Assistant Coach Mark Ginther

MARK GINTHER

ASSISTANT COACH 4TH SEASON

Mark Ginther is in his fourth season as an assistant coach with the West Virginia baseball program, serving as the infield coach and assisting with the hitters. Ginther has already left his mark on the program by assisting in the recruitment efforts of student-athletes. The 2019 class ranked No. 21 nationally, marking WVU’s first top-25 recruiting class in program history. The 2020, 2021 and 2022 classes also ranked inside the top-40 nationally. In his first year at WVU in 2019, the Mountaineers went 38-22, marking the secondmost wins in program history, earned a trip to the Big 12 Championship final and hosted its first NCAA Regional since 1955. The Mountaineers were ranked in the top 25 in each of the final eight weeks of the season, a program record, and finished as high as No. 19 by the NCBWA.

WVU’s historic season also featured a program-record eight players selected in the 2019 MLB First-Year Players Draft, including right-handed pitcher Alek Manoah, who was picked 11th overall by the Toronto Blue Jays Other 2019 draft picks included senior Ivan Gonzalez (eighth round, Chicago White Sox), junior Nick Snyder (11th round, Arizona Diamondbacks), junior Kade Strowd (12th round, Baltimore Orioles), junior Brandon White (17th round, Los Angeles Angels), senior Darius Hill (20th round, Chicago Cubs), junior Chase Illig (29th round, New York Yankees) and junior Sam Kessler (34th round, Detroit Tigers). Additionally, a program-record 11 Mountaineers earned Big 12 honors in 2019, including five second-team selections. In 2020, WVU played just 16 games due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The squad finished 11-5, marking the program’s best 16-game start since 2009. Following the season, a pair of WVU newcomers – left-handed pitcher Jake Carr and infielder/catcher Matt McCormick – earned Freshman All-America honors by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, the first time two Mountaineers accomplished the feat in the same season since 2016.

Last season, Ginther was a part of a WVU coaching staff that saw the Mountaineers win multiple games at the Big 12 Championship for the sixth time in the last eight tournaments. West Virginia also finished the year with five wins over ranked opponents, including a pair of wins over No. 2 Texas (May 20, 26), good for the highestranked wins in program history. For the second consecutive season, a WVU newcomer earned a freshman All-America accolade, as left-handed pitcher Ben Hampton was recognized by Perfect Game. Four players also earned All-Big 12 status, with left-handed pitcher Jackson Wolf leading the way with a spot on the second team. Additionally, catcher Paul McIntosh and outfielder Austin Davis earned honorable mention status, while Hampton and infielder Mikey Kluska were selected to the Big 12 All-Freshman Team. Four Mountaineer pitchers were taken in the 2021 MLB Draft. Wolf was the first WVU player to hear his name called, as he was taken in the fourth round by the San Diego Padres. Right-hander Ryan Bergert joined him when he was selected in the sixth round by San Diego. Additionally, right-hander Madison Jeffrey (15th round) and left-hander Adam Tulloch (17th round) were each taken by the Los Angeles Dodgers. In the classroom, a program-record 12 players were named to the Academic All-Big 12 Team, including eight on the first team, also tops in team history. Prior to his arrival at West Virginia, Ginther was at Oklahoma State, where he was a four-year letterwinner and spent four seasons on the OSU coaching staff. In four years on the Oklahoma State coaching staff, Ginther was the volunteer assistant from 2016-18 and the player development coordinator in 2015. The Cowboys made the NCAA Tournament each season, with a College World Series berth in 2016, and won the Big 12 Championship in 2017. As a student-athlete at Oklahoma State from 2009-12, Ginther was a two-time All-Big 12 Honorable Mention and played in two NCAA Tournaments. In 209 career games, primarily at third base, he hit .296 with 32 home runs, 140 RBIs and 50 doubles. Ginther’s 808 career at-bats rank No. 5 all-time in OSU history, while his 50 career doubles rank No. 8. His 19 sacrifice flies in 2010 is tied for sixth-most in a single season in OSU history. In 2010, he led the team in home runs (12) and RBIs (58), and he had a team-best five homers and 225 at-bats in 2012. Ginther was selected in the Major League Baseball Draft three times, once out of Jenks High School in 2008 and twice at Oklahoma State, in 2011 and 2012. Following his OSU career, he was drafted in the 24th round by the Arizona Diamondbacks and played in 62 games with the Class-A Short Season Yakima Bears in 2012. Following his professional career, Ginther returned to Stillwater and served as the Cowboys’ volunteer student coach and then as a graduate manager. A Tulsa, Oklahoma, native, Ginther graduated from Oklahoma State with a degree in management in 2013. He and his wife, Taylor, have two children, Blair and Tripp.

