Hagen Excited About ‘Unique Experience’ Ahead At West Virginia’

David Hagen RHP / 3B / Archbishop Moeller , OH / 2024

LOVELAND - David Hagen overcame a lot of adversity in becoming a college commit to the University of West Virginia.

“The whole process was a challenge,” the 13th-rated 2024 right-handed pitcher in Ohio reflected. “A lot of times I’d be about to go to a PBR event and something would come up, like an injury. I’ve gone through a lot of adversity which made the experience harder, but it will make the next couple years easier.”

A torn meniscus in October of 2022 put Hagen out of commission for seven months.

“My recruitment was picking up last fall when I got hurt,” Hagen explained. “That definitely slowed it down. I just had to do what I could do to get healthy and then it started to pick up.

“I was cleared at the end of April so I played a little high school ball,” continued Hagen, a member of the Moeller High School 2023 state championship team. “It was definitely hard, but being at Moeller helped. We had a great season and that made therapy easier to go to in order to get back from the injury.”

Hagen, who was talking with West Virginia last fall before getting hurt, was eventually seen at a team camp in Tennessee as well as pitching in Florida before a visit to the college in Morgantown took place in early October.

“The whole city is super cool, the campus is built into it,” Hagen explained. “I love the facilities there and I watched some intrasquad fall games. I was offered when I was there and accepted a couple days later. I talked to my family and we agreed it would be the right fit to get me where I want to be in a couple of years.

“The coaching staff was the big thing,” Hagen added about what made West Virginia the place to be. “It’s a young staff with a lot of passion for the game. All the things they care about, strength training and nutrition, are what I need to help me blossom.”

Davidson and Cincinnati were the other top schools being considered by the 35th-rated senior in Ohio, who once healthy made an impression on West Virginia.

“They liked everything about me,” Hagen said. “They like how composed I was on the mound, that I was landing three different pitches and throwing strikes. My demeanor and character outside of baseball also stood out to them.”

Playing the sport of baseball in college was something the 18-year-old has dreamed about his entire life.

“I’ve always thought of it, I love baseball,” Hagen noted. “It’s always been a goal to take it to the next level. When I started to play good competition and traveling for games I knew where this could go.”

Being totally healthy certainly benefited the cause.

“I’ve had no issues with the knee,” Hagen explained. “I’m a lot stronger now and more athletic. I’m excited to see what this year will be like. I’ve never had an offseason without basketball and then came the injury.”

Assistance played a major role in helping Hagen become a Division I college commit.

“My whole family, my mom and dad especially, were a huge part of this,” Hagen said. “The coaches at Moeller, everybody at Moeller, was a big help in getting me back from the injury and in making improvements overall.”

All the adversity, admittedly, made a college commitment even more special to the 6-2 179-pounder.

“I felt the weight off my shoulders but also a lot of excitement,” Hagen noted. “Then came the feeling it was time to get going to keep making improvements. I need to continue to get stronger.”

Hagen, who carries a 4.0 unweighted and 4.8 weighted GPA at Moeller, plans to major in engineering at the university located 41/2 hours from home.

“I’m looking forward to playing Big 12 baseball at West Virginia,” Hagen concluded. “It’s going to be a unique experience with the culture and the fans. It’s going to be awesome.”