After a commanding three-game sweep of Houston, the West Virginia Mountaineers returned home with the best overall and road record in all of Division I college baseball. Now sitting at 30-4 overall and 10-3 in the Big 12, the Mountaineers have won 18 of 19 road games this season as they head into another road test Tuesday at Marshall.
Head coach Steve Sabins, in his first season at the helm, credits the team’s success to West Virginia’s core values of grit, perseverance, and a no-excuses mentality.
“The school and the state take a lot of pride in grit,” Sabins said. “You show up every day, work hard, and things have lined up for us.”
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Ranked No. 24 in the D1Baseball.com Top 25, WVU has already strung together two double-digit win streaks this season. Their current 10-game streak includes victories over power conference opponents like BYU, Ohio State, Pitt, Utah, and now Houston.
In Houston, WVU dominated with a 9-2 win on Friday and an 11-4 win on Sunday, while also showing resilience in a close 9-8 Saturday victory — one of their four one-run wins this year.
Despite a new coaching staff, the loss of a first-round MLB draft pick (JJ Wetherholt), and key injuries to stars like Logan Sauve and Sam White, the Mountaineers have exceeded all expectations.
“The players are good, and the competition is real,” Sabins said. “You can’t rest on your laurels at all.”
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The stats back that up.
- 10 players have multiple home runs; 7 of them have at least 3.
- 10 players are hitting over .300, with Sam White leading at .380 in 25 games.
- WVU boasts a team batting average of .320, second-best in the Big 12.
- The team has a 63-stolen base advantage over opponents (86 to 23) and 13 fewer errors.
- Their 3.81 ERA leads the Big 12 and ranks 14th nationally.
According to Sabins, what separates this team is not just talent — it’s mindset.
“If you care too much about polls or player awards, you get complacent,” he said. “This team appears to have a larger goal in mind.”
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That greater goal? Winning it all. And with 10 more wins, they’ll tie the program’s single-season record.
Sabins believes their consistent performances stem from hunger, belief, and the experience of players who were part of last year’s NCAA Super Regional team.
“You get a taste of what winning looks like, and you start believing you can do it,” he said. “That’s what’s required in order to actually win.”
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West Virginia isn’t just chasing wins — they’re chasing history.
