in,” Sabins said. Fuller throws his fastball, changeup and breaking ball for strikes. WVU believes he could be a reliever who pitches a few times a week, similar to freshman Sam Kessler, who was honorable mention all-Big 12 and finished 1-2 with a 2.67 ERA in 17 appearances.

Fellow high school recruit Jackson Wolf, on the other hand, is unlike anyone WVU has. He’s a 6-7 lefty, and WVU had didn’t use a left-handed pitcher once in 2017 and lost one of its regional games to Wake Forest on a walk-off single by a left-handed batter. The Mountaineers were worried Wolf would be drafted.

“He probably has the highest ceiling out of any of the recruits who are coming in, because he’s 6-7 and he’s been up to 91, 92 mph,” Sabins said. “Obviously, it’s a huge need for us, and if he can come in and do what he’s done in high school, he can be a major contributor for us. If he gets better and develops, we’ve got a chance to talk about Jackson Wolf a lot at West Virginia.”