26-06-2025
Steve Sabins knows he has a path to build on WVU's baseball success
MORGANTOWN — After a second consecutive trip to a super regional, WVU baseball coach Steve Sabins stresses his recruiting pitch to recruits hasn't changed.
Other than the length of the pitch itself.
'When you're talking about going after guys who maybe have 15 different options with some high-level schools, I'd usually find a way to sneak myself into those conversations,' Sabins said. 'Usually, those conversations were much shorter than they are now.'
That's maybe the biggest impact of the Mountaineers' baseball success, which included a program-record 44 wins, a Big 12 regular-season title and three comeback victories to win the Clemson Regional to open the NCAA tournament in Sabins' first season as head coach.
Recruiting doors are opening. That's the good news, because Sabins now faces an immediate question: What the heck does he do for an encore?
He doesn't hesitate to answer the question.
'We're in a better part of the conversation now,' said Sabins, who was named the 2025 ABCA East Region Coach of the Year on Wednesday. 'More people appreciate our program. More recruits recognize our program.
'It doesn't just stay that way. You have to go out and keep proving it by doing it over and over again. You have to keep beating down the doors. You have to keep earning it.'
The talk of recruiting rankings is not a favorite for Sabins, who refers to the notion as a joke.
It's relayed to him that Sabins' incoming class of high school prospects and transfer portal additions is ranked right along some of the elite schools in the country.
'It's still a joke,' he fires back. 'Baseball recruiting is so unlike the other sports where you can rank guys by their size or 40-yard dash times or being able to leap out of the gym.
'There's more complexities to recruiting baseball and there's just no way to be accurate in projecting how 500 guys are going to perform at the next level.'
Joke or not, Sabins' incoming class will be asked to not only fill a lot of holes, but continue to build on WVU's level of success.
It's with that in mind, Sabins says he's found a niche by searching in places maybe other schools don't.
WVU's incoming class includes three Division II pitchers. One of them, Ian Korn, was the NCBWA Division II National Pitcher of the Year after going 11-2 with a 1.81 ERA at Seton Hill (Pa.).
Dawson Montesa, out of Adelphi University (Garden City, N.Y.) was a DII All-American and Chansen Cole went 7-5 with a 3.39 ERA as a freshman at DII Newberry State (S.C.)
This class comes on the heels of Griffin Kirn making the same jump from Division II to WVU's top starter this season and Derek Clark doing the same in 2024.
'That's something we can sell to these guys,' Sabins said. 'We have a track record now where we can tell them that we can take their potential and develop them into top-notch DI pitchers. We believe we have found a niche.'
On paper, WVU may have to replace its entire outfield, or at least two-thirds of it.
His top two starting pitchers are out of eligibility. The school's all-time home run leader is gone. The three-year starting catcher is likely gone, as it's expected Logan Sauve will be drafted high enough next month for him to bypass his senior season.
'That's the thing about rankings,' Sabins said. 'I've seen where we may be ranked as high as 13th in the nation, well, we have to replace half of our team next season.'
Since the invention of the transfer portal, that situation has become an expected reality across college sports.
Still, Sabins believes the cupboard is not bare.
After hitting .361 this season, Sam White had surgery on his injured shoulder. That may change how pro teams evaluate him for next month's draft.
'Every pro team will look at his medicals and they'll have to make that decision,' Sabins said. 'It could affect his draft status, or some teams may also see what he's accomplished to this point and still like him.'
Shortstop Brodie Kresser also had surgery and has the option of returning for one more college season.
There are utility men Armani Guzman and Gavin Kelly.
'They are superstars,' Sabins said. 'They are definitely two pieces you can build a program around. They are the future of the program.'
It's also quite possible Chase Meyer could develop into one of the top pitchers in the Big 12 after going 9-2 with a 3.94 ERA this season.
'Chase needs to lead the charge for us,' Sabins said. 'He's got to be one of those guys who goes out there with a chance to be dominant each and every time.'
