West Virginia’s Odds to Win the 2025 College World Series: A New Era Under Steve Sabins
In 2025, the West Virginia Mountaineers baseball program finds itself standing at a precipice of historic opportunity. For the first time in its history, West Virginia captured the Big 12 Conference regular-season title outright, a monumental feat under the leadership of first-year head coach Steve Sabins. With momentum surging, fans and analysts alike are starting to whisper a once-unthinkable possibility—could West Virginia win the College World Series?
The odds, according to early projections from major sportsbooks, place West Virginia at approximately +2500 to win it all—an optimistic but not improbable line. This puts them in the conversation with perennial powerhouses like LSU, Vanderbilt, and Florida, while still acknowledging that Sabins’ squad is a rising challenger rather than a blue-blood juggernaut. But those numbers don’t tell the full story.
Sabins’ inaugural season was nothing short of transformative. A longtime assistant under Randy Mazey, Sabins took over after Mazey’s retirement with a clear vision: combine gritty Appalachian toughness with data-driven precision. His squad responded. The Mountaineers not only led the Big 12 in team ERA and fielding percentage but also boasted a top-three offense, powered by breakout stars like sophomore outfielder Caleb Stover and senior infielder Mateo Cardoza. Stover, a native of Morgantown, hit .341 with 16 home runs and 51 RBIs, while Cardoza provided leadership and defensive brilliance at shortstop.
Pitching, always a make-or-break component in Omaha, became West Virginia’s calling card. Ace right-hander Dylan Mercer, a 6’4” junior with a mid-90s fastball and wicked slider, finished the season with a 10–2 record and a 2.14 ERA. Behind him, sophomore southpaw Leo Ramirez quietly emerged as one of the most efficient No. 2 starters in the nation. Add in a bullpen anchored by All-Big 12 closer Jonah Price—whose walkout to “Take Me Home, Country Roads” has become legend—and the Mountaineers boast the kind of pitching depth that wins tournaments.
Yet beyond the stats and scouting reports lies something intangible but undeniable: belief. Sabins has injected a confidence into the clubhouse that no spreadsheet can quantify. Players speak of his fiery pregame speeches, his endless attention to detail, and the way he treats every game like a regional final. “We’re not just here to compete,” Sabins said after clinching the Big 12 title in Stillwater. “We’re here to win the whole damn thing.”
West Virginia will face stiff competition in their regional and, if successful, in Omaha. But in a year where traditional favorites have shown cracks and where the Mountaineers have already rewritten their own record books, the path to a championship feels more open than ever.
In 2025, Morgantown isn’t just dreaming—it’s planning. And with Steve Sabins at the helm, the College World Series may no longer be a far-fetched fantasy, but a looming, glorious reality.
