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2021 NCAA Baseball

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NorthLoop
NorthLoop
Valmy77
Valmy77

On one hand that is very impressive. On the other they are Arkansas so fuck them.

ClubWhatever
ClubWhatever

Didn’t you have to be a giant when you went to sleep to be a “sleeping giant”?

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Guest Lobo

Guest Lobo

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Man, 30th and 70th.  That's gonna make a helluva banner.  I'll call my vinyl guy.  He does other services for Aggies that I don't want to get into right now.  

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NorthLoop

NorthLoop 14,251

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Posted
4 minutes ago, Lobo said:

Man, 30th and 70th.  That's gonna make a helluva banner.  I'll call my vinyl guy.  He does other services for Aggies that I don't want to get into right now.  

Banner? That shit is going on the football stadium wall. 

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Wulaw Horn

Wulaw Horn 19,153

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My buddy who coaches GA State is finishing up his regular season today. 
They are 10-11 I’m conference. So a win today gets him to break even which would be awesome. They are 5-22 out of conference- with a top 10 SOS for non con that had him playing 17 or 19 high major teams to start the year. They went 2-2 against WVU at home, 1-3 @ Vandy, 1-1 @ Ga Tech and they lost all the rest of their games to basically ranked SEC teams on the road. 
I will be interested to see how he schedules in the future. 
This was his first full year and the team had been pretty bad and I think he’s starting 7 underclassmen so hopefully the future is pretty bright for him. 
it’s interesting to follow a low major team after being a Texas fan (and before that a Stanford fan when I lived out in the Bay Area) my whole life. Just a different sport. 

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zlavydra

zlavydra 2,123

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On 5/22/2021 at 11:04 AM, Wulaw Horn said:

My buddy who coaches GA State is finishing up his regular season today. 
They are 10-11 I’m conference. So a win today gets him to break even which would be awesome. They are 5-22 out of conference- with a top 10 SOS for non con that had him playing 17 or 19 high major teams to start the year. They went 2-2 against WVU at home, 1-3 @ Vandy, 1-1 @ Ga Tech and they lost all the rest of their games to basically ranked SEC teams on the road. 
I will be interested to see how he schedules in the future. 
This was his first full year and the team had been pretty bad and I think he’s starting 7 underclassmen so hopefully the future is pretty bright for him. 
it’s interesting to follow a low major team after being a Texas fan (and before that a Stanford fan when I lived out in the Bay Area) my whole life. Just a different sport. 

There's a ton of baseball talent around Atlanta.  WVU had a bunch of guys from the area on their roster - guys who obviously weren't SEC or ACC recruits.  GA State will target those guys, and their new park will help out.

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Lobwedgephil

Lobwedgephil 1,139

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15 minutes ago, Machinator said:

Childress out at A&M.

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Liucci
Staff
AG
Watching Hunter Coleman stand there before the media and explain what Rob Childress has meant to him and what he thinks of his head coach following A&M's 2021 season coming to an end with a series loss to LSU on Saturday got me to thinking.  

Of all the coaches to come through Aggieland and enjoy a long tenure at my university, I'm not sure there was one I knew less than Childress. Over the years, I've been able to farm out the baseball coverage to a more-than-capable bunch here at TexAgs but those of you who know me best understand that I'm a baseball fan at heart and grew up with it as my favorite sport. Some of my best sports memories - both as a student and covering this stuff - have involved Aggie baseball, most notably the '99 team, the 2011 bunch and those teams in 2015 and 2016. Special groups, all-around great dudes and some good friends from all three of those eras to this day. But because I've been able to simply be a 'fan' when it comes to A&M baseball, I didn't develop the type of relationship with Childress that I have with so many other coaches over my quarter century of doing this.

I wish I had, because I've always been a fan. I say that not knowing if Childress likes me, couldn't care less or hates the mere existence of TexAgs (I know folks think we have it easy around here, but he wouldn't be the first A&M head coach or sports administrator or social media head who felt that way). I say that because by all accounts - players, other folks across the department and the team here at TexAgs that handles the coverage for us - Childress is as good as gold. He's the type of coach you'd want your son to play for the kind of man you want representing the Maroon & White. Texas A&M baseball was fortunate enough to have had Childress call College Station home for more than 15 years, dating back to when I was barely 30 years old ,the Aggies were happy members of the Big 12 and TexAgs was still in what I'd consider the infancy stages of it's growth.

