MORGANTOWN — Randy Mazey’s 12th season at WVU will be his final one as head coach of the Mountaineer baseball team.
Mazey and the university announced a transition process Monday, in that Mazey — WVU’s head coach since 2013 — will step down after the 2024 season and longtime assistant Steve Sabins will become the school’s head coach.
Mazey will then move into a 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 in a statement released by the school. “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.”
Mazey has signed a new three-year contract outlining the transition. Sabins, too, has signed a new contract that will make him the head coach in 2025 and through the 2029 season.
Details of the contracts were not released. The Dominion Post has requested both contracts through the Freedom of Information Act.
“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.”
Under an extension signed in 2019, Mazey was earning $415,000 per year through the 2025 season.
In his 11 seasons, Mazey has guided the Mountaineers to three NCAA tournaments and is 336-250 overall.
WVU finished 40-20 last season, just the second time in program history the team won 40 games. The Mountaineers won a share of their first Big 12 regular-season championship.
WVU saw 37 players selected in baseball’s amateur draft during Mazey’s tenure.
“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.”
WVU athletic director Wren Baker worked with Mazey to figure out the school’s transition process.
“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.”
Sabins joined the WVU coaching staff in 2016 as an assistant coach before being elevated to Associate Head Coach ahead of the 2022 season. He has also served as the program’s recruiting coordinator since 2018.
“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.”
Sabins played part of his college career at Oklahoma State and then was part of the Cowboys’ staff for four years prior to coming to WVU.
At Oklahoma State, Sabins served as a graduate assistant, player development coordinator, and volunteer assistant.
Baker said he had full confidence in Sabins’ ability to take over the program.
“Coach Sabins has been an integral part of the program’s success and has been involved in all aspects of its operation,” Baker said. “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.”
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