July officially marks the start of a new sports calendar, as conference swaps become official and the NCAA starts a new season. But before we open up 2025-26, it’s time to look back at West Virginia’s memorable moments in 2024-25. The Mountaineers had several important things happen this past year, some positive, some not. Here’s a look back at some of the biggest.
Rich Rodriguez Returns
Maybe this will work. Maybe it won’t. But the Mountaineers are going to give it a shot with Rodriguez 2.0. Although he’s never coached in the Big 12 (neither WVU nor Arizona were league members when he coached there), he has won almost everywhere he’s been. He only had one losing season in Morgantown, and if he can consistently win, everyone in blue and gold will be thrilled with his return.
West Virginia is a school where every team matters, but football matters most. And Rodriguez showed how good it can be during his first tour of duty. That’s not the bar for success this time, but it is a sign of what’s possible. And that gives the Mountaineer fans reason to hope.
Read More: A Look Back: Memorable Moments for the Mountaineers
Baseball Reaches the Super Regionals
Winning the Big 12 title was a nice achievement, but the way the season ended for the Mountaineers took some of the shine off the crown. But going into the Clemson Regional and making it out of that group confirmed their achievements were no fluke.
West Virginia found itself in the rare position of having to get by both an ACC and an SEC team, and the Mountaineers didn’t lose a game in Clemson. That made it back-to-back appearances in the Supers, and that’s the sign of a team that’s going to be a factor for a while.
They almost got the perfect opponent when Little Rock came a game short of upsetting LSU, but the Tigers ended that and ended the Mountaineers’ season in the Supers. Still, going out to the national champions isn’t a bad way to go at all. Thanks to that run, the Big 12 championship flag is going to look a lot better in Morgantown next year.
A Sun Belt Championship
Men’s soccer doesn’t get as much attention as some of the other sports, mainly because it’s not played as much nationwide. But the Mountaineers play it and play it effectively. Recently, a reorganization of men’s soccer conferences led Dan Stratford’s side to the Sun Belt, which means sharing a league with powers Kentucky and Marshall.
Yes, that’s not a mistake; men’s soccer is the one sport where the Thundering Herd can legitimately claim to stand on the same level as the Mountaineers. That’s also not a knock on Stratford’s program; Marshall is a legitimate national power in men’s soccer. And of course, the Sun Belt final saw Marshall and West Virginia go to penalties to decide which part of the state would claim the trophy.
West Virginia converted six PK’s to Marshall’s five, claiming its first league title since joining the Sun Belt. Any time you can win a conference title, especially over a rival, it’s something to savor.
Cruising Past Columbia
Mark Kellogg has done some impressive things in his two years running the women’s basketball program. Getting another 25-win season and an NCAA tournament win was a big step forward. The Mountaineers faced a challenging first-round game with Columbia and made it look easy. West Virginia won that game 78-59, beating a team that had impressed enough to get an at-large bid from the Ivy League.
West Virginia then gave a credible effort against North Carolina in round 2. Women’s basketball looks to have a solidly bright future, and Kellogg looks like the right coach to lead into that. As long as the Mountaineers can survive losing JJ Quinerly to the WNBA, they’ll be fine.
Speaking of that, that was another big step forward for the Mountaineers. Getting a player into the WNBA will only help Kellogg continue to grow the program. Her success in Morgantown serves as a foundation for future teams.
DeVries Goes One and Done; Hodge Hired
When you hire a coach, you want that person to want to be at your school for a long time. That was supposed to be the case with Darian DeVries, but then Indiana opened and DeVries was off to Bloomington.
Enter Ross Hodge, who checks that box of wanting to be in Morgantown.
Like with Rodriguez, there’s no guarantee that this works. The reasons are different this time, because Hodge isn’t anywhere near as proven as Rodriguez. But like Rodriguez, Hodge wants to be in Morgantown. He’s not likely to leave at the first opportunity that comes his way.
To be fair, DeVries wasn’t either; he couldn’t help that Indiana was the first opportunity. But Hodge seems to be the man who will finally stabilize the West Virginia men’s basketball program. And after a few tumultuous years, Wren Baker and the fan base need that.
Rifle’s Perfect Campaign
At the other end of the stability spectrum is the rifle squad. Jon Hammond’s team is the picture of stability, as well as success. Hammond has spent 20 years in charge of the rifle team, which just brought home its seventh national championship in his tenure. It also marked a second straight perfect season, as the Mountaineers went 13-0.
Obviously, West Virginia excels at rifle. It’s tailor-made for the state’s strengths; West Virginia should dominate at rifle. But you still have to go out and hit the target. And the Mountaineers do that consistently better than anyone in the nation. And it certainly wasn’t easy: West Virginia was third after one day and edged Kentucky by one point for the title.
That’s why fans should not take this team for granted. Success at the national level is hard. Hammond’s team only makes it look easy. Make no mistake; they earned every accolade they received.
