New Coach Qualifications

1. National search. SC has never properly searched the country for a coach since Dedeaux retired.
2. NO ass't coach please. Established head coaching experience required. Not a learn on the job assignment.
3. Do not hire anyone on the current staff. I shouldn't have to say it.
4. Big name coach would be best.
5.Do not rush. Take time to evaluate many candidates. Another mistake we can't afford. It's flagship sport!

 

Smoking crack again?
1. Loves his players.
2. Faith, family, and good coach speak.
3. Wont embarrass Max Nikias while kissing up to him regularly.
4. Recognizes the value of ice cream.
5. Sets his jaw.

Who is coaching baseball at Western Kentucky?

 

One name that came to my mind, Michael Garciaparra (brother of Nomar). He runs a college developmental baseball program, Garciaparra Baseball Group, out of Southern California. Garciaparra was a first round (supplemental) draft pick by the Seattle Mariners in 2001 and played ten years in the big leagues. According to his bio, he is an area scout for the St Louis Cardinals and an USA Baseball instructor. His ties to high school baseball in California are enormous. His GBG baseball program produces countless DIV 1 or MLB drafts picks every year. If he's not qualified to be a HC, he definitely needs to be interviewed for an assistant position.

 

We simply can't go down the Kreuter road again, baseball guy with no head coach college coaching experience.
SC must have a proven head coach. Further, who is leading the search for the coach? All involved in the current administration allowed the program to completely fail. Now, they're supposed to have great knowledge about coaches and all that needs to be upgraded in the baseball program. You can't plug any random guy into this job and think it's going to work. We don't get the Eric Munson guys anymore who turn down 2nd round money to come to SC. The tuition alone requires families who will have to spend extra money to go to a private college. That requires a great coach, who will attract top recruits because of the perceived benefit to play for that coach. Savage is getting all the recruits because he has a great reputation. We can't afford some random assistant or unknown quantity to compete with UCLA. Immediate success is required, not a three year plan.

 

Would be nice to get a coach from another private university that has a winning tradition and understands how to build a team with the inherent handicaps of a high cost school and limited scholarships... if Vandy can do it year in and year out, so can USC.

 

Someone capable of getting me another one of these for my man cave...

 

Okay, I'm going to list some of the coaches that we should be looking at, and I list both current head coaches and highly qualified assistant coaches:
Chris Pollard is head coach at Duke - has done an amazing job making Duke a winner, likely going to Super Regionals this year. Has experience at a private university like SC.
Erik Bakich is head coach at Michigan - excellent and respected coach who had interviewed with Stanford at one point, but turned them down. Michigan will find out if they go to a Super Regional later today.
Dan Heefner is head coach at Dallas Baptist - the fact that this small private school has been in the NCAA tournament year after recent year suggests that he is doing something right
Andrew Checketts is head coach at UCSB and has turned that program around. Knows the West Coast
Cliff Godwin is head coach at East Carolina University - turned around a program that has a baseball history, but had been a dumpster fire. If they win their final tonight, they will be heading for a Super Regional. Alabama and Ole Miss tried to lure him away but he stayed at his alma mater. Another former ECU player, Bryant Ward, is the recruiting coordinator and assistant coach at UGLY.
Steve Rodriguez is head coach at Baylor, another strong team from a private university. Great post-season so far.
Kevin McMullen is a fantastic assistant coach at UVA and will be a fantastic head coach. UVA is not in the post-season this year, but they are a perennial post-season favorite and UVA functions more like a private school than a public one.
Kirk Saarlos is another fantastic assistant coach, he from TCU. He will get a head coach job after this season, it's a matter of where.

I think we'll be in good shape if we end up with any of the above. Yes, there are others, but these would be home run hires.

 

Good list.

 

Add the Fresno and Loyola coaches for almost knocking off Stanford and UCLA. Baylor Rodriguez used to be Pepperdine coach too.

 

You can if you wish, but they aren't in the same league as those above.

 

True dat

 

Great discussion.

How do you rank the coach at Grand Canyon U?

 

Very good coach, but second tier. Andy Stankiewicz has hx as assistant coach in the Pac 12, nice job moving the Lopes into Division 1 baseball. Definitely an up and comer.

 

Any news on search?

 

Personally, I hope they wait until the end of the CWS - many of the top choices are still coaching teams in the Super Regionals.

 

Grand Canyon coach. Is that the best we can do?
Round up the usual suspects and select.
That's a national search?

 

What do you think about Dave Serrano?

 

Serrano is a recognizable name, West Virginia pitching coach in 2018, available now.
Back to the "search", Stankiewkz is 252-188-1 in eight seasons. 36-24 in 2019. Is this the guy that will enable us to compete with UCLA & Stanford immediately? Parent evaluation, Stanford or SC, Grand Canyon coach or Savage? Don't see the draw to SC required by this "name" coach. SC going cheap again? We need a big name coach or just forget it.

 

Stankiwiewkz definitely second tier, though record reflects more competitive schedule. Haven’t heard anything about the search, have you? Wondered about your going cheap comments. Serrano is a bit long in the tooth, no?

 

Stankiewicz is not necessarily second tier. Though coaching at Grand Canyon is not the same as LSU, Texas or Miami. The Lopes schedule is not impressive and they have not been to a regional. He is not a name in college baseball.
Scott Wolf says he's the favorite to get the job. Really? This is not a national search. SC needs a big name coach and a financial commitment to get baseball immediately back to championship level play. Cheap refers to the history of SC not paying for top level coaches, and given the financial legal issues SC is facing, I suspect that will be the major excuse for hiring an unknown. This is a huge moment for SC baseball, this hire will decide the future of SC baseball for years to come. Everyone happy that we have been to one regional since 2005, 14 years of lousy baseball. I'm not! Stankiewicz > Hubbs?? Can SC ever do anything correct? And, Notre Dame is looking for a new baseball coach too. Let's compare hires upon completion. FYI, I would take George Horton before Serrano. There are a lot of solid coaches to look at, why are we focusing on a small group of guys? Think big!