West Virginia
WVSports – New number, new focus for West Virginia DL Martin in final season
For Sean Martin, the No. 5 holds significance.
Martin made the decision to switch to that number ahead of his final season with the Mountaineers as a way to honor one of his close friends from high school.
“In 2019 I lost one of my closest friends, Tony Webster,” Martin said. “He had a brain aneurysm. I’m doing it for my coach, his family, the town of Bluefield and his family to represent him.”
Webster was a teammate of Martin’s at Bluefield High School until his untimely passing in January of 2019. He was only 17-years old at the time and wore that number until it was retired.
It’s a direct way for Martin to honor his fallen teammate and he informed Webster’s father that he was going to make the move while watching the Beavers at the state tournament in March.
“He asked me about the number change, and he was excited about that. Even though they lost he was excited that I was doing it,” Martin said.
With that settled, Martin has shifted his entire focus to putting together a strong final season and so far so good. Martin is currently in one of the best stretches of football in his career to date after overcoming an unspecified issue that affected the way he could practice last season.
One of the things that had escaped Martin throughout his career has been consistency with his play but that has not been an issue this spring. And one of the people that know him the best has seen it first hand with his position coach AJ Jackson as Martin has embraced a more vocal, leadership role.
“If I passed out right now Sean would be able to take over the coaching side of the room right now,” Jackson said. “The consistency piece has showed up since January and I think he’s in the best mental space I’ve seen him since I’ve been there.”
While he isn’t the most talkative person, he has embraced leading by example and has been forced to step outside of his comfort zone to help those around him improve as well.
One of the things that Martin has embraced is the competition with another in-state native across from him left tackle Wyatt Milum. The two square off on the field but Jackson points out that it’s even more rewarding that the pair have been watching film together and discussing football away from it.
“He’s probably going to be the best payer I play against this season so trying to get as many reps as I can but also coaching up the younger guys that got in,” Martin said.
Physically, Martin has grown into his body and understands how to use it to be more effective not only as a pass rusher but against the run as well.
“He’s got a lot of length and his size and weight now he’s really powerful. He’s one of the strongest guys,” Brown said. “Now it’s starting to click how to use his length and he’s starting to show he can be a dominant player at times.”
And now with a new number and a lot to play for in his final season in Morgantown, Brown believes that there is potential for Martin to have his best season yet in the program.
“As the year goes not just being an NFL player but maybe potentially an early round pick,” he said.
It was a phenomenal year for the West Virginia Mountaineers on the diamond, and even with the season having been over for over a week now, the honors continue to roll in.
On Friday, second baseman/catcher Gavin Kelly and left-handed starting pitcher Maxx Yehl were both named First-Team All-Americans by D1Baseball.com. It is the first time in program history that two Mountaineers have been recognized as First-Team All-Americans in the same season.
Gavin Kelly
Kelly was essentially everyone’s pick to have a breakout season for the Mountaineers in 2026, but I’m not sure anyone expected him to do it the way he did. He hit nearly .400 all year and went on a power surge out of nowhere toward the end of the season, becoming one of the top home run hitters in the country over the last month or so of the year.
Kelly was named a Golden Spikes Award semifinalist, the MVP of the Morgantown Regional, and is currently participating in the Team USA Collegiate National Team training camp in Cary, North Carolina. For the year, he hit .382 with 19 home runs and 63 RBI, cementing himself as a top draft prospect in 2027.
Maxx Yehl
Maxx Yehl was one of the best stories in all of college baseball that didn’t get talked about nearly enough. He was forced to sit out the 2025 season as he was recovering from Tommy John surgery, and prior to this season, Yehl worked exclusively out of the bullpen. The plan all along was to eventually stretch him out into a starter, and in his first year in the role, he was one of the best in the entire country.
Steve Sabins and Co. did a good job of playing it safe with him early, letting him only go two and four innings in his first two starts before turning him loose. There were a couple of moments where Mountaineer fans had to take a deep breath after he was removed from two starts, one of which was in the Morgantown Regional against Kentucky. He bounced back strong and two days later, pitched a gem against the Wildcats, helping the team advance to the super regionals for the third straight season.
Yehl finished the season with a 9-3 record, an ERA of 2.13, and 112 strikeouts to just 26 walks. He was also the first WVU hurler to win Big 12 Pitcher of the Year since Alek Manoah, who did it in 2019.
