MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Randy Mazey will give it one more go as manager of West Virginia’s baseball program before calling it a coaching career.
WVU Director of Athletics Wren Baker announced Monday that Mazey has decided the 2024 baseball season will be his final year as the Mountaineers’ head coach before Mazey transitions to a senior advisor role within the baseball program.
At that time, current associate head coach Steve Sabins will take over as the program’s 20th head coach on a five-year contract through 2029.
Under a new three-year deal, Mazey’s 12th season as WVU head coach will be his last, before he moves into the senior advisor role for the 2025 and 2026 seasons.
“I would like to thank President Gee, Wren Baker, and Matt Wells for their tremendous support of our baseball program,” Mazey said. “I would also like to thank Oliver Luck and Keli Zinn for giving me the opportunity to come to WVU and bring our baseball program to a Top 25 level. I am not stepping down, I am stepping aside after the 2024 season to let Coach Sabins, Coach Ginther, and Coach Garcia continue to take WVU Baseball to levels it has never reached before. I am 100% confident that Coach Sabins and this staff have the ability to do just that, and I am just as excited for the future of Mountaineer baseball now as I have ever been.”
Head Coach Randy Mazey has decided that the upcoming 2024 season will be his last.
Associate Head Coach Steve Sabins will succeed Mazey as the 20th head coach in program history at the conclusion of the 2024 season.
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Sabins’ promotion recognizes his significant impact on the program over the last eight seasons. A 2011 graduate of Embry-Riddle who received his Master’s from Oklahoma State in 2013, Sabins worked as a graduate assistant, player development coordinator and volunteer assistant for the Cowboys before joining the WVU staff in 2016.
“I am beyond grateful to be named the next head baseball coach at West Virginia,” Sabins said. “I look forward to spending the 2024 season competing with Randy Mazey who is my close friend and mentor. It will be his final season and the celebration he deserves.
Sabins was an assistant coach with the Mountaineers from 2016-21 and has served as recruiting coordinator since 2018.
“As Coach Mazey and I sat down after the season to evaluate and discuss the future of Mountaineer baseball, it became quite evident that he loves this program and wants it to flourish well after the conclusion of his career,” Baker said. “We discussed what a successful transition would look like and quickly came to the conclusion that Steve Sabins was the right person to lead our baseball team and strengthen our future.
“Coach Sabins has been an integral part of the program’s success and has been involved in all aspects of its operation. He has been by Coach Mazey’s side for eight successful years and as we solidify the future of Mountaineer baseball, continuity is the strength and key that will keep our program at the top of the Big 12.”
Mazey, 57, has helped the Mountaineers reach new heights over his 11 seasons in Morgantown. WVU is 336-250 during that time with NCAA Regional appearances in 2017, 2019 and 2023. The 2017 appearance marked the program’s first in a regional in 21 years. When WVU reached that stage again two years later, it marked the Mountaineers first time hosting a regional since 1955.
This year, Mazey helped lead the Mountaineers a 40-20 record and a share of the Big 12 championship. The 40 victories tied the 1994 team for the single-season school record.
“I want to thank Coach Mazey for building a winner and a conference champion here in Morgantown,” Baker said. “From what he inherited, with virtually no major college baseball facility, to the program he has built, Mountaineer Nation should be very proud of his achievements. I will certainly be there and looking forward to his final season leading the Mountaineers.”
Fourteen of West Virginia’s 26 All-Americans have played for Mazey, and one — JJ Wetherholt returns in 2024 for his junior campaign after becoming the program’s first unanimous first-team All-American.
Mazey’s son, Weston Mazey, plays baseball at Morgantown High School and is set to join the Mountaineer program upon graduating in 2025.
“I love WVU Baseball, and I am very proud of what we have accomplished in my time here,” Mazey said. “Amanda, Weston, Sierra and I have fallen in love with Morgantown, the people here, the fans, and the entire state of West Virginia. This is our home, and I will continue to help this baseball program within the community and the state to the best of my ability.
“However, since next season will be my last on the field, I do ask our great fans for their continued support to help make it our best season yet. Let’s Go!”
Sabins began his collegiate playing career at Angelina Community College before attending Daytona Beach Community College. It was there Sabins was recruited to play at Oklahoma State, and following a medical redshirt season with the Cowboys, Sabins transferred to Embry-Riddle. He wound up being named Sun Conference Player of the Year and an NAIA All-American before embarking on a coaching career that has now spanned slightly more than a decade.
“Eight years ago, Coach Mazey took a risk on me and hired the youngest Power 5 assistant in the country,” Sabins said. “I was unproven with no direct ties to West Virginia. I will forever be grateful for the opportunity he gave me and my family. I’ve worked hard every day since to prove him right and make WVU proud. Tabitha and I have poured our energy into this community, welcomed two children, Charlee and Tucker, and Morgantown has become home.
“President Gee, Wren Baker, Matt Wells and the rest of the WVU leadership team have entrusted me with the responsibility of moving the program forward. I do not take that responsibility lightly — and never will,” Sabins added. “I am humbled and thankful for their belief in me. This opportunity could never become a reality without the quality student-athletes who have chosen, and continue to choose, to play baseball for West Virginia University, and the incredible coaches and staff in this program. Countless families have entrusted us with their sons, and together we have built WVU into a national baseball brand. I am blessed to be able to lead these young men and look forward to great things ahead.”