photo by: Kim North

Wheeling Central senior Brayden Cover has committed to play college baseball at Akron University in the Fall of 2026. He was on the second team all-W.Va. Class AA last spring in leading the Maroon Knights to the state title.

WHEELING – Brayden Cover is following in the footsteps of his father and two older brothers – all playing college baseball. However, the youngest Cover has taken his game one level further.

A senior at Wheeling Central, Cover recently announced his commitment to Akron University where he will be listed as a pitcher.

“I feel pretty good about my decision. Akron is a pretty good spot for me to land at. I’m glad the recruiting process is over now,” he admitted. “I was just staying patient and waiting for the right call. I finally got it and I committed.”

He reportedly chose the Zips over a host of Mid-American schools.

“I was looking at West Virginia for a second, but I wanted to go somewhere that I could play as a freshman,” he noted. “That’s why I chose Akron.”

Other reasons included the “coaches were really awesome when I visited; the facilities are outstanding; and the campus is pretty big but it is all right there. It’s really convenient for you.”

Cover wanted to get the decision over before the end of the calendar year.

“I wanted to get it done so I can sign in November. I’m glad it is over and I’m looking forward to my senior year at Wheeling Central.”

Cover’s father, Todd, pitched at Brooke and West Liberty. He is currently the head baseball coach for the Maroon Knights.

“He has helped me the most. He texts me every day telling me what to do to get recruited,” Brayden said. “He pays for my camps and everything I do baseball-wise.”

The youngest Cover said he throws three pitches – a slider, a 2-seam fastball and a changeup.

“I want to add a 4-seam cutter and try to get my slider better,” he acknowledged.

Being the third brother to play college baseball is quite an accomplishment.

“It feels good. I’m pretty sure my dad can’t wait to start watching college games again.”

This past summer, Brayden spent some time in North Carolina working on his game. He said the experience was unmeasurable.

“It definitely helped me a lot. It taught me what I needed to improve on,” he said. “The competition there was really good. You can’t make a lot of mistakes (pitching) at the next level, so it was a really good experience for me.”

His father agreed.

“Getting outside the Ohio Valley and playing in the Perfect Game league has really helped him become a better pitcher,” Todd Cover said. “If you make a mistake over the plate, it’s probably going to get hit pretty hard. You have to be able to hit your spots and get weak contact. I keep telling him that location is more important than velocity.”

Todd Cover said being able to coach his sons is the best feeling in the world.

“As a coach your goal is to win. We won a state championship last year and that was awesome and everything, but for me, the biggest thing is sending kids to college to get an education and living out their dream of playing college baseball,” he said. “Winning is very, very important to us, but you need guys to be successful in life and you can learn a lot of that through playing baseball.

“As a father, it is extremely satisfying to see all the hard work he has put in pay off. He puts the work in. He’s the hardest working kid I know, and I’m not just saying that because he is my son. When other kids weren’t thinking about baseball from October to March, he drove to Clarksburg at least twice a week or more to work out, get his mechanics better and his velocity up.

He definitely deserves anything that comes his way.”

Having all three of his sons play college baseball is something that Todd Cover will never forget.

“It’s awesome. All three of them put the work in to get to the next level,” he stressed. “I don’t know if one is better than the other because Erik lost his senior year of high school (to COVID). He may have been able to go to a bigger school, but at the end of the day, God had his plan and it worked out. He went to Muskingum and had a really good career. He pitched more than 200 innings in college.

Seth, a 2025 Wheeling Central grad, is headed to West Liberty this fall to play baseball.

“It’s a blessing as a father.”

Brayden is also the son of Lisa Cover and resides in Wheeling.