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West Virginia First Foundation advances key initiatives at second quarterly board meeting
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CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The West Virginia First Foundation (WVFF) convened its second quarterly board meeting of 2026 at Ascend West Virginia in Charleston, continuing its work to advance prevention, treatment and recovery efforts across West Virginia through responsible stewardship of opioid settlement funds.
The meeting provided board members with updates on several key initiatives and strategic priorities currently underway.
Expert panel appointments
A significant focus of the meeting was the appointment of several volunteer Expert Panel members following the conclusion of certain panel terms. Expert panelists serve in advisory roles and provide regional knowledge, professional expertise and community perspective to help inform WVFF’s work and funding priorities. To allow time for all appointees to complete the necessary confirmation and onboarding process, names will not be publicly released until all appointments have been finalized.
“Expert Panelists play an important role in helping us understand the needs, challenges, and opportunities facing our local communities,” said Jonathan Board, Executive Director of WVFF. “We are grateful for the individuals who volunteer their time and expertise to support this work and help guide thoughtful, informed decision-making.”
Local government reporting and best practices
Board members reviewed progress on the 2026 Local Government Expenditure Report, which compiles annual spending data submitted by local governments receiving opioid settlement funds. Staff reported that more than 65% of eligible local governments have submitted expenditure reports to date, with the statewide report expected to be released in mid-July.
The board also received an update on new resources being developed to help local governments identify promising practices and learn from successful approaches being implemented across West Virginia. While WVFF does not direct how local governments spend their allocated settlement funds, the Foundation remains committed to providing educational resources that highlight allowable uses, share examples from around the state and support informed local decision-making.
![[CHAMBER] [2026-06-23] Hiring Executive Director](https://res.cloudinary.com/mytown/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto,c_limit,w_1080/spotlights/jqvoqa1wl63oqmzrnmeg)
In the coming months, WVFF plans to host regional learning sessions that will bring local government representatives together to share experiences, discuss challenges and explore opportunities to maximize the impact of opioid settlement investments within their communities.
Strategic priorities
The board received updates on the Community Catalyst Grant (CCG) program, which opened for applications on June 1 and remains open through June 30. Designed as a three-year, outcomes-driven investment, the program will support projects focused on public safety response, day report centers and generational prevention efforts.
Board members also received updates on the West Virginia Wayfinder, the statewide needs assessment project led by the West Virginia University Health Affairs Institute, in partnership with the Institute for Policy Research and Public Affairs, and Data Driven WV. Meetings and engagement activities are underway with WVFF staff, expert panelists and community stakeholders across the state, with data, insights and priority areas currently being gathered and analyzed to help identify needs, gaps and opportunities related to substance use disorder prevention, treatment and recovery services in West Virginia.
![[DHS] [2025-05-23] Pain Free Living](https://res.cloudinary.com/mytown/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto,c_limit,w_1080/spotlights/xswzc9oud10whhzr94hg)
“Our Board remains focused on ensuring these funds are invested responsibly and strategically for the benefit of West Virginia communities,” said Greg Duckworth, Chairman of the WVFF Board of Directors. “Each meeting provides an opportunity to review progress, strengthen accountability, and continue building on the work being done across the state.”
Direct funding request approved
The board also voted to approve a $4 million direct funding request submitted by the Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute (RNI) at West Virginia University. The project is focused on expanding access to innovative addiction treatment and recovery support tools while building the technology and infrastructure needed to support implementation across West Virginia.
Consistent with WVFF’s commitment to transparency and accountability, additional details regarding the project and funding agreement will be released in the coming weeks following the completion of final documentation. WVFF and RNI plan to issue a joint announcement once the agreement process has been finalized.
![[TWIN] [2025-08-08] Meadowlands](https://res.cloudinary.com/mytown/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto,c_limit,w_1080/spotlights/sueaeb3swu4g4qwmu3x2)
Hold the Line Tour stop at Rea of Hope
After the board meeting, WVFF board members and staff will visit Rea of Hope, an Initial Opportunity Grant awardee, as part of the Foundation’s Hold the Line Tour, which highlights organizations and programs working to make a difference in communities across West Virginia. The visit will provide an opportunity to hear directly from leadership about the impact of recovery-focused services and community support.
The next regular meeting of the Foundation’s board of directors is scheduled for September 17, 2026 (subject to change). Visit wvfirst.org to learn more.
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