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WVU baseball coach Randy Mazey awarded high honor

By Matthew Peaslee

WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 14: A ball sits in the glove of a Washington Nationals player during the Nationals game against the Atlanta Braves at Nationals Park on September 14, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 14: A ball sits in the glove of a Washington Nationals player during the Nationals game against the Atlanta Braves at Nationals Park on September 14, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /
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Randy Mazey grew up in the Pittsburgh area, so he has always been somewhat familiar with the Pittsburgh Pirates and the WVU baseball team.

A native of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Mazey has been across the country coaching baseball. In recent years, he has been able to settle in close to home and take the WVU baseball team to new heights.

For his efforts, Coach Mazey is being recognized with an honor in memory of another great regional baseball coach. It was announced this week that Randy Mazey will receive the Chuck Tanner Coach of the Year award given out by the Rotary Club of Pittsburgh.

Tanner was a longtime manager for the Pirates who led the team to the 1979 World Series title. Tanner hailed from New Castle, Pennsylvania just up the road from Three Rivers Stadium back in the 1970s.

In six years with the WVU baseball team, Mazey has a record of 160-127, playing in the Big 12 which is one of the most powerful leagues in all of college baseball. Mazey has been able to recruit players from outside the tri-state area and has built the Mountaineers into a highly competitive team in a highly competitive league.

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Being named a Chuck Tanner Coach of the Year is a great honor and it is something that could give Mazey another recruiting edge moving forward into the Pittsburgh area. There are some great high school baseball programs in Western Pennsylvania, though there is just one player from the Pittsburgh area on the team. Jacob Potock is a 6-foot-5, left-handed pitcher from Glenshaw, just north of Downtown Pittsburgh.

Mazey will be in Pittsburgh to receive his award on Nov. 9, as part of the Chuck Tanner Awards Banquet at The Rivers Club in Downtown Pittsburgh. Former MLB player Sean Casey, a native of the Pittsburgh area, is also receiving an award.

"“I am incredibly honored to receive this award,” Mazey told WVUsports.com. “It is a true credit to the program as a whole, starting with the players, staff and administration. It wouldn’t be possible without an entire team effort. Chuck Tanner was a very successful manager for many years, and it is an honor to be presented with an award with such a prestigious name associated with it.”"

Randy Mazey is the perfect person to be leading the WVU baseball team as it continues to grow and shapes up to be one of the top teams in the Big 12 and in the eastern part of the country. Seeing him be rightfully awarded with this Chuck Tanner Coach of the Year award is a great accomplishment. It shows that West Virginia is a great program with a great leader.

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It’s going to be exciting to see what Mazey can do with this WVU baseball team in the future. Morgantown may soon, if it isn’t already, become a haven for the top baseball talent in the country.

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