Steve Sabins Puts His Full WVU Journey in Perspective After College World Series

Realizing the finality of West Virginia’s magical run, Steve Sabins put his entire journey in perspective after being eliminated by North Carolina on Wednesday.

“I’m just really lucky, I got an opportunity when I was 27 years old, had no recruiting experience, I had been to West Virginia once and Coach Mazey took a shot on me as a young guy with energy…”

He then touched on what the ride has been like and why he’s enjoyed every bit of it, the ups and the downs and the adversity as much as the big wins and trophies.

“You become really connected to a place and really connected with those people. So just really lucky to be able to go through the ups and the downs…and the adversity and then the big wins and the sticking together with these kids.”

Steve Sabins Was Clearly Ready for the Responsibility of Taking Over WVU Baseball

Sabins quickly proved he was more than ready for the opportunity when he ascended to the role of head coach of the Mountaineers, a program already established by that point thanks to the work he put in as an assistant under Randy Mazey.

He officially 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.

Sabins Followed Up an Historic First Season With Greater Success in Year Two

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.

Sabins followed his special first season with even greater success in year two, leading West Virginia back to the NCAA Tournament despite finishing as the runner-up for both the Big 12’s regular season and conference tournament.

WVU finished 2026 at 47-17, capturing an NCAA Regional title for the third-straight year, the second consecutive under Sabins, and then secured the school’s first-ever NCAA Super Regional trophy and trip to the College World Series. West Virginia went 2-2 in Omaha, beating Troy two times, including an historic 12-0 shutout, and falling twice to North Carolina.

To his credit, Sabins was named the 2026 National Coach of the Year by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.

Find more coverage of the WVU baseball program at WV Sports Now.