WVU Baseball is coming off its best season in history. The Mountaineers capped off a historic season just one game away from a shot at the College World Series championship.
The success the Mountaineers have had on the diamond over the last decade has created a sort of buzz around the program that many people never expected to see.
That added excitement around the program has started to stir up the question on if it’s possible to expand Wagener Field at Kendrick Family Ballpark to create more seating options. Read more: Will Kendrick Family Ballpark get the renovations it deserves in the future?
What are the talks?
Wren Baker, WVU Vice President and Director of Athletics, recently went on “3 Guys Before the Game” to talk about the state of WVU Athletics. The topic of a potential renovation to the baseball stadium quickly came up.
Baker talked about how the success and increased interest around the team have paved the way for more and more fans showing up to games. Just look at the Morgantown Regional and the Morgantown Super Regional for reference.
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In those games, there were thousands of fans not able to get a seat due to overcapacity. Instead, fans opted to sit on the third base side berm or along the first base hill that was later coined as “Randy’s Ridge”.
Those sold-out crowds that West Virginia garnered on its path to the College World Series even got the attention of head coach Steve Sabins.
“I know it’s sold out. It’s packed,” Sabins said. “I’m seeing on StubHub and SeatGeek tickets going for $2,500. I think it’s probably about time we build more seats here, clearly because there’s people that want to watch this baseball team that aren’t able to go around.”
And this was just in response to WVU’s game against Binghamton University, the first game of the regional.
Flash-forward a few months later, Baker and the department seem to agree with Sabins. He hinted at the potential for future expansions that would grow seating opportunities.
What Baker said
“We’re going to hire an architect and look at everything very intentionally,” Baker stated. “Where can we potentially expand capacity? Where can we potentially grow premium? Then we’ll test donor interest because if we can’t raise the money to build it, and yes, it brings in another 100 grand, but you’re spending 200-250 grand to satisfy debt service on it, that did not help you at all. Everybody else gets to be emotional and reactionary and just throw things out there. My job is to stay grounded and look analytically and strategically, and to bring in architects and experts to say, ‘Okay, here’s our ballpark. Let’s look at it. What can we do to improve it? What can we do to drive revenue? What can we do to increase capacity?”
While it may not be the clear-cut answer that many fans want to hear, Baker sounds perfectly logical in his response. Baseball is likely never going to be a sport that breaks even, so it’s important not to get emotional when looking at major renovation projects like this.
At the same time, Baker didn’t completely shut the door on the possibility of it. He clearly is open to the idea and is putting the pieces in motion to see if an expansion is possible.
However, Baker also talked about a major issue that will arise if these renovation talks start to heat up.
“We actually don’t own it (Kendrick Family Ballpark). The county does. And there’s another team, another tenant in there in the (West Virginia) Black Bears. And so really, it’s a conversation involving three parties. I don’t think that if we decided we wanted to do something, it should be 100% our expense. We’re definitely willing to participate in that.”
Why must these renovations happen
The fact the university doesn’t fully own the ballpark and another team in the West Virginia Black Bears also use it will certainly create some obstacles along the way.
It’s not like the university can just wake up one day and start tearing up the seats to create more. They will have to go through some hoops when it comes to the city of Morgantown, as well as the Black Bears organization.
With that being said, it’s incredibly important that WVU finds a way to make these renovations happen.
The 2026 season was the fourth year in a row that West Virginia broke the all-time single-game attendance record. After breaking it in 2025 with 4,629 fans against Pitt, the Mountaineers broke it again with 4,675 fans in Game 2 of the Super Regional against Cal Poly.
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Additionally, following the COVID-19 year, there has been an increase in average home attendance every season. 2026 saw an average of 3,311 fans per game, nearly a third higher than 2022.
The fans have clearly invested in this baseball program. And as long as the Mountaineers keep churning out successful seasons, that interest will only continue to grow.
It may be difficult to get done, but a renovation to Kendrick Family Ballpark is exactly what the doctor ordered for West Virginia Baseball.
Stay up to date with WV Sports Nation for more WVU Athletics coverage, and enjoy the holiday!
