MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (July 17, 2023) – West Virginia University Vice President and Director of Athletics Wren Baker has announced that Randy Mazey has decided the upcoming 2024 baseball season will be his final year as head coach of the Mountaineers before transitioning to a senior advisor role within the baseball program.
Current Associate Head Coach Steve Sabins will take over as the 20th head coach in program history at the conclusion of the 2024 baseball season and has signed a contract through 2029.
Mazey’s new contract is a three-year deal and will take him through his 12th season at the helm of the Mountaineers before moving into a senior advisor role for the 2025 and 2026 seasons. The transition is to solidify the long-term leadership of the program and build on the great foundation of success established by Mazey during his tenure. The transition is made possible by and in recognition of the significant impact that Sabins, in his eight years, and the current coaching staff have had on the program.
“I would like to thank President Gee, Wren Baker, and Matt Wells for their tremendous support of our baseball program,” said Mazey. “I would also like to thank Oliver Luck and Keli Zinn for giving me the opportunity to come to WVU and bring our baseball program to a Top 25 level. I am not stepping down, I am stepping aside after the 2024 season to let Coach Sabins, Coach Ginther, and Coach Garcia continue to take WVU Baseball to levels it has never reached before. I am 100% confident that Coach Sabins and this staff have the ability to do just that, and I am just as excited for the future of Mountaineer baseball now as I have ever been.”
“I love WVU Baseball, and I am very proud of what we have accomplished in my time here,” continued Mazey. “Amanda, Weston, Sierra and I have fallen in love with Morgantown, the people here, the fans, and the entire state of West Virginia. This is our home, and I will continue to help this baseball program within the community and the state to the best of my ability.
“However, since next season will be my last on the field, I do ask our great fans for their continued support to help make it our best season yet. Let’s Go!”
In Mazey’s 11 years with WVU, the Mountaineers have gone 336-250 while making NCAA Regional appearances in 2017, 2019, and 2023, the first appearances for West Virginia in a regional since 1996. The 2019 regional was also the first to take place in Morgantown since 1955.
The 2023 season was one of the most successful in program history as Mazey led the Mountaineers to a 40-20 record and a share of their first Big 12 regular-season championship, the first conference title for WVU since winning the Big East in 1996. The Mountaineers were also ranked in all the major polls throughout the season, which including peaking at No. 6. Mazey also earned Big 12 Coach of the Year for the second time in the last four full seasons.
Mazey has also coached 14 All-Americans during his tenure, which represents more than half of the program’s 26 total. A few of Mazey’s players to be named All-Americans include current major league pitcher Alek Manoah and rising junior JJ Wetherholt, who this past season became the first player in program history to be named a unanimous first-team All-American.
When Manoah was taken 11th overall by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2019 MLB Draft, it tied for the highest draft pick in program history. Overall, 37 players have been selected in the MLB Draft under Mazey in addition to eight players signing undrafted free agent deals. Out of those 45 players since Mazey took over in 2013, 15 are still playing professionally, including three at the highest level – Alek Manoah (Blue Jays), John Means (Orioles), and Michael Grove (Dodgers). Four more players, Carlson Reed (Pirates), Braden Barry (Blue Jays), Tevin Tucker (Rockies), and Landon Wallace (Angels), are set to join that group after being drafted or signing free agent deals in 2023.
“As Coach Mazey and I sat down after the season to evaluate and discuss the future of Mountaineer baseball, it became quite evident that he loves this program and wants it to flourish well after the conclusion of his career,” Baker said. “We discussed what a successful transition would look like and quickly came to the conclusion that Steve Sabins was the right person to lead our baseball team and strengthen our future.
“Coach Sabins has been an integral part of the program’s success and has been involved in all aspects of its operation. He has been by Coach Mazey’s side for eight successful years and as we solidify the future of Mountaineer baseball, continuity is the strength and key that will keep our program at the top of the Big 12.
“I want to thank Coach Mazey for building a winner and a conference champion here in Morgantown,” Baker added. “From what he inherited, with virtually no major college baseball facility, to the program he has built, Mountaineer Nation should be very proud of his achievements. I will certainly be there and looking forward to his final season leading the Mountaineers.”