PERSONAL

Born December 4, 1989 Hometown Tulsa, Oklahoma Alma Mater Oklahoma State, 2013 (B.A.) Family wife, Taylor; daughter, Blair; son, Tripp

PLAYING EXPERIENCE

2009-12 Oklahoma State (NCAA) 2012 Yakima Bears (Arizona Diamondbacks, Class-A)

PLAYING HONORS

2011 All-Big 12 Honorable Mention 2012 All-Big 12 Honorable Mention

COACHING EXPERIENCE

2013 Oklahoma State (Student Assistant) 2014 Oklahoma State (Graduate Assistant) 2015 Oklahoma State (Player Development Coordinator) 2016-18 Oklahoma State (Volunteer Assistant) 2019-present West Virginia (Assistant)

POSTSEASON EXPERIENCE

AT OKLAHOMA STATE

2009 NCAA Regional (Player) 2011 NCAA Regional (Player) 2013-18 NCAA Regional 2014 NCAA Super Regional 2016 NCAA Super Regional 2016 College World Series

AT WEST VIRGINIA

2019 NCAA Regional

TOTAL YEARS – COACHING 9 NCAA TOURNAMENTS 7

MARK GINTHER CAREER DRAFT CHART

YEAR PLAYER POS. RD. OVERALL MLB TEAM

2021 Jackson Wolf LHP 4 129 San Diego 2021 Ryan Bergert RHP 6 190 San Diego 2021 Madison Jeffrey RHP 15 462 Los Angeles (NL) 2021 Adam Tulloch LHP 17 522 Los Angeles (NL) 2019 Alek Manoah RHP 1 11 Toronto 2019 Ivan Gonzalez C 8 230 Chicago (AL) 2019 Nick Snyder LHP 11 332 Arizona 2019 Kade Strowd RHP 12 348 Baltimore 2019 Brandon White OF 17 511 Los Angeles (AL) 2019 Darius Hill OF 20 612 Chicago (NL) 2019 Chase Illig C 29 885 New York (AL) 2019 Sam Kessler RHP 34 1012 Detroit 2018 Jon Littell OF 37 1124 Los Angeles (NL) 2018 Jon Heasley RHP 13 392 Kansas City 2018 Carson Teel LHP 16 491 Washington 2018 Matt Kroon 3B 18 527 Philadelphia 2018 Reza Aleaziz RHP 28 854 Los Angeles (NL) 2017 Tyler Buffet RHP 6 167 Cincinnati 2017 Trey Cobb RHP 8 247 New York (NL) 2017 Garrett McCain OF 10 305 Detroit 2017 Garrett Benge 3B 13 401 Boston 2017 Blake Battenfield RHP 17 507 Chicago (AL) 2016 Thomas Hatch RHP 3 104 Chicago (NL)

YEAR PLAYER POS. RD. OVERALL MLB TEAM

2016 Donovan Walton SS 5 147 Seattle 2016 Remey Reed RHP 6 173 Miami 2016 Garrett Williams LHP 7 215 San Francisco 2016 Tyler Buffet RHP 7 217 Houston 2016 Trey Cobb RHP 12 374 Chicago (NL) 2016 Michael Mertz RHP 14 413 Miami 2016 JR Davis 2B 15 466 St. Louis 2016 Collin Theroux C 32 952 Oakland 2016 Conor Costello RHP 32 971 Los Angeles (NL) 2016 Dustin Williams 1B 36 1095 Pittsburgh 2015 Michael Freeman LHP 7 199 Houston 2015 Koda Glover RHP 8 254 Washington 2015 Tim Arakawa 2B 23 705 Los Angeles (AL) 2015 John Perrin RHP 27 811 Milwaukee 2015 Bryan Case C 27 816 San Francisco 2015 Gage Green C 35 1062 Los Angeles (NL) 2014 Zack Fish OF 11 318 Chicago (AL) 2014 Brendan McCurry RHP 22 672 Oakland 2014 Tanner Krietemeier 1B 23 703 Atlanta 2014 Vince Wheeland RHP 24 706 Houston 2013 Jason Hursh RHP 1 31 Atlanta 2013 Randy McCurry SS 23 690 Arizona