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Dominion Post
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Dominion Post
COLUMN: Manipulating the RPI is the next step for WVU baseball coach Steve Sabins
MORGANTOWN — My first venture into studying the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) came in 2007, after a WVU men's basketball team that had gone 22-9 through the end of the Big East tournament with wins against UConn and UCLA had been left out of the NCAA tournament. And you thought the Mountaineers were snubbed last season. Anyway, in the years that have followed, two things truly stand out about the RPI: ** There really isn't a better tool to gauge a team's strength of schedule. ** It can also be manipulated like silly putty. WVU baseball coach Steve Sabins has got to find a way to become a master manipulator. It's not exactly an easy thing to do as a college baseball coach in the part of the country where the state of West Virginia resides. Still, if the WVU program is headed where it seems to be headed — a perennial Top 25 program and super-regional contender — Sabins' ability to schedule games is going to become just as critical as any recruit he signs out of high school or the transfer portal. Because talent wins games, true, but it's that strength of schedule that determines a team's ultimate fate between always being a regional host or always heading out on the road for the NCAA tournament. First, let's get into some basic numbers. WVU's nonconference RPI strength of schedule this season was 176th in the nation. That's out of 307 Division I teams, which doesn't exactly look great on the surface. OK, but here's where a little more research comes in. LSU, which just won the national title, had a nonconference strength of schedule of 124. Texas — the No. 2 overall seed heading into the NCAA tourney — was at 152. Tennessee, the 2024 national champ, was at 179. WVU took a beating from the so-called experts of college baseball, because the theme was the Mountaineers didn't play anybody in the nonconference. You didn't hear that about LSU, though. It wasn't a story told about Texas or Tennessee. Why? Because once SEC play began, the overall strength of schedules for those schools shot up like a rocket. All three schools finished with an overall strength of schedule no higher than 22nd in the nation. WVU finished with the 78th toughest overall schedule, which included the Clemson Regional games and the super regional against LSU. 'I think that's why I have a difficult time discussing the RPI and some of those factors,' Sabins said. 'There is really only so much you can do and it's an uneven system.' Meanwhile, the Big 12 season isn't exactly a stroll in the park, but WVU and Arizona were the only Big 12 schools to finish the season ranked in the Top 25. The SEC had seven of the top 15 and 11 of the top 30, so of course SEC coaches know they have the conference season to fall back on. They essentially don't have to schedule anyone other than cupcakes in the nonconference and then hope for the best once conference play begins. No one else — not even ACC coaches — have that luxury. So, is it an 'uneven' system, as Sabins suggested? You bet your baseballs it is. This is where Sabins' ability to manipulate the system is crucial. The problem: 'It comes down to you only having four weeks of nonconference games to start the season,' Sabins said. 'It's not like it's 10 weeks. And then, oh by the way, it's still snowing in West Virginia for three of those weeks, so you have to travel south. You can't play midweek games in West Virginia then, either, so you end up asking for a four-game series.' That is the unfortunate geography mismatch that exists in college baseball, where every school north of Nashville, Tenn. is at a disadvantage in an outdoor sport that begins play on Valentine's Day. 'You don't want to fill your schedule with cupcakes,' Sabins continued. 'But the truth of it is, everybody is playing then. It's not like there are a bunch of good teams searching for games. You kind of get stuck with playing who is willing to play.' Here is where the RPI can be easily manipulated, and we offer up Hawaii's nonconference schedule as the perfect example. Hawaii played the second-toughest nonconference schedule in the country this season, so you'd believe that schedule was filled with multiple Top 25 teams and maybe even a couple of series against teams from the American League East, right? Far from it. Hawaii played just one four-game series against a Top 25-ranked team (No. 4 Oregon State), while the rest of its nonconference schedule was Marshall, Wichita State, a mid-major darling in Northeastern and then one game against USC. Now, that doesn't exactly look like a gauntlet, but you don't need a gauntlet to manipulate the RPI. It's really not so much about which schools you can get to agree to play you more than understanding which schools to avoid playing. WVU played 13 nonconference games last season against schools ranked 201st or higher in the RPI. Hawaii played none, that's the difference. So, how can Sabins approach future scheduling? He believes playing true road games is a boost to an RPI rating, which is true to a point. To that end, WVU was a stellar 24-7 in true road games this season. But, if it becomes a question of playing a four-game road series against a team ranked 214th in the RPI or playing a neutral-site game against a team in the top 75, the neutral-site game is the way to go. This is where early-season college baseball tournaments come into play. To my surprise, there are literally two dozen of them to choose from. One of them is actually played in Surprise (Ariz.), the site of the 2026 Big 12 tournament. You don't hear much about them, because they are played at the height of the college basketball seasons and only a week, or so after the Super Bowl. But each one can offer three or four solid RPI matchups against other Power Conference schools who otherwise would never even consider playing the Mountaineers. WVU traditionally hasn't played in them and hasn't done so since J.J. Wetherholt was a freshman. 'Getting in some of those tournaments is something I think we have to look at for the future,' Sabins said. It would go a long way toward eliminating the theme of WVU not playing anyone. It could also be the next evolutionary step for Sabins' coaching career, because he's already proven to be ideal otherwise. Recruiting, developing players, winning — Sabins is right there. Learning to manipulate the RPI has got to be next on his list.
