The Sock 'Em, Bust 'Em Board Because that's our custom

Technically, this is out of left field

June 14, 2017 by Mike Casazza

That’s West Virginia left fielder Kyle Davis, who we thought would get drafted. That’s also the Mountaineers’ top returning hitter. The 15th-round pick is manager Randy Mazey’s 15th WVU draft pick, and you might want to say goodbye. A junior, he batted .316 with 10 home runs, 13 doubles, three triples and 44 RBIs, and his OPS (.525/.405) is easy to like.

He started 23 of 52 games at second base as a freshman but was also the DH and the left left fielder from time to time. He started 24 of 56 games at third base last year and made other starts at second, left field and DH. He was the ordinary left fielder this season, and he played it very well. Davis had 120 putouts and three assists with just two errors.

“Changing positions helped him,” said WVU hitting coach Steve Sabins, who also works with the outfielders. “He doesn’t really project to be a middle infielder in the professional game. His bat is more consistent with a corner outfielder’s. His arm got better. His routes in the outfield are very, very good. And his hitting skill is now starting to match up with the strength he’s gained.”

Today is the final day of the three-day draft. Davis is, so far, the only player or recruit to be picked. The Mountaineers are tracking Jackson Wolf’s name. No one in gold and blue will be surprised if the 6-foot-7 left-handed high school pitcher is drafted before the end of the day.

That settles that!

by Mike Casazza
CHRISTIAN TYLER RANDOLPH | Gazette-Mail WVU Head Coach Bob Huggins talks to the press after his team's 56-70 loss against the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks in the first round of the 2016 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY on Friday March 18, 2016.

 

Bob Huggins is a busy man, and the West Virginia basketball coach took time out of his schedule to talk about the Ohio State job, Derek Culver and the upcoming home game against Kentucky.

Could it be the biggest home game of the Huggins era at WVU?

“No,” he said flatly. “I mean, if they come in No. 1 in the country it will be like having Kansas coming in No. 1 or Baylor coming in No. 1.”

Jack swagger

by Mike Casazza

Well, we have some arm talent here, don’t we? Begin with a 50-yard drop-shuffle-reset throw, and then behold how Jack Allison, the latest addition to West Virginia’s football roster, uses his height to make a bevy of throws. Listed at 6-foot-5 by the tape measures at Miami, Allison sees over the line, leverages throws into windows and generally places the ball where he needs to.

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Jack nabbed

June 13, 2017 by Mike Casazza

There may have been indications that this was fishy, and it has indeed turned. Expect something official sooner rather than later.

(Update: Allison tweets a confirmation.)

Jack nabbit

by Mike Casazza

Once a four-star recruit and an option to inherit the throne at Miami, Jack Allison is no longer with the Hurricanes. Last month, he decided to leave the program and made the notable and unusual distinction of naming West Virginia and Mississippi Gulf Coast as his two finalists. That’s some list for the same kid who entertained scholarship offers from Alabama, Baylor, Florida, Florida State, Tennessee and others when he was in high school.

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Times like these …

by Mike Casazza
CHRISTIAN TYLER RANDOLPH | Gazette-Mail Photos WVU Head Coach Dana Holgorsen against the Oklahoma Sooners in the first half at Mountaineer Field at Mylan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown, W.Va. on Saturday Nov. 19, 2016.

 

I couldn’t believe this, but it’s true. Only 22 Football Bowl Subdivision coaches have been at their current school longer than Dana Holgorsen has been at West Virginia. Twenty-three schools had new coaches for the 2013 bah 2011 season. Four of them remain. Take a guess at the identity of the other three.

Anyhow, coaching is a volatile and demanding industry, and it slow to forgive and slower to forget. We’re still wading through the wake of the Bob Stoops retirement, and I was struck by two things.

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Gee: Whiz?

June 12, 2017 by Mike Casazza

 

West Virginia University President Gordon Gee was named the chairman of the Big 12’s board of directors last week. It’s a significant role, and it drives agendas and conversations alike. When you’re in that seat in a Power 5 conference, you have considerable clout. Consider this: Oklahoma President David Boren made a lot of headlines in the past year or so about the state of the Big 12. He was the chairman of the board.

Gee isn’t new to the hierarchy of the Big 12 or college athletics, and though he’s new to this particular role, he’s not unaware of the challenges and the need for solutions. Here’s a worthwhile read about the Big 12’s horizon and how the chairman sees it.

“The Big Ten Network was very successful because it was the first and they built a great network. I think the days of building a television network as a single institution are past,” Dr. Gee said. “This whole new environment makes you think both individually and collectively how your fans are going to have an opportunity to be a part of your athletic programs.

“As far as building your own network, I think that is looking into the rear-view mirror.”

The turmoil that surrounded the Big 12 for some time has at least temporarily been shut down.

The league was existing without a championship game, which hurt its place when it came to postseason selections for the College Football Playoff, leading to a push to expand to at least 12 teams to create two divisions.

Two camps were at odds, those for expansion and those against it. Dr. Gee was among those who wanted to expand.

In the end a compromise was met that included creating a championship game but without expansion, which allows the teams to cut the pie 10 ways and still have a champion decided on the field in a high-revenue event.

“I think there will be substantial stability over the next five or eight years until the contracts come up again,” he said. “Then there could be some reconfiguration.”

The names!

by Mike Casazza

Busy weekend over at West Virginia’s Puskar Center. First there was two-way dynamo Patrick Jolly taking the tour with cornerbacks coach Doug Belk. Jolly is fun to watch — that’s Class 8A — and the prominent Floridian was content with the presentation. “They said they can see me playing either side of the ball, but to pick which side I feel most comfortable playing,” Jolly said.

There’s no question what position Woodrow Lowe III will play. Linebacker is in the family, and his grandfather is a legend, but Trey, as he is known, is a quarterback. He visited with quarterbacks coach Jake Spavital, and Lowe III pushed the Mountaineers toward the top of his list. “I really enjoyed the trip,” said the 6-foot-4, 185-pounder. “I liked the school and the scenery and the program has a real nice history.”

Happy Monday

by Mike Casazza
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As you may have noticed, we were AWOL Friday. There was a plugin/update issue that knocked down all of the Gazette-Mail blogs. Restoring and rebuilding takes some time, but I think we’re back to normal. The remaining worries are behind-the-scenes things — looks like I lost a bunch of staff photos from the media library but, as you can see, not all of them — but if you see a bug let me know and I’ll pass it on up the line.

The saga does not continue

June 9, 2017 by Mike Casazza

 

You may exhale now. Chris Holtmann is the new head coach at Ohio State.

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