MORGANTOWN, West Virginia — West Virginia baseball may have seen its historic 2026 season come to an end in Omaha, but if you ask head coach Steve Sabins, the Mountaineers are just scratching the surface of what’s possible.
Appearing on The Pat McAfee Show on Monday, Sabins made a bold statement that many around the country are finally starting to realize is true.
“We’ve been the best kept secret in college baseball.”
After what West Virginia accomplished this season, it’s hard to argue otherwise.
For years, the Mountaineers have quietly built one of the most consistent programs in the nation. While college baseball’s spotlight often shines on the SEC and ACC, West Virginia has been producing results. As Sabins pointed out, only West Virginia and North Carolina have advanced to three consecutive Super Regionals. That’s elite company and proof that what is happening in Morgantown is no accident.
This season elevated the program to an entirely new level. The Mountaineers won a school-record 45 games, earned a trip to the College World Series for the first time in program history, and captured the attention of the entire country. Along the way, they knocked off some of the nation’s top programs and proved they belonged on college baseball’s biggest stage.
"We've been the best kept secret in College Baseball..
Only us and North Carolina have been to three consecutive Super Regionals..
We firmly believe that we can win a National Championship here" ~ @stevesabins #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/EJ2jPI2dbB
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) June 22, 2026
What made the season even more special was how close West Virginia came to reaching the College World Series Finals. The Mountaineers entered Omaha believing they could compete for a national championship, and nothing they accomplished suggested otherwise. Even after suffering setbacks, they continued to fight and showed the resilience that became a trademark of the program throughout the year.
That’s why perhaps the most important thing Sabins said during his appearance with Pat McAfee wasn’t about the past. It was about the future.
“We firmly believe that we can win a National Championship here.”
A statement like that carries much more weight today than it would have just a few years ago. West Virginia has now shown it can recruit, develop talent, win on the road, host postseason baseball, and compete in Omaha. The Mountaineers are no longer hoping to join the sport’s elite. They’ve already forced their way into that conversation.
The scary part for the rest of college baseball is that Sabins doesn’t believe this season was the peak. He believes it’s the foundation.
For decades, Omaha felt like a dream for West Virginia baseball. This year, the Mountaineers turned that dream into reality. Now the expectation inside the program has shifted from simply reaching the College World Series to winning the whole thing.
If this season proved anything, it’s that Sabins and the Mountaineers aren’t chasing an impossible goal. They’re chasing one that suddenly feels very attainable.