That's coming to an end today, as the Aggie season is done and Rob just wrapped up the final year of his contract. Bjork is meeting with the A&M coaches as I type this and will sit down with the players at 10 am, which means Childress coached his final game in Maroon & White in front of the home fans last night. I'll leave the debate about how his tenure should best be graded to the 'TA baseball bunch' and all of you on the boards. It's a very interesting conversation...and you can really look back at those '15 and '16 near-misses as a moment in that 16-year window where Childress and the Ags were on the cusp of stepping into the big-time and possibly emerging as a top-5-8 type of program but couldn't quite get past TCU. Anyway, I'm letting myself get drawn in here and that wasn't the point (I'll opine a little on radio tomorrow just for fun). What I will say is that Rob and his staff did a good job and will be missed by many, including this not-so-casual observer and Childress fan.

It's not fun going through what he went through this year (or last year, for that matter, when the Ags probably would have fared much better had the season not been cancelled midstream) but this process probably hasn't been a very fun one for Ross Bjork, either. Like Childress, the Aggie AD has a job to do. A change is being made across the tracks at Olsen and we'll have all the reaction and the like throughout the day and tomorrow on the boards and on TexAgs Radio. For now, however, just know this: Bjork and the Aggies are absolutely in search of big game when it comes to the hunt for Childress' replacement.
As anyone who follows college athletics knows, decisions like these aren't made overnight and though the 'official' search begins today, the groundwork for an eventual hire has already been laid. You guys know the names, as it's very obvious that any such search will begin close to home, where a couple of guys have led their teams to a combined nine College World Series trips. Tim Tadlock at Texas Tech and TCU's Jim Schlossnagle are no-brainer targets, as is Tennessee's Tony Vitello, who has strong Texas ties and has the Vol program soaring in the SEC. Another name that I expect to be in the mix is East Carolina's Cliff Godwin. Pretty stout field, and one that could certainly grow as the post-season goes on, as I've heard interest has been overwhelming for what most in the game believe is a top-5 job in college baseball. Ross and the A&M decision-makers are going to treat the coaching search exactly as if, as the goal here is to bring in a head man who will not only turn TAMU into a bona fide SEC powerhouse but also get the Aggies to Omaha consistently and, at some point, bring the big trophy home to College STation for the first time.
One thing to keep in mind here as you guys go out daily in search of information on the coaching search front, remember that the best way this thing could possibly go for the Aggies is for the spotlight to never fall on one particular candidate until a deal is all but done. The last thing Bjork and Co. need to do is tip their hand. There's an art form to this thing, and - despite the fact that things are going well in Austin right now on the diamond (for the just-crowned Big 12 champs) the last thing you want is for a coaching search to go like their last one did. As in, the Horns missed on several targets and slid down way down their list before settling on the eventual hire (who was, believe it or not, on a bit of a hot seat in Austin entering this season but has turned things around in a big way). One final note: LSU is expected to be in the market, as well, While I believe the TIgers' No. 1 target resides in Louisville, Kentucky, if Scott Woodward misses there, you could see some overlap in the two searches, namely with Vitello or perhaps even Schlossnagle.

 

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Guest Lobo

Guest Lobo

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I think for college baseball coaching gigs in Texas, East of U.S. Hwy. 77---A&M is certainly a Top 5.  I think Rice, Baylor, and TCU are probably Top 3 and barely east of 77 in the case of those two last ones.  A&M is a solid 4th, could even rival Baylor some years for 3rd.  5th is probably a contest between Houston and Dallas Baptist but A&M is for sure in the conversation on Top 5 easily, possibly Top 3.  

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Dewey

Dewey 3,295

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Posted

Have to feel bad for any coach dumb enough to take any coaching gig at a&m, doesnt.matter the sport. They have 100% fanbase that thinks they win at the highest level. In football, they think they're Alabama,  in basketball... they think top 10. In baseball they think they are right up there Texas and LSU. On one hand it's great, they keep throwing good money after bad,  but on the other hand, it sucks, because you have to recruit like you're a powerhouse when you're not. Recruits don't buy that delusional bullshit. You can by some of them, but not all of them. Eventually as a coach, you have a season like this and you're out, everything is your fault, bye. 

Hope Childress ends up somewhere with a chance to build a team for Omaha. If he does, he will and he'll be in Omaha while aggie is sitting at home, most likely.  

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Fletch

Fletch 5,800

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1 hour ago, The Dog said:

it's not even top five in their own fucking conference. 

