Skip to main content

Mazey Responds After WVU Misses out on the Postseason

West Virginia head coach Randy Mazey voices his frustrations with the NCAA selection committee

Morgantown, WV - It was a bitter pill to swallow for the West Virginia University Mountaineers baseball team Monday afternoon after the NCAA selection committee left them out of the field of 64. It’s the second consecutive season WVU will miss out of the NCAA tournament (not counting 2020 due to the season being canceled) after their epic run in 2019.

“Obviously hugely disappointed for the kids, as hard as they worked to not get recognized for their efforts is pretty disappointing,” said head coach Randy Mazey.

The 2022 edition of this year Mountaineers squad captured some of the same excitement three years ago but in a different manor. This squad used its speed to steal runs, setting the regular season team record for stolen bases and leading the way setting the single season record in stolen bases was Victor Scott with 38.

The Mountaineers had never won a series at TCU before this season but opened Big 12 Conference play taking a 2-1 series advantage at TCU, who won the Big 12 Conference regular season title, paving the way for setting a program record 14 Big 12 wins on the season (33-22 overall), but with a stroke of some bad luck, wound up sixth in the conference.

“I told them that as hard as they worked this year, and everything they’ve accomplished, and set records at your own school, and do things that have never been done before, if you know in your heart that you did everything that you could do and commit at everything you can commit to achieve something, don’t let a group of people who you are dictate the satisfaction you can get out of knowing you did everything you could,” said Mazey. “So, they should be proud of everything they’ve accomplished and don’t ever let someone else’s opinion change how you feel about yourself.”

Randy Mazey

Mazey felt his Mountaineers deserved an at-large bid heading into the Big 12 Championship. They were comfortably teetering around the mid to upper 30s in the RPI, depending on the day, but West Virginia went 0-2 in the Big 12 Championship, losing to the eventual Big 12 tournament champions, Oklahoma 6-4 before dropping an 8-5 decision to seventh seed Kansas State in an elimination game.

“Going into it, our RPI was 35, we weren’t even considered the last four in but as things unfolded, it was literally everything that could have gone wrong did go wrong,” said Mazey. “We lost two games and the upsets going on around the country and some of the games – I mean, UCLA scored nine runs in the bottom of the ninth against Oregon State to pass us in the RPI. Just everything that could have gone wrong did go wrong.”

West Virginia fell in the RPI, falling to 50th by selection Monday. However, Mazey believed his Mountaineers did enough to earn an at-large bid.

“I actually thought we had a great year – we did everything we needed to do,” said Mazey. “I can’t look back at a game and say, ‘Gosh we should have won this game or should have won that game.” I thought we played at an extremely high level – overachieved. We went 27-0 when leading after six innings, so it’s not like we gave any games away.”

Mazey later continued his frustrations, aiming them directly at the NCAA selection committee.

“They go in there and give all the reasons why the teams that didn’t get in didn’t get in and those reasons change every year. One year it’s RBI, the next year it’s conference schedule I think this year was nonconference strength of schedule,” he said. “They formulate their reasons based on who they put in, so you never know what effected it, but we tried to play as many games as we could. We weren’t one of those out there cancelling games, we were trying to find games. A lot of the teams that canceled games got into the field and teams like us that tried to find games didn’t get into the field.”

West Virginia's Victor Scott hitting a double against Penn State.

Victor Scott taking a swing at the plate. 

Mazey also pointed out WVU was the only team in the last 10 years in either the Big 12, the ACC, the SEC or the Pac 12 that were four games over .500 in conference play and didn’t get an at-large bid.

“I think the Big 12 needs to look at that and say, ‘where did we go wrong here? So, I think that’s pretty embarrassing to be the league that stat is associated with or pinned to,” said Mazey.

Mazey, now completing his 10th season at the helm, is noticing a pattern of disrespect.

“It’s frustrating that one year we finished third in the regular season in the Big 12 and didn’t get an at-large bid and I think in a different season our RPI at the end of the year was 45. We were the only team in the top 50 that year, I think, that didn’t get an at-large bid. It seems to continue to keep happening to the Mountaineers. Somehow someway we need to make a statement that this is a top 25 level program. We’ve been ranked in the top 25 in parts of each of the last five seasons I believe, and it just seems like we don’t get the respect we deserve,” he said.

Regardless of the outcome, Mazey says he will remember this year’s team as one of the funnest teams he’s ever coached

“One of our strengths is our ability to run which is a fun team to coach. Our bullpen and it’s fun to manage a good bullpen. And the chemistry and the culture in the locker room means it’s a great team to be around. We never lost three games in a row the whole season. So, we never, as coaches, got in the locker room and sat there and said ‘Gosh, why are we playing so bad. What’s wrong with the Mountaineers?’ There was never that point in the season, so this was one of the most enjoyable seasons I’ve ever coached because it was complexion of the team – the type of team we had,” said Mazey.

You can follow us for future coverage by following us on Facebook & Twitter:

Facebook - @WVUonSI

Twitter - @SI_WVU and Christopher Hall @WVHallBilly