2020 Season Preview
February 12, 2020 05:38 PM | Baseball
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Following one of the most memorable and successful seasons in program history, a new-look West Virginia University baseball team is out to continue its momentum. A host of talented up-and-comers join a core of experienced veterans to make up a program hungry to duplicate the feats of a year ago.
Led by head coach Randy Mazey, WVU will again prove its ability in one of the nation's premier leagues, the Big 12 Conference. It'll do so with help from the best signing class in program history, not to mention the squad's dozen returning lettermen.
"You want to be able to build a program, and I think we've done that," Mazey said. "We've gotten to the regionals, and we're developing kids; we're developing a program. When you do that, you have to sustain the level that you reach and try to progress from there. I think that's where we are right now."
With a clear mission ahead of them, the Mountaineers hope the 2020 campaign is another one for the record books.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUBaseball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Led by head coach Randy Mazey, WVU will again prove its ability in one of the nation's premier leagues, the Big 12 Conference. It'll do so with help from the best signing class in program history, not to mention the squad's dozen returning lettermen.
"You want to be able to build a program, and I think we've done that," Mazey said. "We've gotten to the regionals, and we're developing kids; we're developing a program. When you do that, you have to sustain the level that you reach and try to progress from there. I think that's where we are right now."
With a clear mission ahead of them, the Mountaineers hope the 2020 campaign is another one for the record books.
- The 2020 season marks the 128th year and 125th season of baseball at WVU. The Mountaineers are the second-oldest program in the Big 12.
- West Virginia is coming off its 13th appearance in the NCAA Tournament in program history and second in three seasons.
- Randy Mazey enters his eighth season at the helm in Morgantown and owns a record of 227-176 with the Mountaineers and 414-336-2 overall. He is the fourth-winningest coach in WVU history.
- In his time at WVU, Mazey has led the Mountaineers to at least 33 wins four times in seven seasons. Under Mazey's tutelage, WVU also has finished in the top four of the Big 12 regular-season standings four times since 2013.
- The Mountaineers are entering their eighth season in the Big 12 Conference this spring. The team went 13-11 in the league in 2019 and advanced to the Big 12 Championship Final. WVU is one of two teams to reach the Big 12 Championship Semifinals in four consecutive seasons.
- The Mountaineer freshmen class was ranked No. 21 nationally by Perfect Game, the highest in program history. It marked the second consecutive season WVU has signed a top-30 class nationally.
- WVU returns a pair of players who were named to All-Big 12 teams last season. Junior catcher/designated hitter Paul McIntosh was an All-Big 12 Second Team selection in 2019, while junior second baseman Tyler Doanes was featured on the All-Big 12 Honorable Mention list.
- McIntosh clubbed a team-leading 10 home runs last season, while Doanes led the Mountaineers in a variety of offensive categories, including batting average (.316), on-base percentage (.398) and triples (3).
- Doanes also hit 21 doubles in 2019, good for No. 31 nationally. He also stole 20 bases, good for No. 3 in the Big 12.
- Doanes and McIntosh were both named to the 2020 Preseason All-Big 12 Team. Doanes, who'll enter the season on a 14-game hit streak, was one of five infielders selected to the preseason team, while McIntosh made the squad as the designated hitter. WVU was one of five teams in the conference to have multiple players represented.
- WVU was picked to finish seventh in the 2020 Big 12 Preseason Poll, as voted on by the nine Big 12 head coaches. The Mountaineers earned one first-place vote.
- The Mountaineers also were slotted No. 35 in the NCBWA's preseason poll, marking the second time in three years the team has been featured in the preseason rankings.
- West Virginia returns 12 lettermen off last season's 38-win team, which hosted its NCAA Regional since 1955. The 38 victories were second-most in school history and most under Mazey.
- The squad also returns four players who played in at least 50 games last season – sophomore shortstop Tevin Tucker (60), Doanes (59), senior infielder Kevin Brophy (57) and McIntosh (52).
- Redshirt senior outfielder/right-handed pitcher Braden Zarbnisky returns to the lineup after missing last season due to injury. The Marietta, Georgia, native was named a third team All-American and District II Player of the Year by the NCBWA and was a John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award finalist in 2017.
- Zarbnisky enters the new campaign tied for No. 4 in WVU history with 42 stolen bases, No. 5 in strikeouts per nine innings (9.25) and tied for No. 8 in career saves (8).
- Junior left-handed pitcher Jackson Wolf and sophomore right-handed pitcher Ryan Bergert, who came on strong during postseason play last year, are expected to lead the Mountaineers' starting rotation this season.
- Three players who earned at least one save in 2019 also return to the mound this season for WVU – sophomore left-handed pitcher Beau Lowery (2), redshirt senior right-handed pitcher Dillon Meadows (1) and sophomore right-handed pitcher Zach Ottinger (1).
- WVU features a total of seven pitchers who logged double-digit innings pitched last year. Wolf is the team leader in innings pitched, having tossed 69.2 frames last season. Bergert (34.0), Meadows (24.0), Ottinger (20.0), sophomore right-hander Brock Helverson (16.0), Lowery (13.2) and Jeffrey (11.0) also earned valuable experience last spring.
- The Mountaineers again project to be speedy on the base paths this season. After swiping 98 bases as a team in 2019, WVU returns three of its top four base-stealers – Doanes (20), Tucker (19) and sophomore infielder/outfielder Austin Davis (12).
- Four returning players finished with at least 20 RBIs last season, led by Brophy's 35. McIntosh (34), Doanes (32) and Tucker (21) also make up the group.
- Tucker's team-leading 39 walks in 2019 ranked No. 5 in single-season program history. He finished with an on-base percentage of .365 on the year.
- West Virginia also returns two of their three Big 12 All-Tournament Team selections from a year ago – Bergert and Doanes.
- The Mountaineers welcome 19 newcomers to the team this season, most in Mazey's tenure at WVU.
- WVU is made up of players from 16 states, led by five from the Mountain State, four from Florida, Georgia and Virginia, three Texas and two from Maryland, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Additionally, eight other states are represented on this season's roster.
- The 2020 roster is comprised of 14 freshmen, three redshirt freshmen, eight sophomores, one redshirt sophomore, four juniors, one redshirt junior, one senior and two redshirt seniors.
- WVU is made up of three catchers, eight infielders, six outfielders, 16 right-handed pitchers and four left-handed pitchers.
- West Virginia's 54-game schedule features 25 home games at Monongalia County Ballpark this season. The club is set for the earliest home opener in program history on Feb. 18, against Canisius.
- The Mountaineers will play 20 of their first 23 games on the road.
- In all, WVU is set to take on seven teams who are coming off NCAA Tournament appearances and play 36 games against opponents who finished in the RPI top 100 in 2019.
- For the fourth consecutive season, West Virginia will travel to PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for a game when the Mountaineer meet Pitt on April 29. WVU is 3-0 at the home of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
- The Mountaineers are 75-43 at Monongalia County Ballpark since it opened in 2015, including 18-7 last season.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUBaseball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
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