For just the second time in program history, West Virginia baseball will be making their third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance when they head to the Clemson Regional this weekend.
With that comes an opportunity the Mountaineers have been vying for all season.
"We've said from the very beginning, our team has been built on opportunities. We have depth on our team, and there's been a lot of guys that fought for opportunities to play on a regular basis, and so this is another opportunity for our team. If you get in the tournament, you got a shot, and that's all you can ever ask for in this world," West Virginia head coach Steve Sabins said.
It's the first time in 61 years WVU has made three NCAA Tournament appearances in a row. Sabins has been around over the last decade-plus, as this is WVU's fifth tournament appearance since 2019.
"Coach Mazey had so much to do with that, so to be able to continue what we started and keep winning ballgames and making regionals. At the end of the day, however you want to slice it, it's about getting to this tournament. If you're the 64th team in or the first team in, you have an opportunity to do special things if you get your foot in the door," Sabins said.
West Virginia outfielder Kyle West was on WVU's Super Regional squad last season, the first team to ever make it that far in the tournament.
West said the best thing about the NCAA Tournament is how all teams enter with the same record and they're on equal footing entering the tournament.
"It doesn't matter who you are or what your record is going into it. So you just got to play your best baseball every time you step on the field and give yourself that chance to win. But it doesn't matter if you're a one or a four seed, I think that anybody can win on any given day," West said.
This year's opportunity for West Virginia gets going at noon on Friday against Kentucky.
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