Dominion Post
2 days ago
- Sport
- Dominion Post
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.'
USA Today
5 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
SEC Power Rankings: New No. 1 team atop conference to conclude 2025 season
Likely the premier conference in college baseball during the regular season, the NCAA Tournament delivered some mixed results for the SEC as a whole. For example, during the regional round alone, the SEC was certainly among the biggest talking points after sending 13 teams to the NCAA Tournament, as nine of them would not make it past that round. As a result, the SEC then sent only four teams to the super regionals, two of which faced each other. Following the ensuing series' as well, two SEC teams then advanced to Omaha for the Men's College World Series, each of which made a deep run. So, following an action packed postseason for the conference, let's take a look at the final SEC baseball power rankings of the 2025 season to see which team sits atop the group to finish the year. 16. Missouri Tigers Missouri was one-of-three SEC teams to not make the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers ended the year with a 16-39 overall record (3-27 in SEC). 15. South Carolina Gamecocks South Carolina was the second SEC team to not make the NCAA Tournament this season. The Gamecocks ended the year with a record of 28-29 overall (6-24 in SEC). 14. Texas A&M Aggies Texas A&M was final of the three SEC teams to not make the NCAA Tournament this season. The Aggies concluded the season at 30-26 overall (11-19 in SEC). 13. Kentucky Wildcats Playing in the Clemson Regional, Kentucky reached the championship game with victories over USC Upstate and Clemson, but saw their season come to an end with a loss against West Virginia. The Wildcats' second one-run defeat at the hands of the Mountaineers during the Clemson Regional, Kentucky ended the season at 31-26 overall (13-17 in SEC). 12. Mississippi State Bulldogs Playing in the Tallahassee Regional, Mississippi State won two games over Northeastern, but suffered a pair of losses to host Florida State that ended their season in the championship game. Mississippi State's record to end the season is 36-23 overall (15-15 in SEC). 11. Alabama Crimson Tide Alabama had a disappointing showing in the Hattiesburg Regional, dropping a pair of close games at the hands of Miami and Southern Miss. The Crimson Tide end the season on a three-game losing streak, as well as with a 41-18 overall record (16-14 in SEC). 10. Florida Gators Playing in the Conway Regional, Florida defeated Fairfield, but dropped both games against East Carolina to fall just short of the championship game. The Gators ended the season with an overall record of 39-22 (15-15 in SEC). 9. Oklahoma Sooners Oklahoma had an impressive showing in the Chapel Hill Regional that included two victories over Nebraska, as well as a record of 2-1 against host North Carolina which featured a defeat in the decisive winner-take-all championship game. The Sooners ended the season with a 38-22 overall record (14-16 in SEC). 8. Georgia Bulldogs Hosting the Athens Regional, Georgia opened postseason play with a dominant win over Binghamton, but were later defeated by both Duke and Oklahoma State in close games to fall short of the championship game. A disappointing end to the season for Georgia, the Bulldogs end the year at 43-17 overall (18-12 in SEC). 7. Texas Longhorns Hosting the Austin Regional, the SEC regular season champions reached the championship game following victories over Houston Christian and Kansas State, but were upset for the second time by UTSA in the regional to end their season. Texas finishes their first season in the conference at 44-14 overall (22-8 in SEC). 6. Ole Miss Rebels After opening the Oxford Regional with a loss to Murray State, Ole Miss then rattled off three consecutive victories over Western Kentucky, Georgia Tech, and the Racers to set up a decisive winner-take-all game. However, Ole Miss would drop that game to Murray State, 12-11, ending the season at 43-21 overall (16-14 in SEC). 5. Vanderbilt Commodores The No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, Vanderbilt hosted the Nashville Regional where they opened play with a win over Wright State, but went on to suffer a pair of one-run losses to Louisville and the Raiders. After winning the SEC Tournament, Vanderbilt ends the season with a 43-18 overall record (19-11 in SEC). 4. Auburn Tigers After sweeping the Auburn Regional with wins over Central Connecticut State, Stetson, and NC State, the Tigers were the first-of-four SEC teams to advance to super regionals in which Auburn was also the host, but dropped both games against Coastal Carolina to fall just short of Omaha. The Tigers ended the season at 41-20 overall (17-13 in SEC). 3. Tennessee Volunteers Despite a loss to Wake Forest, Tennessee won the Knoxville Regional with victories over Miami (OH), Cincinnati, and the Demon Deacons, but then followed that up with a series sweep at Arkansas in the Fayetteville Super Regional to fall short of Omaha. The Volunteers end their 2025 season at 46-19 overall (16-14 in SEC). 2. Arkansas Razorbacks Arkansas swept through the regional and super regional rounds of the NCAA Tournament with victories over North Dakota State, Creighton, and Tennessee to make it to Omaha, and then picked up wins over Murray State and UCLA in the College World Series. The Razorbacks however fell twice to LSU in Omaha, one of which was in the national semifinals, and as a result, end the season at 50-15 overall (20-10 in SEC). 1. LSU Tigers The 2025 national champions, LSU's lone blemish on their way to lifting the trophy in Omaha was a regional defeat to Little Rock, with the Tigers defeating each of Little Rock, Dallas Baptist, West Virginia, Arkansas, UCLA, and Coastal Carolina along the way. LSU's season ends with an overall record of 53-15 (19-11 in SEC). Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion.
