For the First Time in Years, WVU Athletics Is Headed in the Right Direction

Wren Baker has built a solid athletic department since arriving in Morgantown.

WVU Athletics Communication

If it feels like things are heading in the right direction in Morgantown, that's because they are. Wren Baker has done a phenomenal job of hiring the right coaches and supplying them with the resources needed to be successful in their respective sports.

Recently, CBS Sports ranked all 68 Power Four schools based on their overall success in the top sports: football, men's basketball, women's basketball, baseball, softball, and volleyball.

WVU, obviously, doesn't have softball, but in the others, they did a pretty darn good job considering Ross Hodge was in year one, Mark Kellogg was in year three, Steve Sabins was in year two, and Jen Greeny was in year two.

The Mountaineers checked in at No. 32, which is a pretty respectable spot, especially since men's and women's soccer were not involved in the evaluation. And since you're probably wondering, Pitt ranks 45th.

Entering a new era of WVU Sports?

West Virginia University of Director Athletics Wren Baker | Christopher Hall - West Virginia on SI

It was a wildly successful year for WVU athletics, aside from football, of course, which had a frustrating, yet understandable record of 4-8 in Rich Rodriguez's first season back in Morgantown.

The men's basketball team missed out on the NCAA Tournament, but had some strong showings, including ending the season on a high note, taking down Oklahoma in the College Basketball Crown championship.

The women's basketball team, under the direction of Mark Kellogg, one of the nation's best coaches, was crowned the Big 12 Conference tournament champions and hosted in the NCAA Tournament for the first time 1992.

The men's (13-5-3) and women's (14-3-4) teams each had strong seasons before both were eliminated in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. And the volleyball team went 15-15, which doesn't sound all that great, but it's the first time since 2021 that they've finished a season with a .500 or better record and just the third time since 2017.

Oh yeah, and the baseball team checked off a bunch of firsts, including hosting a super regional and making it to the College World Series.

Between Mark Kellogg (women's basketball), Nikki Izzo-Brown (women's soccer), Dan Stratford (men's soccer), and Steve Sabins (baseball), Wren Baker has to feel pretty good about where those respective programs are headed. Add in the job that Ross Hodge and Rich Rodriguez have done recruiting the high school ranks and transfer portal, each set to enter year two, and for the first time in a long time, it feels like the Mountaineers have a chance to make the NCAA Tournament/bowl game in just about every sport.

The last handful of years have been a struggle as they've been trying to navigate the ever-changing landscape in addition to all of the coaching changes, but perhaps many of those struggles are now behind them.