WVU Prepares for Baseball Season Amid Brutal Winter

Head coach Steve Sabins details how the Mountaineers are getting ready for Opening Day despite challenging weather conditions in Morgantown.

Published on Feb. 13, 2026

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With West Virginia facing one of the worst winters in the last 10 years, head coach Steve Sabins has had to get creative in preparing his baseball team for the upcoming season. The Mountaineers have traveled south to Charlotte and Columbia to practice in warmer conditions, and they've also utilized the school's new $4 million Biomechanics and Performance Center to train indoors. Sabins emphasized the importance of his players maintaining a strong offseason routine, especially when it comes to building up the pitching staff.

Why it matters

West Virginia's baseball program is facing unique challenges this offseason due to the brutal winter weather in Morgantown. By adapting their training regimen and taking advantage of new facilities, the Mountaineers are working to ensure they are ready to compete when the season opens on the road against Georgia Southern.

The details

To combat the frigid temperatures and heavy snowfall, the Mountaineers have traveled south to practice in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Columbia, South Carolina over the past two weeks. They've also been utilizing the school's new $4 million, 8,200-square-foot Biomechanics and Performance Center, which provides them with a warm, state-of-the-art facility for training. Sabins emphasized the importance of his players maintaining a strong offseason routine, particularly when it comes to building up the pitching staff, as they look to manage workloads early in the season.

  • The Mountaineers open the 2026 season on February 13 at Georgia Southern.
  • Over the past two weeks, the team traveled to Charlotte and Columbia to practice in warmer conditions.
  • The Biomechanics and Performance Center was fully constructed in the spring of 2025, making this the first full offseason the team has had access to the new facility.

The players

Steve Sabins

The head coach of the West Virginia baseball team, who has had to adapt his team's preparation for the upcoming season due to the brutal winter weather in Morgantown.

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What they’re saying

“This is the worst winter we've had in the last 10 years.”

— Steve Sabins, Head Coach (on3.com)

“This is a new age of Mountaineer player development. That's just the truth. We've never had covered cages during the winter. So you can hit at night. You can hit before you go to the [Indoor Practice Facility]. Guys can come from class and train. You can throw bullpens on technology every day, until your heart does as much as it desires.”

— Steve Sabins, Head Coach (on3.com)

“It's so important for how the guys train over Christmas break. So who takes care of their arm care and their throwing and the routines, because you truly have to build up while you're away from campus. So the players that are great at those processes and come back bigger, faster, stronger, with more command, more velocity, more stuff and consistency, they have a chance to pitch earlier on.”

— Steve Sabins, Head Coach (on3.com)

What’s next

The Mountaineers will open their season on February 13 at Georgia Southern, where they will look to put their offseason preparations to the test.

The takeaway

Despite the challenging winter weather conditions in Morgantown, the West Virginia baseball program has shown its adaptability and commitment to player development by utilizing new facilities and traveling to warmer climates to ensure the team is ready for the start of the season.