USA Today
19-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Former Clemson, South Carolina player in transfer portal commits to third different team
Former Clemson, South Carolina player in transfer portal commits to third different team Former Clemson Tigers infielder Nolan Nawrocki is set to make it three different college baseball programs in as many seasons. Nawrocki, primarily the Tigers' third baseman in 2024 who transferred to rival South Carolina after that season and then entered the portal again this summer, announced his latest transfer destination on Wednesday. Nawrocki will play for the Tulane Green Wave and coach Jay Uhlman, he said in a post to social media. Nawrocki committed to Clemson in 2022 and redshirted with the Tigers in 2023 before splitting time between third base and DH in 2024. Nawrocki batted .264 for the Tigers with four home runs and 24 RBIs in 36 games. With South Carolina and coach Paul Mainieri this past season, Nawrocki appeared in 14 games and hit .200 (8-for-40) with one home run and seven RBIs. The Gamecocks finished 6-24 in SEC play, placing ahead of only 3-27 Missouri in the conference standings. Nawrocki was involved in a rather intense moment this season when Clemson and South Carolina met to open the annual Palmetto State series on Feb. 28 at Doug Kingsmore Stadium, receiving a memorable stare-down from Tigers starter Aidan Knaak after striking out to end the top of the first. Clemson won the game, 5-3, and swept the Gamecocks for the second straight season. The Tigers finished 45-18 overall this past season, falling to West Virginia and Kentucky at the Clemson Regional of the NCAA Tournament. Contact us @Clemson_Wire on X, and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Clemson Tigers news and notes, plus opinions.
USA Today
16-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Clemson outfielder Cam Cannarella gets new 2025 MLB draft projection
Clemson outfielder Cam Cannarella gets new 2025 MLB draft projection The 2025 MLB Draft is set for July 13-14 during All-Star Week festivities in Atlanta, and Clemson baseball has its own star hoping to hear his name called on day one. That player, of course, is outfielder Cam Cannarella, who put together a terrific season as a junior. Cannarella hit .353 overall with five home runs and 22 doubles, posting an on-base percentage of .479 in 61 games. He closed the year with a 22-game hitting streak and went 8-for-14 in the Clemson Regional of the NCAA Tournament, finishing with two home runs and two doubles in his final college showcase. Over the weekend, veteran baseball analyst Jim Callis of published his updated 2025 MLB mock draft. Callis has Cannarella going to the New York Mets with the No. 38 overall selection as a supplemental first-round pick. A recent mock draft last week by USA TODAY Sports had Cannarella going slightly higher at No. 30 overall to the Baltimore Orioles. In three years at Clemson for coach Erik Bakich, Cannarella batted .360 with 23 home runs, 54 doubles and a combined 1.004 OPS. In the field, he made a memorable Willie Mays-styled catch in the 2023 Clemson Super Regional in front of a national audience watching on ESPN. Clemson has had 20 players taken in the first round of an MLB draft dating back to 1968. Infielder Logan Davidson was the last Tigers player selected in the first round and was the No. 29 overall by the Athletics in 2019. The first round of the 2025 MLB draft will be televised on ESPN, with subsequent rounds broadcast and streamed on MLB Network. The draft will feature 20 rounds over two days. Contact us @Clemson_Wire on X, and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Clemson Tigers news and notes, plus opinions.
