WVU Baseball Coach Steve Sabins Wins National Coach of the Year Award

West Virginia baseball coach Steve Sabins has been named the 2026 Mike Martin National Coach of the Year by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. The award arrives as the Mountaineers prepare for their program's inaugural appearance in the Men's College World Series. Sabins received the honor hours before WVU faced Troy in Omaha, Nebraska, capping a transformative tenure that has fundamentally reshaped the program.

A Historic Turnaround

In just two seasons as head coach, Sabins has guided West Virginia to unprecedented success. The Mountaineers have compiled a 89-31 record across his two campaigns, with consecutive seasons exceeding 44 victories—both marking the winningest years in program history. This season, WVU finished with a 45-15 overall record and a particularly strong 17-3 mark since May, including five consecutive victories.

The path to Omaha demonstrated the program's competitive elevation. After victories over Wake Forest and Kentucky in the Morgantown Regional, WVU swept Cal Poly in the Super Regional with dominant performances of 12-2 and 17-1. The Mountaineers became only the third team in the Super Regional era to win a series with two victories by 10 or more runs. As a No. 16 national seed, this advancement required defeating three consecutive elimination games.

Sabins' Journey to Leadership

Sabins' rise to the head coaching position reflects a methodical climb through baseball's ranks. The Austin, Texas native played college baseball at four institutions—Angelina Community College, Daytona Beach Community College, Oklahoma State, and Embry-Riddle—ultimately earning Sun Conference Player of the Year and NAIA All-American honors in 2011. After managing a Futures Wooden Bat League team to both regular-season and postseason titles, he joined Oklahoma State's coaching staff as a graduate assistant in 2012.

Randy Mazey brought Sabins to West Virginia as a full-time assistant coach in 2016, promoting him to recruiting coordinator two years later and associate head coach four years thereafter. When Mazey stepped down following the 2024 Chapel Hill Super Regional, Sabins assumed control of a program poised for growth. Sabins has attributed his success to learning through extensive trial and error in recruiting and player development, developing what he describes as an improved ability to identify traits that correlate with collegiate baseball success.

Wren Baker, WVU's Vice President and Director of Athletics, emphasized Sabins' integration of technological advancement with traditional values. Baker noted that Sabins' commitment to family and community has resonated throughout the program. The NCBWA Executive Director Bo Carter stated that Sabins "accomplished what some might have thought impossible 30-40 years ago by qualifying West Virginia for the World Series."