Or arguably state. It’s not a better job than Texas or TCU. Not sure I’d pick aggy over tech or Baylor. Shit Rice may be a better coaching job 

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texasstrong12

texasstrong12 4,668

Posted
Posted (edited)
2 hours ago, RMac5 said:

Schloss and Tadlock? Typical aggy.

I think they're hiring Schloss. 

There's a lot in play there. Apparently, he's going through a messy divorce and Schloss has tried to leave before. 

If TCU hires Saarloos, I think this is great news for Texas. Breaking those two up would be a very good thing for Texas. 

Edited by texasstrong12
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The Dog

The Dog 44,160

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4 hours ago, TrashMaster G said:

I'd say #5 job in the SEC West is right:

1 - LSU

2 - Miss St

3 - Arkansas 

4 - Ole Miss

5 - aggy

6 - 'Bama

7 - Auburn 

 

even then both Alabama and Auburn have more wins in Omaha than aggy. aggy has one more appearance (6 to their 5 each). 

in fact, the only SEC team with fewer wins in Omaha than aggy is Kentucky. 

Kentucky is the only SEC team to never make it to Omaha.

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TrashMaster G

TrashMaster G 17,625

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44 minutes ago, The Dog said:

even then both Alabama and Auburn have more wins in Omaha than aggy. aggy has one more appearance (6 to their 5 each). 

in fact, the only SEC team with fewer wins in Omaha than aggy is Kentucky. 

Kentucky is the only SEC team to never make it to Omaha.

aggy will throw more $ at baseball than Alabama or Auburn.

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Guest Lobo

Guest Lobo

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Posted
2 minutes ago, NeverMarryAStripper said:

Is even going to wait until the playoffs are over, or is he starting immediately?

Skipping the post-season in service to A&M is an Aggie tradition.  I suspect he's already moved into his new office. 

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Machinator

Machinator 32,099

Posted
Posted

From Baseball America

Spoiler

On May 23, Texas A&M announced it was parting ways with head coach Rob Childress after his contract expired at the end of the season. The decision brings an end to a 16-year tenure in College Station that delivered significant success to the program but never resulted in the Aggies becoming a year-in, year-out national title contender.

Under Childress, A&M went to 13 straight regionals from 2007, his second season at the helm, to 2019. He guided the team to six super regionals and two College World Series appearances, in 2011 and 2017, and to an overall record of 621-334-3.

The expectation that Texas A&M is a sleeping giant in college baseball that will eventually join the sport’s elite led many to think a change was needed. There’s no disputing that Childress had a positive effect at A&M after arriving from Nebraska, where he was an assistant under Dave Van Horn and Mike Anderson and helped open up the Lincoln to College Station coaching pipeline, which also includes current Cornhuskers coach Will Bolt and Texas A&M assistant Justin Seely.

When Childress took over for Mark Johnson, who had a very successful run in College Station in his own right, the Aggies had missed the postseason in four of the previous six seasons. After one rebuilding season in 2006, Childress led A&M to a Big 12 Tournament title and a super regional in year two, followed by a Big 12 regular-season title and another super regional in year three.

He also should be credited with successfully leading the Aggies through their transition to the SEC. Despite moving up in weight class, so to speak, the program didn’t miss much of a beat and was competitive right away.

At the same time, reasonable people can make the argument that the results were slipping, even before missing out on a regional in 2021. The 2018 and 2019 seasons ended with elimination in regionals, and in 2018, the Aggies were one of the last teams in the field of 64.

This job is one of the best to come open in recent years and some of the biggest-name coaches both in and out of the Lone Star State will undoubtedly show interest. But that’s not the same thing as saying the job is easy.

Sure, everything A&M needs in order to win a national title is in place, but trying to go from good to great in the SEC is a tough task, and expectations are high enough that patience might be hard to come by. Fair or not, the next coach will be tasked with turning the Aggies into a power in college baseball.

Previous Head Coach

Rob Childress: 621-334-3, 16 seasons

Job Description

The reasons why Texas A&M is seen as a college baseball goldmine are clear. It has a strong baseball tradition, it’s in the best baseball conference in the country, it’s an attractive school for students from an academic and student-experience standpoint, it’s a relatively short distance away from Texas’ major hubs of prep baseball talent, the facilities are right in line with the best in the SEC and it’s clear that the administration will spare little expense in trying to build a winner. But the climb in the SEC is tough, and becoming elite would simply make Texas A&M one of a group of premier programs in its own league. The raw materials are in place for that, but it’s a steep climb.

