New WVU baseball coach Steve Sabins has much he can capitalize on

The message came across X, the format formerly known as Twitter.
The message came across about WVU’s baseball team.
“The 2024 team will always be remembered,” it read. “The culmination of work and sacrifice put forward by (Coach Randy Mazey), players, and staff made it possible. The passion and generosity of fans and supporters made it possible. We will continue building WVU baseball into something special.”
What made the message distinctive, however, was the author: new Mountaineer head coach Steve Sabins.
He listed season accomplishments in a graphic that included eight consecutive years ranked inside the Top 25; Grant Hussey’s individual career home run mark; Big 12 league wins record; single game, three-game series and season ticket sales records; back-to-back Regional appearances and, of course, most important, the first Super Regional appearance in program history.
It indeed was a magical postseason run for WVU. Yet that’s not what this blog is about.
It’s about that author, the new coach, Sabins.
I’ve yet to have the pleasure of meeting him. Yet I’m encouraged with the support he seems to be enjoying.
That X account? He’s already at 13.9 thousand followers. And that he has the blessing of Mazey, now forever a WVU sports legend, is huge.
Oh yeah, and there’s this endorsement, according to a Justin Jackson story in The Dominion Post:
“He’s one of the main reasons I came here,” said WVU star shortstop J.J. Wetherholt, who is projected to be a top-10 pick in next month’s Major League Baseball draft. “He was the head of recruiting for me, the one who always came to see me. He takes a lot of pride in his job and it’s pretty unbelievable all the work he puts into it. He’s a great dude and one of the hardest-working guys I’ve met.”
Now, though, it’s time for Sabins to etch his own legacy in Mountaineer lore. It’s time to start working on a graphic of achievements accomplished while he’s the head coach.
You can see though – no you can feel — he’s got a jump on accomplishing much himself. The sendoff to Mazey and the transition to Saban has been smooth. Those showing up for ballgames in Morgantown of late have established a fun routine. The nice crowds will almost certainly continue to visit next season.
Also, if you were paying attention during the Country Roads Trust Million Dollar May campaign, the Name, Image and Likeness collective raised $125,000 just for the sport. There’s not only cheering support, but financial support.
It has to be, well, an a-MAZEY-ing feeling for Sabins. He has a program that was in college baseball’s version of the Sweet 16 to recruit off. He’s got a jazzed fanbase. He’s got a sweet field to show off. And he has that financial backing.
Here’s hoping he can capitalize and keep the Mountaineers a national contender for years to come.
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Mitch Vingle covered sports in West Virginia for 38 years. Follow Mitch on Twitter at @MitchVingle and be sure to check out the rest of Wheelhouse Creative’s website for your marketing and advertising needs. If interested, call us at 304-905-6005.