Five Under The Radar Head Coaching Candidates That Virginia Baseball Should Consider

West Virginia Head Coach Steve Sabins

He might be in his first season as the head coach at WVU, but Sabins has the program in the super regionals this weekend against LSU. With a program like Virginia, they may opt to bring in a more experienced coach, but Sabins has done an excellent job in his first season and in his years prior as an assistant.

Per his West Virginia bio, During Sabins’ tenure in Morgantown, the Mountaineers have produced record-setting numbers offensively, while also bringing in the highest-ranked recruiting classes in program history. That includes the 2018 class, ranked No. 21 nationally – the Mountaineers’ first top-25 recruiting class ever. A year later, the 2019 class added to the program's momentum, checking in at No. 23 nationally, marking the first time WVU signed back-to-back top-25 classes.

Sabins also led the charge in organizing four more top-40 classes from 2020-23.

Sabins has worked to become one of the premier assistant baseball coaches in the country. In January 2020, he represented the Mountaineers at the Surefire Forum, an event that brings together some of the nation’s top coaches to promote the future of the game.

Sabins helped lead the Mountaineers to new heights in 2023 as WVU took home a share of the Big 12 regular-season title for the first time in program history, the first conference championship for the Mountaineers since winning the Big East in 1996.

Georgia Tech Associate Head Coach James Ramsey

Long-time Georgia Tech head coach Danny Hall retired and while many think that Ramsey is in line to be promoted to the position, that has not happened yet and on Sunday, Yellow Jackets athletic director J Batt left to be the AD at Michigan State, leaving Georgia Tech with a big hole to fill in the athletic department. Ramsey has never been a head coach before but has been a great recruiter and a big part of why Georgia Tech has had some of the best offenses in the country.

Per his Georgia Tech bio, Ramsey joined the Yellow Jackets after being one of the best to ever don the Garnet and Gold at Florida State, winning ABCA Player of the Year and ACC Player of the Year honors, in addition to being named an All-American, and getting selected in the first round of the MLB Draft by the St. Louis Cardinals. From there, Ramsey went on to have a fine professional career with several teams, including helping the Columbus Clippers to a AAA International League Championship in 2015. Ramsey coaches the Yellow Jackets’ outfielders and is the team’s hitting coach, working on both team and individual hitting philosophies. He is also in charge of integrating technology and analytics into player development and evaluation.

He is light on experience, but Virginia could be getting a rising superstar in the coaching ranks.

Oregon State Head Coach Mitch Canham

Another head coach that is currently coaching a team that is in a super regional. Oregon State will host Florida State this weekend with a trip to Omaha on the line and Canham has done a great job of guiding this program since becoming the head coach in 2019.

Per his Oregon State bio, Canham and the Beavers advanced to their seventh consecutive NCAA postseason appearance in 2024. Oregon State ended the season with a 45-16 record, appearing in the team’s ninth NCAA Super Regional. Canham mentored Travis Bazzana, who was selected No. 1 overall in the MLB Draft, the second such selection in the program’s history. Bazzana was one of seven MLB Draft selections in 2024. Bazzana, who was a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award and Dick Howser Trophy, was named the Pac-12 Player of the Year. He was a unanimous First-Team All-American. He was one of five All-Americans for the Beavers in Canham’s fifth season at the helm, being joined by Aiden May, Jacob Kmatz, Bridger Holmes and Gavin Turley.

Canham guided Oregon State to a 48-18 record and a trip to the NCAA Super Regionals in 2022, his second full season as the program’s head coach. The Beavers finished 20-10 in Pac-12 play, second in the conference, and advanced to the inaugural Pac-12 Tournament title game.