Just about everyone around the West Virginia baseball program is as thrilled as could be after the Mountaineers made a historic run that saw them earn a trip to the College World Series and advance to the Final Four of the event before bowing out to eventual national runner-up North Carolina.
Steve Sabins has talked since the end of the season about how happy he is with the team's "miraculous" postseason run, and that WVU is a program that he feels is capable of winning a national championship. And now, with the final Top 25 rankings released, it's becoming even more clear that the Mountaineers are garnering respect for their efforts.
West Virginia Mountaineers honored with Top 5 finish in final college baseball polls
Both D1Baseball (which serves as the NCAA-recognized Top 25 poll) and Baseball America released their final Top 25 rankings on Tuesday following the conclusion of the College World Series, and it's obvious that WVU baseball's run to he Final Four in Omaha is not being considered a fluke, as both polls ranked the Mountaineers at No. 4 overall.
🆕 D1Baseball Top 25 Rankings: 2026 Final Rankings
— D1Baseball (@d1baseball) June 23, 2026
(Presented by @NettingPros)
How many will finish higher next year?
🔗 https://t.co/pgHbKfIpn7 pic.twitter.com/35iaK9uLZg
FINAL COLLEGE TOP 25.
— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) June 23, 2026
Here are the 25 best teams in the country to end the season, plus key returners for next year 👀https://t.co/4zBKndZXk2 pic.twitter.com/LZt2ZwYLOS
In a lot of regards, it only makes sense given that WVU was among the last four teams standing in college baseball. But West Virginia is historically the type of program that gets written off as a fluke when it sees this type of success, so it is always refreshing to see their run validated.
In addition, the fourth-place finishes in both polls mark the highest finish the program has ever earned in a end-of-season Top 25 poll. That is just a reflection of the heights to which Steve Sabins has helped lift the Mountaineers in his first two seasons, and the program's newfound position among college baseball's elite.
