When Randy Mazey first stepped foot onto West Virginia’s campus in 2013, their Baseball program was perceived to be average at best. 11 years later, Mazey leaves the once considered as an afterthought WVU program as one of the top up-and-coming teams in the nation. 

How did we get here?

One of WVU’s biggest problems faced was building a new baseball facility for their team and its location. Mazey pushed for the ballpark ,and a deal was made in 2013 for the new stadium to be built. Its new residence being an off-campus complex in Granville, WV. Construction was completed in 2015, and contained 2,500 seats with additional seating possible in a hillside, a park and a fan deck. The first year saw the attendance average around 1800. The team, led by Ryan McBroom, finished 3rd in the Big 12. The next couple of years saw the Mountaineers have varied success, bouncing anywhere between 4th and 8th from 2014 – 2022. They produced talents such as Alek Monaoh, John Means, Victor Scott II, Michael Grove, and Jackson Wolf, among many others during that time. To date, Mazey has sent 35 players to the draft as well as 9 players signing as undrafted free agents. 

2023

The rise of the Mountaineers was showcased in 2023 with the emergence of a generational talent in infielder J.J. Wetherholt, who grew up just an hour north of WVU in Mars, PA. He hit for a .449 batting average, 101 hits, 16 home runs, 36 stolen bases and 60 RBIs. Braden Barry, Tevin Tucker, Caleb McNeely and Landon Wallace were the supporting cast to lead WVU to a 40-20 overall record, tied for first in the Big 12. Carlson Reed, Blaine Trexel, and Ben Hampton were the stars on the mound in their efforts. Though falling short in the Big 12 playoffs, they did enough to make the NCAA Regional Finals but ultimately were eliminated by the juggernaut that was Kentucky. For once in WVU baseball fans minds, there was hope, the product was good, attendance was up, and they realized they could hang with the top dogs in the SEC and ACC.

2024

Though losing Reed, Barry, McNeely, and others to the draft, WVU still had Wetherholt for one more season along with many up-and-coming underclassmen. Through the transfer portal, they added LHP Derek Clark and Tyler Switalski, RHP Hambleton Oliver and Hayden Cooper, UTIL Ben Lumsden, OF Kyle West, and INF Reed Chumley. These additions ended up playing a pivotal role for the Mountaineers, but things looked gloomy to start the year. JJ Wetherholt was sidelined for much of the first half of the season due to a hamstring injury. Fellow starters Derek Clark and Robby Porco also sustained injuries as well. Junior Aidan Major took over that role as starter and looked great, striking out 77 batters in 66 innings. Clark eventually returned to the rotation and became dominant pitching 4 complete games, with a 3.23 ERA, alongside Switalski, they made an impactful 1-2-3 in the rotation. Catcher Logan Sauve and OF Sam White both emerged as stars in Wetherholt’s absence and kept the Mountaineers in contention upon his return. First baseman Grant Hussey broke the all-time home run record with now 37 in his career. WVU finished 36-24, 4th in the Big 12. Once again bounced early in the Big 12 playoffs, WVU found themselves back at Regionals. 

2024 Regionals

The Mountaineers pool of play featured Arizona, Dallas Baptist, and Grand Canyon. The #3 ranked Mountaineers first task was Dallas Baptist and taking them down by a score of 4-1. Clark pitched a complete game striking out 8 batters in 101 pitches. Logan Sauve’s 3 run homerun in the third inning proved to be the dealbreaker. Moving on they faced Grand Canyon for a spot in the finals game. They took down GCU 5-2 on the back of Switalski’s 7 ⅓ 103-pitch outing. 4 runs in the 4th inning from Brodie Kresser, Ben Lumsden, and Skylar King advanced WVU to the finals where they coincidentally met GCU again. After a disastrous start allowing 3 runs in the first, Aidan Major came in and kept WVU alive with 4.2 innings of work followed by surprise arm Carson Estridge and a save by Derek Clark to advance WVU to the Super Regionals in a 10-6 victory. Sauve, White, Hussey, and Chumley all ended the night with multiple RBIs. 

2024 Super Regionals

WVU now found themselves two wins away from the College World Series but first had to take on the #4 ranked North Carolina Tar Heels. To no one’s surprise, Clark got the ball in game one of this best-of-three series. Kyle West got the party started with a solo shot in the 3rd but the Tar Heels responded with 4 runs in the 4th. West would continue his hot streak with an RBI single in the 4th, and then a 2-run blast to take the lead in the 6th.  Chumley also added a home run in the 6th as WVU led 6-4. NC would blast one in the 7th to make it a one-score game but Derek Clark stood tall. In the 9th he let up a solo shot to tie the game finishing his night with 144 pitches. Aidan Major came in to hopefully send it to extras but Vance Honeycutt walked it off. 

The next game saw WVU trying to come back from behind in a pitcher’s dual game. Switalski gave up a first-pitch homer to Honeycutt and then also scored in the 7th. Carson Estridge then came in and struck 6 of the next 9 batters. Ultimately besides loading the bases in the 9th, WVU fell short 2-1. 

What’s next?

WVU came just two lucky bounces away from finding themselves in the College World Series. With Mazey leaving, the assistant coach and top recruiter Steve Sabins takes over and is keeping most of the core guys around. Chumley, Oliver, Cooper, and Clark are out of eligibility and will look to turn pro. J.J. Wetherholt is a lock to go in the top 10 draft picks and more than likely Aidan Major will get taken in the first handful of rounds. There is a slight possibility of losing Grant Hussey, Kyle West, Brodie Kresser, Tyler Switalski, and Logan Sauve to the draft but the chance of return is high. Skylar King, Sam White, Spencer Barnett, and Ben Lumsden will return to the lineup. Robby Porco and J.J. Glasscock will both return from injury and they still have Estridge in the bullpen. David Hageman, Max Yehl, and Gavin Van Kempen along with some transfers will round out the rotation but with most of the core seemingly returning, the future is bright for WVU fans. What once was a spot many players saw as a last resort d1 program, is now on the verge of greatness.