Back to Baseball: WVU Enjoying Safe, Successful Fall
November 05, 2020 09:43 AM | Baseball
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – On March 12, the West Virginia University baseball team loaded up its bus and headed toward the airport to begin a weekend voyage to Texas Tech.
Fresh off the heels of a 7-0 win over Liberty at home the day before, the Mountaineers were feeling good about themselves, ready to open Big 12 Conference play and primed to see how they stacked up against one of the nation's best programs. That bus, however, never reached the airport to drop the team off for the highly anticipated road series.
Instead, less than an hour into its drive, it turned around.
Mountaineer baseball has been on hold since then. And as the world began its battle against a global pandemic, WVU's season was canceled, forcing it to wait and wonder about its next chance to take the diamond.
More than six months later, the trek toward the 2021 campaign unofficially began with fall practices in mid-September.
"These guys are all high-level baseball players, so when you take away something they are really good at, it can be harder mentally than anything else," WVU coach Randy Mazey said. "So, to be back out and enjoy baseball was really important.
"Everything has been super competitive and high energy. Guys haven't been able to compete in a while, so it's good to see."
Throughout the fall, WVU has been able to break out the bats and balls and attempt to return to some kind of normalcy. With on-field activities scheduled throughout the semester, the Mountaineers have been able to regroup together, put last season's "what ifs" behind them and prepare for what lies ahead for them in the future.
West Virginia finished 11-5 last spring, good for the program's best 16-game start since 2009. That, of course, followed the team hosting a 2019 NCAA Regional in Morgantown, meaning momentum has hung around this club for quite a while.
The way Mazey and his staff have tried to keep remnants of that spark around was simply to get the group back together and attempt to rekindle the magic that has filled the clubhouse in recent times. It doesn't hurt to have so many returning guys back in the fold, including a group of second-year players the skipper has dubbed "seasoned freshmen."
"The most important thing, aside from baseball, was just to get the team back together," Mazey explained. "We hadn't seen them in forever, and it was just good for everybody to see one another and to get ready for fall practice and for school to start back up."
Of course, fall practices have never looked more different at Monongalia County Ballpark. With social distance in mind, players have had to be mindful of where they're at on the field in regard to the closeness of other players. The team has often split into smaller groups to cut down on numbers and all have worn masks and gaiters, as well as followed additional COVID-19 protective guidelines, for extra caution.
None of it has slowed the Mountaineers, who have performed beyond expectation so far, down.
"Originally, we just said, 'Let's see what we can get out of this fall,'" Mazey said. "But we've actually been very fortunate; our guys have responded really well to the challenges we put on them to try to stay on the field. So, it's gone from just going out to get some field time to be able to really develop some players."
Mazey says that perhaps the fall's biggest challenge has been finding ways to communicate to the entire team at once. WVU isn't able to conduct team meetings all in one room like in the past, and it has had to adjust on the fly in terms of relaying information to all. That has led to more individual attention for players at times due to the spread-out nature of fall practices.
Legendary sportscaster Ernie Harwell once said, 'Baseball is a lot like life. It's a day-to-day existence, full of ups and downs. You make the most of your opportunities in baseball as you do in life.' And after all the Mountaineers have gone through in their lives recently, those have been words to live by each time the guys arrive at the ballpark.
Despite battling uncertainty and continuing to be focused on health and safety, the Mountaineers have been able to get some important work done this fall. There have been challenges – which is certainly understandable these days – but it hasn't slowed the squad down in an effort to execute and improve.
"Once you put the uniform on and get back out there, everything else seems to go away for a while," Mazey said. "When you're up in the office and trying to schedule things, that's when the reminders hit you of where we're at. But we've managed well and have had a really good fall together."
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUBaseball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Fresh off the heels of a 7-0 win over Liberty at home the day before, the Mountaineers were feeling good about themselves, ready to open Big 12 Conference play and primed to see how they stacked up against one of the nation's best programs. That bus, however, never reached the airport to drop the team off for the highly anticipated road series.
Instead, less than an hour into its drive, it turned around.
Mountaineer baseball has been on hold since then. And as the world began its battle against a global pandemic, WVU's season was canceled, forcing it to wait and wonder about its next chance to take the diamond.
More than six months later, the trek toward the 2021 campaign unofficially began with fall practices in mid-September.
"These guys are all high-level baseball players, so when you take away something they are really good at, it can be harder mentally than anything else," WVU coach Randy Mazey said. "So, to be back out and enjoy baseball was really important.
"Everything has been super competitive and high energy. Guys haven't been able to compete in a while, so it's good to see."
Throughout the fall, WVU has been able to break out the bats and balls and attempt to return to some kind of normalcy. With on-field activities scheduled throughout the semester, the Mountaineers have been able to regroup together, put last season's "what ifs" behind them and prepare for what lies ahead for them in the future.
West Virginia finished 11-5 last spring, good for the program's best 16-game start since 2009. That, of course, followed the team hosting a 2019 NCAA Regional in Morgantown, meaning momentum has hung around this club for quite a while.
The way Mazey and his staff have tried to keep remnants of that spark around was simply to get the group back together and attempt to rekindle the magic that has filled the clubhouse in recent times. It doesn't hurt to have so many returning guys back in the fold, including a group of second-year players the skipper has dubbed "seasoned freshmen."
"The most important thing, aside from baseball, was just to get the team back together," Mazey explained. "We hadn't seen them in forever, and it was just good for everybody to see one another and to get ready for fall practice and for school to start back up."
Of course, fall practices have never looked more different at Monongalia County Ballpark. With social distance in mind, players have had to be mindful of where they're at on the field in regard to the closeness of other players. The team has often split into smaller groups to cut down on numbers and all have worn masks and gaiters, as well as followed additional COVID-19 protective guidelines, for extra caution.
None of it has slowed the Mountaineers, who have performed beyond expectation so far, down.
"Originally, we just said, 'Let's see what we can get out of this fall,'" Mazey said. "But we've actually been very fortunate; our guys have responded really well to the challenges we put on them to try to stay on the field. So, it's gone from just going out to get some field time to be able to really develop some players."
Mazey says that perhaps the fall's biggest challenge has been finding ways to communicate to the entire team at once. WVU isn't able to conduct team meetings all in one room like in the past, and it has had to adjust on the fly in terms of relaying information to all. That has led to more individual attention for players at times due to the spread-out nature of fall practices.
Legendary sportscaster Ernie Harwell once said, 'Baseball is a lot like life. It's a day-to-day existence, full of ups and downs. You make the most of your opportunities in baseball as you do in life.' And after all the Mountaineers have gone through in their lives recently, those have been words to live by each time the guys arrive at the ballpark.
Despite battling uncertainty and continuing to be focused on health and safety, the Mountaineers have been able to get some important work done this fall. There have been challenges – which is certainly understandable these days – but it hasn't slowed the squad down in an effort to execute and improve.
"Once you put the uniform on and get back out there, everything else seems to go away for a while," Mazey said. "When you're up in the office and trying to schedule things, that's when the reminders hit you of where we're at. But we've managed well and have had a really good fall together."
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUBaseball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Steve Sabins, Gavin Kelly, Dawson Montesa, Reese Bassinger | College World Series | June 16
Tuesday, June 16
Steve Sabins, Armani Guzman, Maxx Yehl | College World Series | June 14
Tuesday, June 16
Steve Sabins, Armani Guzman, Tyrus Hall, Ian Korn | College World Series | June 12
Tuesday, June 16
Steve Sabins, Chansen Cole, Gavin Kelly | College World Series | June 11
Tuesday, June 16
