On June 5, 2025, Wren Baker signed an extension to remain the athletic director at West Virginia University through 2032. Read more: A Call to the Future: What Wren Baker’s Extension Means for WVU
This extension marks the second Baker has signed since his tenure started at WVU in 2022. Similar to his first extension, Baker has shown his worth tenfold through various avenues in the athletic program.
While still in the early stages of his time at WVU and with a clear path towards the future, Baker has already cemented his impact with an eye towards something more.
The Start of Something Great
When Baker was hired to replace interim athletic director Shane Lyons in November 2022, WVU was on the cusp of several program-defining decisions.
Shortly after being hired, Baker had to replace longtime head coach Bob Huggins. It’s no secret what caused this abrupt removal. Baker was forced to make a tough decision swiftly to not allow WVU’s image to be tarnished.
He ultimately chose one of Huggins’ assistants. Josh Eilert. Looking back on it now, it’s easy to see the Eilert experiment didn’t work. He was inexperienced as a head coach and was clearly out of his league.
Nonetheless, you can’t blame Baker. A decision had to be made quickly, and at the time, someone like Eilert, who had been in the program before, was a good choice. This hire showed Baker could make crucial decisions that are best for the university and its athletic programs.
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In that same year, Baker was tasked with finding a coach for the women’s basketball team after former head coach Dawn Plitzuweit left for Minnesota after just one year.
His choice, longtime Stephen F. Austin head coach Mark Kellogg. And it’s safe to say that was a program-changing decision. Since then, Kellogg has accumulated a 50-16 record and led the Mountaineers to two NCAA tournament appearances.
While one didn’t pan out, these first two hires proved to everyone that Baker had what it took to lead WVU athletics in the right direction.
More Successful Hires
Since those initial hires, Baker has had to make more crucial decisions on who’s going to lead their various athletic teams.
One of those was to replace Eilert after a lackluster season with him at the helm. Baker decided to poach one of the top young coaches in the nation at the time, Darian Devries.
At the time of the hire, it seemed to be a match made in heaven. Devries was coming off six straight 20-plus winning seasons at Drake. Everything on paper and the court looked like it was a surefire pick for Baker.
Until it wasn’t. No one, including Baker, can account for someone’s integrity. For whatever reasons were at play, Devries decided to jump ship to Indiana after just one season.
Once again, Baker was tasked with finding another head coach for men’s basketball. This time, he turned to someone he had previously known at his former job, North Texas.
Ross Hodge is someone who already had a previous connection with Baker. They know each other personally and how each other works. Hodge has shown the ability to not only lead a team but also stay loyal.
Time will tell if this was a good hire by Baker. But even without a single game under his belt, Hodge is already proving that he is here to stay and is committed to the long-term success at West Virginia.
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Another successful hire that Baker has had to make recently is promoting associate head coach Steve Sabins to head coach. This came at a pivotal moment for WVU baseball. Randy Mazey, the longtime head coach and driving force behind the baseball program’s rise, had retired.
Baker needed someone who could carry on what Mazey built. Which is why he chose Sabins, someone who had stood beside Mazey for all those years.
Now, after just one season with Sabins, you can already see that this was another home-run hire for Baker. In his first season as a head coach, Sabins led the Mountaineers to a 44-16 record and their second-straight Super Regional appearance.
That success has already warranted Baker to sign Sabins to an extension that will keep Sabins at WVU through 2031.
Baker’s influence hasn’t just been limited to basketball and baseball; it’s also extended to the football program.
This comes after the rehiring of former head football coach Rich Rodriguez. The rekindled relationship has already made an impact, helping achieve the highest football season ticket sales in years.
With the success of Sabins, coupled with the short-term success of Devries, it once again proved Baker’s eye for head coaches. The Devries diabolical also reinforced Baker’s ability to put out fires quickly and put WVU athletics back on the right track.
What Else Has He Done?
Hiring coaches is surely one of the most important jobs for an athletic director. And while Baker has proven his worth in that, he has done a lot more in his time as athletic director that has been good for the athletic department.
For starters, the athletic revenue has increased five to six percent during the three fiscal cycles Baker has been there. This is a 12-month period that accounts for the money earned and spent in that given year.
Baker and the athletic department’s research has also concluded that the money WVU generates from parking, ticketing, media rights, and fundraising is on par or even ahead of its Power Four peers.
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He also launched the Gold and Blue Enterprises earlier this year. This separate company will allow WVU to get to the forefront of NIL. It will create more revenue streams and provide student-athletes with more opportunities for brand deals.
All of these accomplishments are things the average fan doesn’t see, but without these improvements, athletics won’t grow. This steady growth is directly related to the long-term vision Baker has for WVU.
Why Does Any of This Matter?
Baker has done an impressive job so far, as evidenced by successes in baseball and women’s basketball.
But why does any of this matter? Why is it so important to have a good athletic director?
Well, simply put, sports bring in a ton of money for the university, and you need someone who is capable in charge. Without a good AD, a school’s athletic program could turn into shambles.
Just take a look at former Texas University AD Steve Patterson. During the time he was in charge from 2013 to 2015, Patterson alienated relationships with the donors, increased season ticket prices, and ruined relationships with other schools.
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This mismanagement temporarily set back Texas athletics, which is normally elite across the board.
Fortunately enough, it doesn’t look like West Virginia will have to worry about that.
Baker has only been at WVU for three years, yet he has already made a significant impact on the university and its athletics. He has shown time and time again that he is the right person to lead West Virginia in this critical era of college athletics.
With Baker leading the way, there is no doubt that WVU will continue to make strides in becoming one of the premier athletic institutions in the NCAA.
A Call to the Future: What Wren Baker’s Extension Means for WVU
