In a stunning and refreshingly raw moment of honesty, West Virginia assistant head coach Steve Sabins peeled back the curtain on his bittersweet departure from Morgantown — a confession that has struck an emotional chord across Mountaineer Nation. With a high-stakes showdown looming against LSU under the unforgiving southern sun, Sabins didn’t just talk football. He opened his soul.
A Mountaineer at Heart: Sabins Admits He Never Wanted to Leave
“I didn’t want to leave Morgantown. I loved Morgantown.”
Those were the words Sabins delivered with a quiet gravity, words that cut through the usual clichés and coach-speak like a dagger. During a recent media availability, the former WVU assistant and lifelong Mountaineer confidant didn’t dance around the topic. He regretted the move — not professionally, perhaps, but personally, deeply.
Sabins, who played a crucial role in WVU’s baseball renaissance and served as a steady hand in a turbulent athletic era, admitted that leaving West Virginia behind wasn’t part of some grand career plan. It was more of a necessity than a choice. And now, as he readies his new squad for the fiery test of facing LSU in Baton Rouge, the emotional cost of that decision is setting in.
“I’m forever tied to that town, to that university,” Sabins said. “You don’t spend a decade building something from nothing and just walk away clean. Part of me stayed in Morgantown.”
A Heatwave, A Powerhouse, and a Humbling Homecoming
Sabins’ new journey — now with the LSU Tigers baseball program — has been a dramatic shift in scenery, culture, and climate. Morgantown’s mountainous breeze has been replaced by the relentless, suffocating humidity of the Deep South. And that’s not just a poetic metaphor — it’s a tactical challenge.
As the Tigers prepare for a scorching summer matchup, Sabins emphasized that the searing Louisiana heat will play as much a role in the outcome as any pitching rotation or slugging percentage. And when asked what edge his squad needed to withstand the elements, he didn’t reach for fancy hydration systems or altitude chambers.
He simply said: “Salt.”
Yes — salt.
The Secret Weapon: Salt as LSU’s Heat Shield
While fans are dreaming up strategies and highlight reels, Sabins is making sure his players are surviving the battlefield conditions of Baton Rouge. He’s dialing in on an old-school principle that’s gaining fresh traction among sports scientists: salt as a core weapon in the war against heat exhaustion.
“It’s the one thing,” Sabins said bluntly. “You can throw water at these guys all day, but if they’re losing salt, they’re losing everything. It’s fuel. It’s protection. It’s survival.”
To combat the oppressive Louisiana climate, LSU has built its entire heat-prep protocol around this singular substance — with salt tablets, electrolyte-packed meals, and even sodium-enriched hydration plans now being core components of the regimen.
It may sound simple, even archaic, but it’s rooted in science. The human body’s ability to regulate temperature under extreme stress relies heavily on sodium levels. Without replenishment, muscles cramp, concentration dips, and performance nosedives.
And in Baton Rouge, with turf temperatures often soaring past 120 degrees, it’s a non-negotiable detail.
Sabins’ Second Act: Redemption, Reflection, and Rivalry
There’s a poetic irony in all this. Steve Sabins, once the pride of Morgantown, now finds himself preparing for battle in a climate that couldn’t be more different — in every sense. He’s traded the cool evenings of Appalachia for the blazing glare of SEC baseball, and yet the echoes of West Virginia are louder than ever in his heart.
“I miss the people. The grit. The way we had to earn everything,” he said.
And yet, despite the homesickness, Sabins isn’t backing down from the intensity of the moment. The LSU job, with its national expectations and relentless SEC pressure, is a crucible for coaches. But it’s also a platform. A proving ground.
Facing LSU’s blistering environment — and the roaring expectations of Tiger fans — Sabins is not just battling the heat. He’s confronting the shadows of his past, the choices he made, and the legacy he left behind in Morgantown.
The Bottom Line: Heart in the Hills, Sweat in the Swamp
Steve Sabins didn’t mince words. He misses Morgantown. He regrets the way it ended. But as he now engineers a gritty, salt-fueled campaign against LSU’s infernal heat and SEC supremacy, he’s also carving a new chapter — one built on resilience, science, and unspoken loyalty.
He may be sweating on LSU’s dugout steps, but his heart? It’s still thumping somewhere between High Street and the Monongahela.
And as the games heat up, one thing is certain: no matter what uniform he wears, Steve Sabins will always bleed a little blue and gold.
