Last May, West Virginia’s season did not end how they wanted to. On Friday night, plenty of familiar faces from the 2022 team — coupled in with new freshman and a set of transfers — will begin their journey to try and make it back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019.
West Virginia won a program-record 14 Big 12 games a year ago, but after an 0-2 finish in the Big 12 Tournament, the Mountaineers went from the bubble to on the outside looking in for a chance to make it to the College World Series.
After the way the season ended last year, it makes for a long offseason when you think you’ll get a chance to play in the NCAA Tournament but don’t get that chance,” West Virginia head coach Randy Mazey said. “That puts that proverbial chip on your shoulder. The offseason was long, but anytime you can put a chip on your shoulder and find a reason to do that, that sure helps your practice moving forward.”
Mazey’s ballclub finished 33-22 last season, and begin their 2023 campaign against Georgia Southern, a team who hosted a regional a year ago.
West Virginia lost several key pieces of last season’s team. Victor Scott and Jacob Watters exited for the MLB Draft, while Austin Davis and McGwire Holbrook entered the transfer portal to go to TCU and Florida State respectively.
The Mountaineers have plenty to look forward from returners though. Highlighted by sophomores JJ Wetherholt and Grant Hussey. The sophomore duo combined for 107 hits, and they finished third and fourth on the team in RBI a season ago.
“JJ’s (Wetherholt) got a chance to be the best hitter I’ve ever coached in 35 years. He’s been that good this spring and I think a lot of that is a health thing,” Mazey said. “Grant Hussey of course had a solid year for us last year, has matured a lot and is a different hitter right now than he was last year.”
Besides those two sophomores, the Mountaineers also return key contributors Dayne Leonard at catcher, Braden Barry in the outfield, and Tevin Tucker at shortstop, among others.
West Virginia’s lineup also got some help from the transfer portal as well as the junior college ranks.
Two names Mazey specifically mentioned are Landon Wallace, an outfielder transfer from Nevada and Caleb McNeely, an infielder from Walters State Community College.
On the mound, West Virginia returns Ben Hampton as their go-to guy. Hampton has started games for the Mountaineers in each of the last two seasons. The left-hander pitched 83.0 innings last season, striking out 90 batters, while having a 4.66 ERA.
“Ben having a pretty good summer is completely overstating the obvious. He led Cape Cod in strikeouts which that’s hard to do. That’s a pretty elite list of people,” Mazey said. “He won eight games last year and if people progress the way they’re supposed to, they should have a better year than that.”
West Virginia also added Cal State Northridge transfer Blaine Traxel who figures to be a new addition to the weekend rotation.
Ready or not for Mazey, the time is now. The calendar flipping past Feb. 15 means it is Opening Day for college baseball.
D1 Baseball’s Top 25 has three teams in the Big 12 ranked. West Virginia will also play their first seven games against teams who were in the NCAA Tournament, including four of them on the road against teams who hosted a regional a year ago (Georgia Southern and Maryland).
The road to the NCAA Tournament won’t be an easy one for Mazey, but for West Virginia, they hope they can continue from last year’s success.