Administration Will Swing for the Fences

Texas A&M is one of the few jobs in college baseball where you can be assured that the administration will take some big swings when it comes to finding its next coach. Football and baseball are apples and oranges in college athletics, but it’s hard to imagine that the school that gave Jimbo Fisher a 10-year, $75 million contract in 2017 will have any qualms about doing what it takes to get their guy in this search. This is also athletic director Ross Bjork's first chance to make a prominent coaching selection since he was hired in 2019 and he's sure to want to make a splash. There are no guarantees when it comes to coaching searches, but with A&M’s resources, it’s tough to envision a scenario where it'll have to go too far down the wishlist before making a hire.

How Long Do They Wait?

With that said, one variable at play is that the postseason is just getting started, and that means that the Aggies’ primary targets are going to be tied up for at least a couple more weeks and perhaps as long as nearly a month. That doesn’t mean that the school can’t have back-channel conversations to gauge interest while a targeted coach’s team is still playing, but it does mean the hire could be held up, and that can come with risk. If A&M waits for a coach whose team is in Omaha and feels pretty confident in getting something done, what will it be left with if that coach gets cold feet? At that point, the reality might be that it’s working with a diminished, if still extremely strong, candidate pool. This is also a unique year to be without a coach in June. After not being able to go on the road to recruit for more than a year, coaches will be allowed back out starting June 1 and the one-time transfer exception also goes into effect this year. A program without a head coach this June will be missing out on opportunities in the transfer portal and in recruiting.

Roster Breakdown

Texas A&M is in the SEC, so there are talented players on this roster, but relative to the rest of the league, it was clearly a step behind this season. There will be plenty of roster turnover ahead of next season, which can cut both ways. A new coach would probably like to have at least a handful of high-end returning talents, but on the other hand, it will maximize his opportunity to start molding the roster to his liking right away. It’s expected that the top three arms on the team, righthander Bryce Miller and lefthanders Dustin Saenz and Jonathan Childress, will be off to pro baseball this summer. Lefthander Chris Weber is also something of a draft risk, and top reliever Chandler Jozwiak is a senior as well. Offensively, top hitters in first baseman Will Frizzell and outfielder Ray Alejo are also expected to depart. Getting outfielder Austin Bost back would give the lineup at least one returning thumper and shortstop Kalae Harrison, who handled a major role as a freshman this season, looks the part of a foundational player for the next couple of years, but make no mistake, this will be a rebuilding job right out of the gate.

The Candidates

Childress’ contract situation made it easier to make a move, but athletic director Ross Bjork wouldn’t have moved on from a coach of Childress’ stature if he didn’t think he could hit a home run with his replacement. So, now, Bjork has to swing for the fences.

That means looking at the top of the industry for candidates. A&M can pay big and shouldn’t need to slide too far down its list. Still, hiring a coach for a major power is rarely as easy as expected—look no further than protracted recent searches at Mississippi State, Southern California and Texas for evidence of that.

The top targets for A&M will be Texas Christian’s Jim Schlossnagle and Texas Tech’s Tim Tadlock. Both have won and won big in the Lone Star state. The Aggies are very familiar with Schlossnagle’s success, as they were beaten in super regionals back-to-back years by his Horned Frogs in 2015-16. Tadlock has built a monster program at Texas Tech, his alma mater, and has led the Red Raiders to four of the last six College World Series—only two fewer CWS appearances than A&M has in its history.

Schlossnagle and Tadlock would be clear home run hires. They’re not without their downsides and Tadlock would have to make the difficult decision to leave his alma mater. But A&M has the resources to make it worth their while and provides a solid foundation to be competitive in the rugged SEC.

Tennessee’s Tony Vitello merits a long look. Vitello, 42, is known for his recruiting prowess, something that is crucial to success in the SEC. He’s also quickly proven himself as a head coach. In 2019, his second season, he led the Volunteers to regionals for the first time since 2005 and this year Tennessee is 42-14, won the SEC East for the first time since 1997 and is in line to host a regional. Still, hiring away a sitting SEC head coach is difficult and hasn’t been done since John Cohen left Kentucky for Mississippi State, his alma mater, in 2008.

East Carolina’s Cliff Godwin has already turned down Alabama and Mississippi State to remain as the head coach of his alma mater and has made it clear that he wants to lead the Pirates to their first CWS appearance. But if A&M could persuade the 43-year-old, he would certainly fit the bill for the job. He has extensive SEC experience as an assistant at Louisiana State and Mississippi. A&M can’t offer Godwin the comforts of home, but it’s a job Godwin would have to seriously consider if offered.

