The West Virginia Mountaineers are off to a hot start in the NCAA Tournament, opening the Morgantown Regional with a win against Binghamton on Friday. Now, they're set to advance in the winner's bracket against Kentucky on Saturday afternoon. But as the postseason presses on, something a little ominous hangs over the program.
Reports have been indicating that WVU baseball head coach Steve Sabins has become a top target for the South Carolina Gamecocks in their coaching search. The Gamecocks play in the SEC, widely regarded as the top conference in college baseball, and have made 11 College World Series appearances and 35 NCAA Tournament appearances over the course of their program history.
Steve Sabins top candidate for South Carolina opening
The Gamecocks parted ways with former head coach Paul Mainieri after 1 1/2 seasons, which saw him the team go 28-29 and miss the 2025 NCAA Tournament, and then start 12-11 this season. Now, they're in the market for another coach, and according to reports, Steve Sabins is one of two leading candidates for the gig.
According to @KendallRogers with @d1baseball, Kevin Schnall and Steve Sabins are the leading candidates for the South Carolina head coaching job barring any last second surprises. https://t.co/cySiSxoYeN pic.twitter.com/6Pv4YBjOJ9
— The Sarge Daily (@TheSargeDaily) May 29, 2026
It should come as no surprise to West Virginia fans that Sabins is getting this attention, as he's done quite the tremendous job since taking over the program. Randy Mazey left the Mountaineers in a good spot when he retired after the 2024 season, but Sabins certainly picked the ball up and ran with it.
He won the Big 12 regular season championship and led the Mountaineers to their winningest season ever and their second straight Super Regional appearance, and followed that up this season with a second-place finish in the conference and leading the Mountaineers to regional host status for the first time in seven years.
But regardless of what the future holds for the Sabins or West Virginia, there is still work to be done to close out the 2026 season on a high note. And to do that, the Mountaineers will need to start with another win on Saturday.
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