“Slap in the Face”: Grant Hussey Frustrated with How Career at WVU Ended
Factualized Account Based on Real Context
Grant Hussey sat quietly in the visitor’s dugout at Monongalia County Ballpark, staring out across the diamond he once ruled with confidence. A native of West Virginia, Hussey had dreamed of nothing more than wearing the old gold and blue, launching towering home runs into the night for the Mountaineers. But the final weeks of his college career had ended not with celebration, but confusion—and frustration.
“It was a slap in the face,” he muttered under his breath, just loud enough for the echo to return from the empty stands.
The Mountaineers had been flying high for most of the season, thanks in part to Hussey’s power bat. He’d belted 15 home runs by mid-April and was on pace to set a school record. But then came the slump—both for him and the offense as a whole. Over the final 10 games of the regular season, Hussey’s batting average dipped below .200, and the team’s run production cratered. With the Big 12 tournament looming and postseason hopes on the line, head coach Steve Sabins made a bold and controversial move: he shuffled the lineup and benched Hussey.
“We had to spark something,” Sabins said at the time. “Our offense had gone flat. It wasn’t personal—it was tactical.”
To Hussey, it didn’t feel that way. A senior, a hometown kid, and a clubhouse leader, he expected to be given a chance to battle through the slump. Instead, he watched from the dugout as younger players took his at-bats. He became a spectator to the most critical games of his career.
“It felt like everything I built, everything I gave, was suddenly not enough,” Hussey said, his voice tinged with disbelief. “I didn’t expect to be handed anything—I just wanted the chance to fight for it.”
The change yielded mixed results. The Mountaineers scratched out a few key wins, enough to limp into the regional round of the NCAA tournament. But the offensive firepower never truly returned. They were eliminated in the second game, failing to plate more than two runs in either contest. Hussey had just one pinch-hit appearance, grounding out weakly to second.
After the season ended, he cleaned out his locker in silence. No team meeting. No heartfelt goodbye.
Now, with the MLB Draft approaching and scouts still intrigued by his raw power, Hussey is trying to focus on the future. But the end at WVU still stings.
“I’m proud to have worn this uniform,” he said. “But I didn’t deserve to go out like that. No one does.”
Whether he finds his way to a professional roster or not, one thing is certain—Grant Hussey’s legacy at WVU is a complicated one, marked by towering home runs, unforgettable moments, and a final act that left one of the school’s most powerful bats watching from the bench.
