National Head Coach Search Options

[shockerofandover0943]

I will use this thread to try and put forward some options for our next head coach. Most of these coaches will not have WSU ties, as all of us seem very aware of those options. I am going to try to focus on coaches that have led a college baseball program as a head coach, and have demonstrated a level of success (especially consistent and preferably recent success).

Please feel free to add additional options, or add greater context to my posts. This was quickly thrown together this morning. Some of these coaches may not be super interested in coming to WSU, but I think being in the AAC, our facilities, and our potential resources (salary) would make a move to Wichita State a step up in these coaches careers.



Justin Haire - Campbell University

9 seasons. Overall record: 284-188.

Regional appearances: 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, and 2023.

Salary: N/A


Haire has built Campbell into a powerhouse in the SoCon. He would be a slam dunk hire, though it would likely be difficult to lure him away from the program he has built. Also, I imagine that many programs will be seeking his services this offseason. With Campbell being a private school, I wasn't able to find information on his salary. We should definitely give him a call, though.

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Alex Sogard - Wright State University

5 seasons. Overall record: 165-89.

Regional appearances: 2021, 2022, and 2023.

Salary: Need an update. Reported salary of $65,191 in 2018. Let’s assume in the range of $80-100k today.


Sogard is another great candidate. Wright State has won the Horizon League every year that he has been head coach, 4 times total. He has only coached 4 full seasons at Wright State, due to the Covid season. His teams have made the NCAA Tournament three years in a row. He has gone all the way through a four year recruiting cycle, and the program continues to be successful.

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Mitch Hannahs - Indiana State University

10 seasons. Overall record: 308-196.

Regional appearances: 2014, 2019, 2021, and 2023.

Salary: Reported number in 2021 was $127,934. Let’s assume that it is in the $140-150,000 range.


Hannahs has the Sycamore program trending in a solid direction. They have been to the NCAA Tournament 3 of the past 4 years (2020), and are hosting a regional this year. He has been above .500 every year as head coach, and taken ISU to 4 of the 12 regional appearances in their programs history.

[shockerofandover0943]

Mike McGuire: USC-Upstate
4th Season: 123-65 overall
11th Overall Season as a D1 Head Coach: 351-255.
Regionals (Morehead State): 2015 and 2018
Salary: ?

McGuire has a reputation as someone who is successful at turning programs around. He took over the Morehead State program in 2013, which had little history of success this century. After going 16-40 in his first yuear, the program averaged 35 wins per year over his next 6 seasons. They went to 2 NCAA regionals in his time at Morehead, only the second and third regional appearances in program history. Morehead won 40 games in his final season there.

He took over at USC-Upstate in 2020. This was a program that had not seen a winning season since 2012, and he immediately turned it around. Upstate went 13-5 in the Covid shortened 2020 season. 2021: 37 wins, 2022: 35 wins, 2023: 38 wins. They are competing with Campbell and Justin Haire in the conference, and have finished 2nd to them 3 years in a row.

[shockerofandover0943]

Rucker Taylor: Davidson
5th season: 142-86.
Salary: ?

Davidson baseball has not experienced the historical success of Davidson basketball. In the programs history, they have only been to 1 NCAA regional. Prior to Taylor's time leading the program, they had zero outright conference championships in the programs 120-year history. That changed in 2022, when Taylor led the Davidson program to a 43-13 record and outright championship. Taylor is not a first choice, but has demonstrated an ability to push a program that has historically struggled to new heights, and will be someone to keep an eye on.

[shockerofandover0943]

Jordan Bischel: Central Michigan
5th Season: 177-80.
Regionals: 2019, 2021, 2022.
Salary: Base salary when hired has $107,500. I imagine that is in the $125-150,000 range now.

Bischel has an interesting story of continuing to move up throughout his coaching career. He initially led an NAIA program, and saw that program go to the NAIA Tournament two years in a row. That led to a D2 job at Northwood, where the program made D2 NCAA regionals in 2017 and 2018. From there, he was hired at Central Michigan. The program has won at a very high rate under his leadership, and made the NCAA Tournament in 3 of 4 years (2020). He would be another interesting candidate, who has demonstrated head coaching success at a number of levels as he has worked his way up.

[shockerofandover0943]

Ryan Folmar: Oral Roberts
9th Season: 363-219
Regionals: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023
Salary: ?

Do we go the Oral Roberts route again? Folmar and Oral Roberts have dominated the Summit League during his time there. The Summit League is not a good baseball league. He has taken ORU to 7 regionals in 9 years. Has experience recruiting this area, and also playing a lot of similar competition. I wouldn't be surprised if Saal looks this direction.