Sabins joined the Mountaineer coaching staff in 2016 as an assistant coach before being elevated to Associate Head Coach ahead of the 2022 season. He has helped bring the West Virginia program to new heights as the Mountaineers have won 248 games and made three NCAA Regionals in the eight years Sabins has been in Morgantown.
Also serving as recruiting coordinator since 2018, the Mountaineers have consistently had top-40 recruiting classes ranked by Perfect Game, including top-25 classes in both 2021 and 2022. He also has a keen eye for finding unheralded recruits, most notably Wetherholt, who was the 32nd-ranked player in Pennsylvania in 2021 as well as just the 225th-ranked second baseman in the country.
Since Sabins joined the coaching staff, the Mountaineers have had 60 All-Big 12 selections, including 2019 Big 12 Pitcher of the Year in Manoah and 2023 Big 12 Player of the Year in Wetherholt. In the four years the current coaching staff has been together, which also includes Mark Ginther and Jacob Garcia, the Mountaineers have produced 23 All-Conference performers, including 13 in 2023, three of whom were first-team selections.
“I am beyond grateful to be named the next head baseball coach at West Virginia,” Sabins said. “I look forward to spending the 2024 season competing with Randy Mazey who is my close friend and mentor. It will be his final season and the celebration he deserves.
“Eight years ago, Coach Mazey took a risk on me and hired the youngest Power 5 assistant in the country. I was unproven with no direct ties to West Virginia. I will forever be grateful for the opportunity he gave me and my family. I’ve worked hard every day since to prove him right and make WVU proud. Tabitha and I have poured our energy into this community, welcomed two children, Charlee and Tucker, and Morgantown has become home.
“President Gee, Wren Baker, Matt Wells and the rest of the WVU leadership team have entrusted me with the responsibility of moving the program forward. I do not take that responsibility lightly – and never will,” Sabins added. “I am humbled and thankful for their belief in me. This opportunity could never become a reality without the quality student-athletes who have chosen, and continue to choose, to play baseball for West Virginia University, and the incredible coaches and staff in this program. Countless families have entrusted us with their sons, and together we have built WVU into a national baseball brand. I am blessed to be able to lead these young men and look forward to great things ahead.”
Before his time with the Mountaineers, Sabins was on the coaching staff at Oklahoma State for four years, serving as a graduate assistant, player development coordinator, and volunteer assistant. 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’s degree in educational leadership and higher education from Oklahoma State
Current Associate Head Coach Steve Sabins will take over as the 20th head coach in program history at the conclusion of the 2024 baseball season and has signed a contract through 2029.
Mazey’s new contract is a three-year deal and will take him through his 12th season at the helm of the Mountaineers before moving into a senior advisor role for the 2025 and 2026 seasons. The transition is to solidify the long-term leadership of the program and build on the great foundation of success established by Mazey during his tenure. The transition is made possible by and in recognition of the significant impact that Sabins, in his eight years, and the current coaching staff have had on the program.
“I would like to thank President Gee, Wren Baker, and Matt Wells for their tremendous support of our baseball program,” said Mazey. “I would also like to thank Oliver Luck and Keli Zinn for giving me the opportunity to come to WVU and bring our baseball program to a Top 25 level. I am not stepping down, I am stepping aside after the 2024 season to let Coach Sabins, Coach Ginther, and Coach Garcia continue to take WVU Baseball to levels it has never reached before. I am 100% confident that Coach Sabins and this staff have the ability to do just that, and I am just as excited for the future of Mountaineer baseball now as I have ever been.”
“I love WVU Baseball, and I am very proud of what we have accomplished in my time here,” continued Mazey. “Amanda, Weston, Sierra and I have fallen in love with Morgantown, the people here, the fans, and the entire state of West Virginia. This is our home, and I will continue to help this baseball program within the community and the state to the best of my ability.
“However, since next season will be my last on the field, I do ask our great fans for their continued support to help make it our best season yet. Let’s Go!”
In Mazey’s 11 years with WVU, the Mountaineers have gone 336-250 while making NCAA Regional appearances in 2017, 2019, and 2023, the first appearances for West Virginia in a regional since 1996. The 2019 regional was also the first to take place in Morgantown since 1955.
The 2023 season was one of the most successful in program history as Mazey led the Mountaineers to a 40-20 record and a share of their first Big 12 regular-season championship, the first conference title for WVU since winning the Big East in 1996. The Mountaineers were also ranked in all the major polls throughout the season, which including peaking at No. 6. Mazey also earned Big 12 Coach of the Year for the second time in the last four full seasons.
