The West Virginia Mountaineers are currently ranked No. 9 in the country, finished their regular season with 37 wins, and are currently enjoying a double-bye in the Big 12 Tournament as they await for their first game on Thursday. And while it takes a team effort to get there, as evidenced by the countless Mountaineers who were named all-conference selections on Tuesday, it's hard not to be impressed with head coach Steve Sabins.
Last year, Sabins took over for the legendary Randy Mazey, who had spent over a decade reviving a middling West Virginia program, and immediately led the Mountaineers to their winningest season in program history and their second consecutive NCAA Super Regional appearance. And he's well on his way to delivering on the hype that surrounded his first season in charge.
Yet on Tuesday, when the league named it's Big 12 Coach of the Year, it wasn't Sabins who heard his name called – rather, it was Kansas coach Dan Fitzgerald for the second consecutive season. And while Fitzgerald certainly deserves the recognition, it's hard to not feel like Sabins is getting disrespected at a certain point.
Should WVU baseball's performance this season have earned Steve Sabins Coach of the Year honors?
The Kansas Jayhawks won their first regular season Big 12 Championship in school history, so it's hard to say Fitzgerald didn't do a good job. But a closer look at the Fitzgerald and Sabins side-by-side gives some insight as to why Sabins may have been the best choice.
The Jayhawks opened the season with three Preseason All-Big 12 players – the Mountaineers, meanwhile, had just one, and he hasn't been a member of the roster in about two months. The Jayhawks had a better conference record than WVU, but finished 39-16 overall while the Mountaineers had three fewer losses at 37-13.
In the head-to-head series, the Mountaineers swept Kansas, taking all three games. In the D1Baseball Top 25, the Mountaineers at No. 9, four sports ahead of the Jayhawks at No. 13. And in the RPI, the WVU sits at No. 19, one spot ahead of Kansas at No. 20.
So with all due respect to Fitgerald, when the Mountaineers have fewer overall losses, are ranked higher in multiple metrics, captured the head-to-head series in a clean sweep, and did it all despite being projected with less top-level players than the Jayhawks, it paints a picture of Sabins being the dominant coach. So what gives?
You could point to the fact that the Jayhawks won the conference championship, but last season, the Mountaineers won the regular season title and lost their series against Kansas, and Fitzgerald earned Coach of the Year honors then as well – despite Sabins' historic season.
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