West Virginia's Armani Guzman (left) needs one more stolen base to set the school record for a single season. (Photo by Benjamin Powell/The Dominion Post)

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Armani Guzman enters the College World Series with one goal out of the way. He’s got school history still in the waiting.

The one out of the way is finally hitting a home run this season. It took 60 games, but WVU’s ultimate utility guy was opportunistic in sending a 346-foot shot to the right field bullpen during the Mountaineers’ 17-1 victory against Cal Poly in the super regional.

“I’ve been trying to hit home runs all season,” he admitted. “I finally got it. I was happier for my teammates, who really wanted me to hit one.”

“The big goose egg is off the board,” added teammate Gavin Kelly, the owner of 17 home runs this season for the Mountaineers.

What’s still in the works is the chance to own WVU’s single-season mark for stolen bases. Guzman has 38, which is tied with former standout Victor Scott, who first set the record in 2022.

“To Victor Scott, I’ll probably send him a text after this that I’m taking that record,” Guzman said.

Coming out of Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School (Ga.), Guzman enrolled at WVU with dreams of becoming an impact player, yet that dream was put on hold, as it took him nearly two seasons to work his way up the team’s depth chart.

WVU head coach Steve Sabins saw Guzman’s athleticism and ability grow, but what he feared is that Guzman’s full potential wouldn’t be reached until after his college career.

“Your hope as a coach is you can say that guy took us to Omaha and was an incredible player and helped get this program to new levels,” Sabins said. “Versus saying he was a pretty good player in college and now he’s the second baseman for the (Philadelphia) Phillies. That happens, too, because guys develop at different times and they’re better pro players than they are college players sometimes.”

Then came last season’s NCAA tournament. Sabins stuck Guzman at third base and he responded by winning the MVP of the Clemson Regional.

Those high expectations Guzman had set for himself when he was entering his freshman year, they were suddenly within reach entering this season.

Be the go-to guy? Outside of Kelly, there was no one on WVU’s roster who had more offensive production expected out of him than Guzman.

How has that worked out? The answer comes in two parts.

There was the first month of the regular season, which saw Guzman’s batting average sitting at .204 on March 8. Breaking the school record for stolen bases in one season wasn’t even in consideration at that point.

“First half of the year, I wasn’t getting on base much, so I couldn’t really steal,” he said.

The second part of the story tells you Guzman is batting .345 over his last 48 games. He’s gone 14 of 32 since the start of the NCAA tournament and has had at least one hit in all seven postseason games.

And the stolen bases? They’ve come in bunches, as Guzman has terrorized opposing pitchers with the threat to run at any time. In seven games in this NCAA tournament, Guzman has eight stolen bases.

There’s a good reason for that: “Sabins trusts me, and whenever I see that green light, I’m just going to go,” Guzman said.

One more swipe and the record belongs to him, in what would serve as a personal historical achievement during the school’s best baseball season ever.

“He’s coming into his own,” Sabins said. “He’s one of the most athletically talented players in the country. He’s an incredible person and an incredible leader. He’s stepped into a spot right now, where I don’t think he’s going to go in the other direction.

“I think you’re going to see him continue to develop and get better and continue to make even bigger strides. It feels like he’s hung on to something.”