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Randy Mazey, more than just a coach

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — It ain’t about the game you’re playin’, it’s about the game your livin’. I use the phrase often to summarize when I see an athlete doing humanitarian work. Sadly, we don’t see it enough. Too often we are treated to a big play followed by an athlete thumping his own chest and proclaiming he is the center of the world. From where I sit, the good ones don’t need to show off, people notice a stand out performance, whether it’s on the field or off.

A year ago after Mountaineer baseball Coach Randy Mazey finished his first season in Morgantown I learned he was an avid fisherman. I decided to try and contact the coach to see if he’d be interested in a fishing trip. I figured it was as good an excuse as any to get on a river. I could also turn it into an episode of Ram Trucks West Virginia Outdoors. The coach was not only interested, he was ready to go the moment I suggested it.

“The only thing I’d rather be doing is playing in the College World Series,” he laughed.

You learn a lot about a man when you go fishing with him. I’d sought him out for a story, which I got. However, I came away with much more.  I gained a fishing buddy, a heaping helping of respect, and a lasting friend.

You see Mazey is cut from a different cloth than many coaches we know today. Mazey certainly believes his job is to win games, but the bigger job is to mold young men into productive citizens. You can teach a guy to hit a fastball, turn a double-play, or backhand a hot grounder, but those lessons only last a few years and soon their playing days are over. But when you intertwine those lessons with helping out a neighbor in need by volunteering your time, you created the foundation of a solid man. You laid the groundwork for a young man to become a good father, husband, and citizen. Mazey doesn’t order his players to do this, he leads by example.

This past Saturday, I attended the team’s Lead Off dinner in Morgantown. Among the speakers was Mark Ellerd of Moore, Oklahoma. Mazey and the Mountaineers ended up with nothing to do at the end of the Big XII tournament in May and helped Ellerd pick up pieces of his house, and his life, after a devastating tornado. A nervous Ellerd went to the podium and gave a heartfelt thanks to the team publicly. He commented on the kind of leadership it took for such a tremendous act of kindness.

Mazey mentioned going into Moore that day was voluntary. He didn’t require a single player to help out, but said he was going and anybody who wanted to join him was welcome. Not surprisingly, the whole team showed up.

Four weeks ago when the Kanawha Valley endured the water emergency, the Mountaineer baseball team helped the Monongalia County Office of Emergency Services with a bottled water drive. The water was trucked to 300,000 thirsty folks in Charleston.

Under Mazey’s guidance, the Mountaineer baseball team has amassed more community service hours (600) than any other WVU sport.

The Mountaineer baseball program is headed in a tremendous direction. A new stadium will be in place by next season and it will be the envy of the entire Big XII conference. The program  will attract top players who will undoubtedly win a lot of games and likely wind up in the College World Series before long. However, amid those victories and accolades will be a man with an humble spirit and a giving heart. He’ll take greater pride in watching his team give of themselves to the community, than the wins they produce on the field.

West Virginia is blessed to have Randy Mazey coaching their team. If you can, you should mark your calender to attend some or all of the WVU baseball games this season and support the program.

Because, it ain’t about the game you’re playin’, it’s about the game you’re livin’.







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