Why Queens transfer Ryan Brown says WVU ‘feels like home’

Queens University of Charlotte transfer Ryan Brown committed to West Virginia on Saturday after an impressive freshman campaign in 2025 that saw him earn ASUN All-Freshman honors as a two-way player. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound sophomore from Ashland, Kentucky, hit .289 with three home runs while also logging 59.1 innings on the mound. Brown missed the 2026 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery, but he told WVSports.com that he is already back to throwing and expects to be fully cleared before arriving in Morgantown. The right-hander pitched against West Virginia during his freshman season and said the program’s culture, developmental resources and recent success made the Mountaineers an easy choice. Finding a fit in Morgantown Brown had previously committed to Stetson after entering the transfer portal, but after hearing from the Mountaineers, he ultimately decided Morgantown was the best fit. “What led me to WVU was the culture, staff, and the best developmental resources in the country,” he said. “When they reached out it was a no-brainer for me. Honestly, feels like home.” That feeling only grew after conversations with head coach Steve Sabins, who already had a detailed scouting report from Brown’s lone appearance against the Mountaineers. “When I talked to Coach Sabins, he brought up when I pitched against them my freshman year and was really cool that he had stuff written down about me from that game,” Brown said. Brown faced West Virginia during the 2025 season, allowing five runs on nine hits over 5.1 innings in an eventual 11-7 loss to the Mountaineers. Drawn to the program’s resources Although Brown was used as a two-way player at Queens, he said West Virginia is bringing him in primarily as a pitcher. That role, combined with the resources available in Morgantown, made the Mountaineers an easy choice. “Some things that stood out to me about the West Virginia program was definitely the developmental resources that they have and the success that they’ve had all together,” he said. Brown is already back to throwing after undergoing Tommy John surgery and expects to be fully cleared before classes begin. He said he plans to arrive in Morgantown soon and is eager to take advantage of everything the program has to offer. Calm under pressure Brown describes himself as a player who thrives in big moments and doesn’t allow the game to speed up around him. “Would say I have a cool and calm demeanor for the most part,” he said. “Don’t really get sped up often and want to live for that big moment all together.” That mentality should fit well with a West Virginia program that has become one of college baseball’s rising powers under Sabins. “I think it’s awesome to see how much the program is going up and getting better each year,” he said. “They have everything that any baseball player could possibly want for development success. The program is just going to keep getting better every year.” Talk about it with West Virginia fans on The Blue Lot SUBSCRIBE today to stay up on the latest on Mountaineer sports and recruiting Get all of our WVU videos on YouTube by subscribing to the WVSports.com Channel Follow us on Twitter: @WVSportsDotCom, @rivalskeenan Like us on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok