West Virginia University Athletics

Steve Sabins took over as the 20th head coach in West Virginia baseball history in June, 2024, after spending nine seasons as an assistant coach with WVU, including three as the associate head coach. 

In his first season as head coach in 2025, Sabins led the Mountaineers to a 44-16 overall record while winning the Big 12 regular season title and advancing to the the NCAA Super Regionals for the second consecutive season. WVU was in the top 25 throughout the year, finishing in the top 15 in multiple polls at season's end.

After starting the year 13-0, WVU kept it rolling in conference play as they went 19-9 to clinch the outright regular season Big 12 trophy for the first time after splitting the title in 2023. Sabins then led the Mountaineers to second straight NCAA Regional championship, sweeping through the Clemson regional before falling to eventual national champion LSU in the Baton Rouge Super Regional.

Sabins was named the ABCA East Region Coach of the Year, the sixth time that a WVU head coach has earned the honor. Multiple players earned awards throughout the season as well, including four players being named All-Big 12 - Griffin Kirn (1st Team), Logan Sauve (1st), Jack Kartsonas (2nd), and Kyle West (2nd). Sam White was also named to the ABCA All-East Region First Team.
 
During Sabins’ tenure in Morgantown, the Mountaineers have produced record-setting numbers offensively, while also bringing in the highest-ranked recruiting classes in program history. That includes the 2018 class, ranked No. 21 nationally – the Mountaineers’ first top-25 recruiting class ever. A year later, the 2019 class added to the program's momentum, checking in at No. 23 nationally, marking the first time WVU signed back-to-back top-25 classes.
 
Sabins also led the charge in organizing four more top-40 classes from 2020-23.
 
Sabins worked to become one of the premier assistant baseball coaches in the country. In January 2020, he represented the Mountaineers at the Surefire Forum, an event that brings together some of the nation’s top coaches to promote the future of the game.

Sabins helped lead the Mountaineers to new heights in 2023 as WVU took home a share of the Big 12 regular-season title for the first time in program history, the first conference championship for the Mountaineers since winning the Big East in 1996.

WVU put together a 40-20 overall record and 15-9 conference record after being picked sixth in the preseason poll. The Mountaineers went to their third NCAA Regional appearance in the last six completed seasons as WVU was the No. 2 seed in Lexington.

JJ Wetherholt led a group of 13 Mountaineers to be named All-Big 12 as the sophomore was named Big 12 Player of the Year. Pitchers Ben Hampton and Carlson Reed joined Wetherholt on the first team while pitcher Blaine Traxel and outfielders Landon Wallace and Braden Barry were named to the second team. In addition, seven other players earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention.

Wetherholt also became the first unanimous First-Team All-American in program history as he was honored by seven publications. He led the nation with a .449 batting average while slugging 16 home runs and 24 doubles while also stealing a Big 12-most 36 bases.

After the season, West Virginia saw five of its players sign pro contracts. Reed was drafted in the fourth round by the Pittsburgh Pirates while Barry was taken in the eighth round by the Toronto Blue Jays. Wallace (Angels), Tevin Tucker (Rockies), and Kevin Dowdell (Angels) all signed undrafted free-agent deals.
 
West Virginia won 33 games in 2022, including a program-record 14 in Big 12 Conference play. It was the only school in the league to avoid a three-game losing streak and was one of just five Power 5 program to accomplish that feat.
 
The individual accolades also rolled in, as right-handed pitcher Trey Braithwaite was named an All-America Third Team selection by the NCBWA, becoming the 24th All-American in program history. Braithwaite joined outfielder Austin Davis on the All-Big 12 First Team.

Additionally, catcher McGwire Holbrook earned second-team honors, while right-handed pitchers Noah Short and right-hander Jacob Watters, left-hander Ben Hampton and infielder JJ Wetherholt were Honorable Mention selections. Right-hander Chris Sleeper joined Wetherholt on the All-Big 12 Freshman Team.
 
Watters (Oakland) and Braithwaite (Cincinnati) went on to be selected in the MLB Draft in the fifth and 16th round, respectively. Outfielder Victor Scott II, who stole a school-record 38 bases in 2022, also was drafted in the fifth round by St. Louis.
 
Away from the diamond, outfielder Braden Barry and infielder Nathan Blasick earned CoSIDA Academic All-District honors, becoming the first WVU duo to be named to the team in the same year since 2003, while a program-record 15 were named to the Academic All-Big 12 Team.
 
In 2021, Sabins helped the Mountaineers win multiple games at the Big 12 Championship for the sixth time in the last eight tournaments. West Virginia also finished the year with five wins over ranked opponents, including a pair of wins over No. 2 Texas on May 20 and 26, good for the highest-ranked victories in program history.
 
WVU saw its third freshman in the last two years earn freshman All-America honors in 2021, as Hampton was recognized by Perfect Game. Four players also earned All-Big 12 status, with left-handed pitcher Jackson Wolf leading the way with a spot on the second team. Additionally, catcher Paul McIntosh and Davis earned honorable mention status, while Hampton and infielder Mikey Kluska were selected to the Big 12 All-Freshman Team.
 
Following the year, four Mountaineer pitchers were taken in the 2021 MLB Draft. Wolf was the first WVU player to hear his name called, as he was taken in the fourth round by the San Diego Padres. Right-hander Ryan Bergert joined Wolf when he was selected in the sixth round by San Diego. Additionally, right-hander Madison Jeffrey (15th round) and left-hander Adam Tulloch (17th round) were each taken by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
 
In the classroom, a program-record 12 players were named to the Academic All-Big 12 Team, including eight on the first team, also tops in team history.
 
WVU finished 11-5 in the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season, good for the program's best 16-game start since 2009. Additionally, two WVU newcomers, left-handed pitcher Jake Carr and infielder/catcher Matt McCormick, earned Freshman All-America honors from Collegiate Baseball Newspaper. It marked the first time two Mountaineers received the honor in the same season since Sabins' first season in Morgantown in 2016.
 
Prior to the team's shortened campaign last spring, the 2019 season was certainly one to remember for Sabins and the Mountaineers. The team finished 38-22, marking the second-most wins in program history. West Virginia also reached the Big 12 Championship Final for the second time in four seasons. Following the conference tournament, WVU was selected to host an NCAA Regional for the first time since 1955. It marked WVU’s second NCAA Tournament appearance in the last four years.
 
West Virginia was ranked for the last eight weeks of the season in 2019, a program record, and it finished as high as No. 19 in the final NCBWA poll.
 
A program-record eight players were selected in the 2019 MLB Draft, led by junior Alek Manoah, the 11th overall pick by the Toronto Blue Jays, tied for the highest draft pick in program history, along with senior Ivan Gonzalez (eighth round, Chicago White Sox), junior Nick Snyder (11th round, Arizona Diamondbacks), junior Kade Strowd (12th round, Baltimore Orioles), junior Brandon White (17th round, Los Angeles Angels), senior Darius Hill (20th round, Chicago Cubs), junior Chase Illig (29th round, New York Yankees) and junior Sam Kessler (34th round, Detroit Tigers). Manoah, the Big 12 Pitcher of the Year, Dick Howser Trophy and CBF National Pitcher of the Year finalist, became the first player in program history to be named to more than five All-America teams in a single season.
 
With Sabins aiding in their development, a program-record 11 players earned All-Big 12 honors in 2019, including second-team selections Gonzalez, first baseman Marques Inman, Kessler and designated hitter Paul McIntosh and honorable-mention honorees second baseman Tyler Doanes, Snyder and White.
 
Offensively, WVU tied the program record for walks (257) and was third in stolen bases (98) and sacrifice flies (30). Individually, Hill, WVU’s all-time doubles leader, ranked No. 4 in the country with 25 doubles in 2019, while Doanes was No. 31 with 21. White finished No. 37 nationally in stolen bases (26) and third in the Big 12 in sacrifice bunts per game (0.16), and Doanes finished third in the Big 12 in stolen bases (20) and sacrifice flies (6).
 
West Virginia again advanced to the Big 12 Championship semifinals in 2018, highlighting the campaign.
 
The squad stole 95 bases, which led the Big 12, was No. 17 nationally and third-most in program history. WVU also was third in the league in offense for the second consecutive year, with a .280 batting average.
 
Sabins saw numerous Mountaineers once again earn national postseason awards, highlighted by junior second baseman Kyle Gray, who was named to the ABCA All-America Third Team. Gray was joined by fellow junior Darius Hill on the ABCA East All-Region First Team. Additionally, eight players were named to an All-Big 12 Team, and five were honored on an Academic All-Big 12 Team.
 
WVU also continued its streak of having several players selected in the MLB Draft, as four Mountaineers were drafted. Junior Michael Grove was drafted in the second round by the Los Angeles Dodgers, Gray was selected in the 14th round by the New York Yankees, junior Jimmy Galusky was picked in the 20th round by the Chicago White Sox and senior BJ Myers was drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 35th round. Grove became the fourth Mountaineer ever picked in the top two rounds and is WVU’s highest draft pick since 2010.
 
Sabins helped lead WVU to record-breaking success in 2017, highlighted by an NCAA Tournament appearance. After going 36-26 and finishing fourth in the highly competitive Big 12 Conference, the Mountaineers earned an NCAA Tournament berth for the first time since 1996 and the 12th time in program history.
 
Sophomore designated hitter/right-handed pitcher Braden Zarbnisky headlined a long list of national and conference postseason honors in 2017. He was named to the NCBWA All-America Third Team, becoming the 17th All-American in team history. Zarbnisky also was named the NCBWA District II Player of the Year, a John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award finalist and to the All-Big 12 First Team.
 
Additionally, junior outfielder Kyle Davis was named to the All-East Region First Team, and Galusky was recognized on the Brooks Wallace Award Watch List.
 
Zarbnisky was one of a program-record 12 Mountaineers to earn All-Big 12 Team honors, and for the second consecutive year, WVU earned a team-record-tying four Big 12 All-Tournament Team accolades. WVU also had plenty of success in the classroom, as eight Mountaineers were named to the Academic All-Big 12 Team and another three were named to the Academic All-Big 12 Rookie Team
 
Two players were drafted following the 2017 season, as Davis was picked by the eventual World Series Champion Houston Astros in the 15th round and senior Jackson Cramer was selected in the 35th round by the Washington Nationals.
 
Sabins’ first season with the Mountaineers was a memorable one, as WVU posted a 36-22 record and advanced to its first ever Big 12 Championship Game. West Virginia closed the year as one of the hottest teams in the country, winning 17 of its last 21 games.
 
With one of the youngest starting lineups in the country, Sabins helped guide the WVU to its best offensive numbers since joining the Big 12 Conference in 2013. The Mountaineers’ batting average (.287), RBIs (312), runs scored (341), doubles (116), triples (21), total bases (847), slugging percentage (.432), walks (240), on-base percentage (.370) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (1.58) were all their best since moving to the Big 12.
 
Two Mountaineers were named to multiple Freshman All-America teams. Hill was honored five times, while Ivan Gonzalez was named to one Freshman All-America team.
 
WVU’s wealth of postseason accolades also included 10 All-Big 12 Team and four All-Tournament Team honors, both program records. West Virginia’s 10 Big 12 weekly honors also were the most in a season since joining the Big 12 and tied for the most by any school in the league in 2016.
 
Sabins came to Morgantown after four seasons at Oklahoma State, where he impacted all facets of the OSU program from 2011-15. He also brings experience as a head coach and general manager in collegiate summer leagues to WVU.
 
An Austin, Texas, native, Sabins served as OSU’s first base coach and outfield coach in 2015 as a volunteer assistant coach. He assisted in recruiting and creating opponent scouting reports and also assisted with hitting and base running.
 
With Sabins on staff, the Cowboys made the NCAA Regionals each of the last three seasons, including a Super Regional appearance in 2014. Under Sabins’ direction in 2015, the OSU outfield core had a .990 FDP% and all three primary starting outfielders earned All-Big 12 honors.
 
Sabins worked his way up onto the OSU coaching staff, first as the team’s graduate assistant in 2012-13 and then as the player development coordinator in 2014 before becoming the volunteer assistant coach in 2015.
 
As the team’s player development coordinator in 2014, Sabins worked directly with the strength, marketing, fundraising and academic staffs. Sabins also oversaw the team’s summer bridge program, handled on-campus recruiting as well as video analysis and was the director of the Dugout Club.
 
Sabins began his career on the OSU staff as a graduate assistant during the 2012-13 seasons. He ran the video analysis program and scouted game and practice footage, providing film and feedback for hitters, infielders and pitchers. Sabins prepared scouting reports, organized Dugout Club events and implemented an academic accountability system to monitor and improve individual and team academic performances.
 
In 2013, Sabins served as the general manager of the Charles Town Cannons in their first season in the Valley Baseball League. Sabins led the Cannons to the postseason, becoming the only expansion team to make the playoffs in their first season. Building a team from the ground up, Sabins led the recruitment of collegiate players to the team, hired the coaching staff and worked with the marketing staff and Charles Town, West Virginia, city officials.
 
Sabins was the head coach of the VBL’s Winchester Royals in 2012 and the head coach of the Leesburg Thunder of the Futures Wood Bat League in 2011. The Royals set league records for home runs and RBI, while Sabins guide the Thunder to a regular season and World Series championships.
 
As a player, Sabins began his collegiate career at Angelina Community College. He then attended Daytona Beach Community College before being recruited to play at Oklahoma State. After a medical redshirt season with the Cowboys, Sabins transferred to Embry-Riddle and was named the Sun Conference Player of the Year and an NAIA All-American.
 
Sabins graduated from Embry-Riddle with a bachelor’s degree in business administration in 2011. He earned a Master of Science degree in educational leadership-higher education from Oklahoma State. Sabins is married to his wife, Tabitha, and they have two children, Charlee and Tucker.