West Virginia head coach Steve Sabins embraces the challenges of evaluation when it comes to baseball recruiting.
Talent, of course is a major piece to the equation but unlike some of the other major sports like football and basketball, there is a psychological and emotional component that must be evaluated.
For example, Sabins pointed to the regional tournaments where some of the highest-end pitchers in the country were visibly melting on the mound. That component is difficult to pinpoint at times and goes far beyond simply how fast somebody can run or how high they can jump.
“In baseball, it’s so fine-tuned you’re trying to hit a ball that’s going 97 miles per hour with arm side run and it might hit you in the neck or it might be a strike. And you’ve got to put an aluminum spear on the thing. So it’s difficult to evaluate who is going to perform at the highest levels and these biggest moments,” Sabins said.
While college coaches can recruit players who are highly ranked by recruiting services, that’s where the expertise of the experience at this level comes into play. So while some might focus on who schools did or didn’t land in recruiting, Sabins relies on his knowledge.
“They are extremely confused on how this process works and how the development of baseball players happens,” he said. “In general, you’re trying to harness people and harness these players into becoming really great talents. Have the talent but more important you’re having to nurture them so they can mentally handle this brutal sport where you fail all the time.”
That’s why Sabins likes the regional piece in recruiting. That’s because it provides a support system with family close that helps with many of the other factors outside if a player can crush a baseball.
“When you’re dealing with these young kids you have to have truly an all-encompassing, holistic approach of getting them where they can compete in the big moments,” Sabins said.
Now, that doesn’t mean that West Virginia won’t recruit nationally because the program will go everywhere to find talent but when in doubt, those options closer to home that believe they’re a great fit and want to develop inside of the organization are critical. Especially given the fact that there isn’t that plug-and-play option that is the case with sports like football and basketball.
“It’s a stepping stone process to being a big leaguer and going away from home is hard so you might as well not do it across the country. Competing for top 25 programs is hard so you might as well do it a little closer to home with coaches you trust,” Sabins said.
The end game is that Sabins wants every star high school player who wants to play at an elite program from within the region to come to West Virginia and not feel the need to take their talents and mentality elsewhere because they don’t have what’s needed to win at the highest level.
And the same can be said for transfers with a proven track record who want to play at the highest level and compete at West Virginia.
“The visibility piece is just you can become more visible by gimmicks and doing TikTok videos or you can become more visible with a consistent track record of success and development of players. I obviously prefer option B,” he said.
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