Mazey has also coached 14 All-Americans during his tenure, which represents more than half of the program’s 26 total. A few of Mazey’s players to be named All-Americans include current major league pitcher Alek Manoah and rising junior JJ Wetherholt, who this past season became the first player in program history to be named a unanimous first-team All-American.
When Manoah was taken 11th overall by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2019 MLB Draft, it tied for the highest draft pick in program history. Overall, 37 players have been selected in the MLB Draft under Mazey in addition to eight players signing undrafted free agent deals. Out of those 45 players since Mazey took over in 2013, 15 are still playing professionally, including three at the highest level – Alek Manoah (Blue Jays), John Means (Orioles), and Michael Grove (Dodgers). Four more players, Carlson Reed (Pirates), Braden Barry (Blue Jays), Tevin Tucker (Rockies), and Landon Wallace (Angels), are set to join that group after being drafted or signing free agent deals in 2023.
“As Coach Mazey and I sat down after the season to evaluate and discuss the future of Mountaineer baseball, it became quite evident that he loves this program and wants it to flourish well after the conclusion of his career,” Baker said. “We discussed what a successful transition would look like and quickly came to the conclusion that Steve Sabins was the right person to lead our baseball team and strengthen our future.
“Coach Sabins has been an integral part of the program’s success and has been involved in all aspects of its operation. He has been by Coach Mazey’s side for eight successful years and as we solidify the future of Mountaineer baseball, continuity is the strength and key that will keep our program at the top of the Big 12.
“I want to thank Coach Mazey for building a winner and a conference champion here in Morgantown,” Baker added. “From what he inherited, with virtually no major college baseball facility, to the program he has built, Mountaineer Nation should be very proud of his achievements. I will certainly be there and looking forward to his final season leading the Mountaineers.”
Sabins joined the Mountaineer coaching staff in 2016 as an assistant coach before being elevated to Associate Head Coach ahead of the 2022 season. He has helped bring the West Virginia program to new heights as the Mountaineers have won 248 games and made three NCAA Regionals in the eight years Sabins has been in Morgantown.
Also serving as recruiting coordinator since 2018, the Mountaineers have consistently had top-40 recruiting classes ranked by Perfect Game, including top-25 classes in both 2021 and 2022. He also has a keen eye for finding unheralded recruits, most notably Wetherholt, who was the 32nd-ranked player in Pennsylvania in 2021 as well as just the 225th-ranked second baseman in the country.
Since Sabins joined the coaching staff, the Mountaineers have had 60 All-Big 12 selections, including 2019 Big 12 Pitcher of the Year in Manoah and 2023 Big 12 Player of the Year in Wetherholt. In the four years the current coaching staff has been together, which also includes Mark Ginther and Jacob Garcia, the Mountaineers have produced 23 All-Conference performers, including 13 in 2023, three of whom were first-team selections.
“I am beyond grateful to be named the next head baseball coach at West Virginia,” Sabins said. “I look forward to spending the 2024 season competing with Randy Mazey who is my close friend and mentor. It will be his final season and the celebration he deserves.
“Eight years ago, Coach Mazey took a risk on me and hired the youngest Power 5 assistant in the country. I was unproven with no direct ties to West Virginia. I will forever be grateful for the opportunity he gave me and my family. I’ve worked hard every day since to prove him right and make WVU proud. Tabitha and I have poured our energy into this community, welcomed two children, Charlee and Tucker, and Morgantown has become home.
“President Gee, Wren Baker, Matt Wells and the rest of the WVU leadership team have entrusted me with the responsibility of moving the program forward. I do not take that responsibility lightly – and never will,” Sabins added. “I am humbled and thankful for their belief in me. This opportunity could never become a reality without the quality student-athletes who have chosen, and continue to choose, to play baseball for West Virginia University, and the incredible coaches and staff in this program. Countless families have entrusted us with their sons, and together we have built WVU into a national baseball brand. I am blessed to be able to lead these young men and look forward to great things ahead.”
Before his time with the Mountaineers, Sabins was on the coaching staff at Oklahoma State for four years, serving as a graduate assistant, player development coordinator, and volunteer assistant. 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’s degree in educational leadership and higher education from Oklahoma State
