Former college teammates Wetherholt and Scott II reunited in the pros

The St. Louis Cardinals Opening Day lineup was unique in one respect: It was the only one among 30 MLB teams that featured two players who had previously been college teammates.

When rookie second baseman JJ Wetherholt and center fielder Victor Scott II took the field together at Busch Stadium on March 26, they were rekindling a baseball fraternity that began in 2022 in Morgantown, W.Va. Scott was a Mountaineers junior then, welcoming the freshman Wetherholt to campus, where they were both bound to help a relatively unknown baseball program scale new heights.

Recently, Cardinals Magazine ventured to Morgantown to witness the impact that Scott and Wetherholt still have there. We found a Mountaineers team that was ranked in the top 15, on its way to a fourth consecutive appearance in the NCAA playoffs (the first two of which occurred while Wetherholt starred there). We toured a spacious performance facility that opened last year. We saw photos of Scott and Wetherholt lining the hallways inside the Mountaineers' offices, and spoke to current coaches and players who raved about how much the two Cardinals have increased the visibility, and competitive status, of their alma mater.

Scott and Wetherholt, in turn, told us how much their time in Morgantown shaped them. And how surreal it is to find themselves as teammates once again, on the sport’s biggest stage.

"I needed to go to college to develop, and West Virginia was the perfect place for me. I always say that was the best decision I ever made because of the way it worked out," says Wetherholt, who grew up in nearby Mars, Pa. "It seems like yesterday that Vic was batting third in the lineup, and I batted second, which is the opposite of what we're doing now (Wetherholt bats leadoff and frequently follows No. 9 hitter Scott to the plate for the Cardinals). In those days, we'd get on first and second base, and Vic would always be yelling at me to steal because he wanted to steal. But I was just a freshman. I'd say, 'Dude, I might get thrown out.'"

Scott was soon a fifth-round draft pick of the Cardinals. Two years later, after becoming an All-American player and a collegiate batting champ, Wetherholt rejoined him as a first-round pick by the Redbirds. This season, they are the only two former Mountaineers position players who have earned their way onto an MLB roster. And they are the first college teammates to appear together in a Cardinals lineup since Kolten Wong and Greg Garcia (University of Hawaii) did so in 2018.

Scott, who left his home in Georgia in 2019 to make the 10-hour car trip to Morgantown, has kept close track of the growing stature of the baseball program at his alma mater.

"I was part of that just in the leadership aspect," he tells us. "I was able to show guys that it is possible to make it to where they want to go, to the big leagues, or just getting drafted. They see that someone else from the school that they're going to has made it. That makes me feel good."

To read much more about Victor and JJ's shared past, and how they view their roles on their current team, pick up a copy of the latest Cardinals Magazine, on sale now at Busch Stadium or by visiting cardinals.com/magazine.