WVU Baseball Kicks Off Steve Sabins Era With a Win

WVU Baseball kicked off their 2025 season and the Steve Sabins era with a road win, taking down the Jacksonville University Dolphins 4-2

Logan Sauve reached base three times with two singles and a walk, scoring one run and knocking in another. The junior catcher got things started, roping the first pitch of the season into left for a single.

First of many for @stevesabins 👏 pic.twitter.com/kPbWZFFX7n

— WVU Baseball (@WVUBaseball) February 15, 2025

The season started with small ball: after Sauve’s single, Sam White notched one of his own, then took second base on a wild pitch to put two runners in scoring position. Productive outs from Kyle West and Michael Perazza put the Mountaineers ahead 2-0.

West Virginia doubled their lead in the second inning with a two out rally that included RBI singles from Armani Guzman and Sauve.

Transfer lefty Griffin Kirn, who spent the past four seasons with Quincy University (D-II) took the bump as West Virginia’s Friday starter and acquitted himself well in his first taste of Division I baseball, striking out five batters in 5.2 innings and allowing just one run, a fifth inning sacrifice fly.

Kirn and Sauve rebounded to end the frame with a strike ‘em out, throw ‘em out double play, then Kirn got two quick outs in the sixth inning before a walk ended his day.

West Virginia’s offense, meanwhile, fell quiet after their early burst. While they managed five more singles on the day, they didn’t plate another run and went the entire game without an extra base hit.

Jacksonville led off the ninth with a solo homer but drew no closer: Reese Bassinger entered with one out and drew a double play for the save.

The series with Jacksonville continues for WVU Baseball with a doubleheader, the first leg beginning at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 15.