Godwin's former college teammate, Michigan’s Erik Bakich, has previously turned down overtures from premium programs (South Carolina and Stanford) to stay at his current job. But A&M may be a different story. Bakich, 43, led Michigan to the College World Series finals in 2019 and has SEC experience as a former Vanderbilt assistant coach. There aren’t many boxes he wouldn’t check.

Dallas Baptist’s Dan Heefner has been a subject of just about every major coaching search in the area in recent years and he should get a look here, as well. Heefner has built DBU into a regional powerhouse and has led the Patriots to six straight NCAA Tournament appearances. He doesn’t have the major conference experience of other candidates, but his track record of success in the area is impressive.

One wild card is Pat Casey. The former Oregon State coach retired in September 2018 after 24 years as a head coach and has been working in the athletic department since. But he’s never closed the door on returning to the dugout. It would be a big change, but would the chance to compete in the SEC lure Casey, 62, to College Station?

 

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Herpa Derpa

Herpa Derpa 6,132

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1 hour ago, Machinator said:

From Baseball America

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He also should be credited with successfully leading the Aggies through their transition to the SEC. Despite moving up in weight class, so to speak, the program didn’t miss much of a beat and was competitive right away.

 

Hmmm, didn't miss much of a beat and was competitive right away. One might think that means there is no difference in "weight class" between the two conferences.  No matter the weight class, aggy will always be mired in mediocrity, just a season away from awakening the sleeping giant. (At this point, can't we all just agree the giant is dead? Would explain the smell in B/CS.)

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Machinator

Machinator 32,099

Posted
Posted

Tarp

Spoiler

- We understand that A&M AD Ross Bjork is going to be given free rein in terms of who he targets and in terms of making a deal happen. He's highly thought of in A&M circles in part because Aggies football boss Jimbo Fisher thinks he can get the job done but also because A&M's donors are of a different mindset than in previous years. As with former AD Scott Woodward, most of them are going to defer to the AD in terms of getting something done as opposed to being directly involved themselves.

- In addition, that would mean a lot of resources being directed at the problem which also means that it's not a College Station decision, it's one being made by people who want to see A&M compete at the highest levels in all sports.

- The names that are being bandied about the most are and Texas Tech’s Tim Tadlock and TCU’s Jim Schlossnagle. We've heard both inside and outside of A&M that Tadlock and Schlossnagle are 1A and 1B on the list.

- Tadlock is 52 years of age and a Tech alum while the 50 year old Schlossnagle has been at TCU since 2004.

- Tadlock makes a $300,000 base with annual incentives of $700,000 through August 2025 and this type of incentive laden deal is fairly common in college baseball.

- Schlossnagle reportedly made $1.4 million on a deal signed in 2016, is presently making $1.56 million in total compensation, and his deal is up in 2022 which is just a year way.

Thus, it's going to take some serious money to pry either one away from their present jobs.

- In terms of quieter candidates, keep in mind that it's hard to lure upper echelon D1 coaches away. Most programs in Texas have usually assistants at name programs or at best hired G5 coaches (and even dipped down into the juco ranks).

- We mentioned in our hot board article per Baseball America that East Carolina's Cliff Godwin is something of a hot name. He was reportedly the highest paid assistant in the D1 ranks at Ole Miss early in Bjork's tenure there. Alabama and MSU have tried to lure him away without success. His base is $395,000 but the incentives are less than a quarter of a million and he had a salary reduction of 15% last year. He's signed through 2025. His overall record is 252-126 and he's 7-8 in NCAA Tournament play. Godwin is 42 years old.

- Another one is Dallas Baptist's Dan Heefner. Other schools in the state have tried to lure him away without success (he turned down the Baylor job in 2015 and interviewed at Texas). He's been at DBU since 2008 with a record of 508-268 and he's 16-18 in NCAA Tournament play. Heefner consistently makes NCAA regionals even though they've only won the MVC twice. He's about 45 years old.

- No one's season is going to be over for a while given the fact that the post season has to play out for everyone.

 

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Dewey

Dewey 3,295

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Posted

Baseball doesn't give a fuck if you play in the SEC. Hilarious that they mention their "strong history" (6 CWS appearances in 72 years) and then mention the SEC countless times. Outside of that conference,  no one gives a fuck. 

 

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