Randy Mazey: J.J. Wetherholt has changed West Virginia baseball forever

The West Virginia Mountaineers’ magical 2024 run came to an end over the weekend after losing in the Super Regional round to North Carolina. The moment might be bittersweet for the Mountaineers and head coach Randy Mazey, but the program has plenty to build off of heading into next year.

As West Virginia prepares for the offseason, during their end-of-season press conference, Mazey reflected on the season as a whole and highlighted what J.J. Wetherholt has meant to him and the program.

“Some guys come along in your career that can single handedly change the face of the entire program,” started Mazey. “Alek Manoah did it in 2019 when we hosted the regional; he changed the face of this program. J.J. Wetherholt has changed West Virginia baseball forever. I have him to thank for that, but J.J. knows that my relationship with him is not over; it’s just beginning.

“I won’t be coaching him anymore but I’ll always be a big fan of his, not just as a player, but as a person, his family, and everything he stands for. And I could go down the roster of 40 people and say the same thing about every single one of them. I love these guys. I’ll never forget anybody on this team. I’m gonna take this team picture hanging in my office at the house, and I’m going to look at it often and remember this group.”

Mazey is calling it a career after West Virginia’s impressive 2024 run. Still, the Mountaineer skipper is ending his career on a high note. After 12 seasons of coaching at West Virginia, Mazey finally got the Mountaineers over the hump in his last season at the helm, winning a regional and advancing to a Super Regional. Wetherholt played a significant role in WVU’s success this season, leading them to a 36-24 record. He did so while leading the team in batting average at .331. The junior shortstop finished this season with 41 hits, 29 RBIs, and eight home runs.

The 2024 season will go down as one of the best years for West Virginia baseball, if not the best. Although it came to an end in the Super Regional round, Mazey and the Mountaineers will have plenty of memories to hang on to. And if the former West Virginia head coach ever needs a reminder, he can look towards the team picture from this year that he plans on hanging in his home office.