[shockerofandover0943]

https://www.kansas.com/sports/college/wichita-state/article275907541.html

Taylor's first candidate in this article is Brian Green. Coach Green was successful at New Mexico State, winning at least 34 games over his final 4 seasons with the Aggies. That included an NCAA Regional trip in 2018. That was parlayed into an opportunity to lead the Washington State program. Wazzou has struggled in recent history, having only been to two regionals in the past 30 years. Green has so far gone 91-76 at Wazzou, his teams have been above .500 every year, but not yet made a regional.

[MikeKennedyRulZ]

https://www.kansas.com/sports/colleg...275907541.html

Taylor's first candidate in this article is Brian Green. Coach Green was successful at New Mexico State, winning at least 34 games over his final 4 seasons with the Aggies. That included an NCAA Regional trip in 2018. That was parlayed into an opportunity to lead the Washington State program. Wazzou has struggled in recent history, having only been to two regionals in the past 30 years. Green has so far gone 91-76 at Wazzou, his teams have been above .500 every year, but not yet made a regional.

I am going to heed Doc's warning on this one and say I hope we pass...

[shoxlax]

https://www.kansas.com/sports/colleg...275907541.html

Taylor's first candidate in this article is Brian Green. Coach Green was successful at New Mexico State, winning at least 34 games over his final 4 seasons with the Aggies. That included an NCAA Regional trip in 2018. That was parlayed into an opportunity to lead the Washington State program. Wazzou has struggled in recent history, having only been to two regionals in the past 30 years. Green has so far gone 91-76 at Wazzou, his teams have been above .500 every year, but not yet made a regional.

No, he would make Todd Butler look like Sparky Anderson.

[shockerofandover0943]

No, he would make Todd Butler look like Sparky Anderson.

I don't think Brian Green is a first, second, or third choice, but from a head coaching perspective Green has a comparable or better resume' than Butler's 3 seasons of .500 baseball at McNeese. That's not saying a lot, and I wasn't even thinking of him in this list until Taylor brought him up.

[MikeKennedyRulZ]

I will use this thread to try and put forward some options for our next head coach. Most of these coaches will not have WSU ties, as all of us seem very aware of those options. I am going to try to focus on coaches that have led a college baseball program as a head coach, and have demonstrated a level of success (especially consistent and preferably recent success).

Please feel free to add additional options, or add greater context to my posts. This was quickly thrown together this morning. Some of these coaches may not be super interested in coming to WSU, but I think being in the AAC, our facilities, and our potential resources (salary) would make a move to Wichita State a step up in these coaches careers.



Justin Haire - Campbell University

9 seasons. Overall record: 284-188.

Regional appearances: 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, and 2023.

Salary: N/A


Haire has built Campbell into a powerhouse in the SoCon. He would be a slam dunk hire, though it would likely be difficult to lure him away from the program he has built. Also, I imagine that many programs will be seeking his services this offseason. With Campbell being a private school, I wasn't able to find information on his salary. We should definitely give him a call, though.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alex Sogard - Wright State University

5 seasons. Overall record: 165-89.

Regional appearances: 2021, 2022, and 2023.

Salary: Need an update. Reported salary of $65,191 in 2018. Let’s assume in the range of $80-100k today.


Sogard is another great candidate. Wright State has won the Horizon League every year that he has been head coach, 4 times total. He has only coached 4 full seasons at Wright State, due to the Covid season. His teams have made the NCAA Tournament three years in a row. He has gone all the way through a four year recruiting cycle, and the program continues to be successful.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mitch Hannahs - Indiana State University

10 seasons. Overall record: 308-196.

Regional appearances: 2014, 2019, 2021, and 2023.

Salary: Reported number in 2021 was $127,934. Let’s assume that it is in the $140-150,000 range.


Hannahs has the Sycamore program trending in a solid direction. They have been to the NCAA Tournament 3 of the past 4 years (2020), and are hosting a regional this year. He has been above .500 every year as head coach, and taken ISU to 4 of the 12 regional appearances in their programs history.

I like Sogard!

https://wsuraiders.com/staff-directory/alex-sogard/161

[ShockerFever]

Ask Hooper what he wants and give it to him. I’m pretty sure the big donor alums would get behind that one, would they not?

[Shockerman]

Ask Hooper what he wants and give it to him. I’m pretty sure the big donor alums would get behind that one, would they not?

Hooper would breathe some fire back into the program. It would be similar to the Wedge hire in that he has zero College baseball coaching experience though. I wonder if he would retain the current staff, including putting Hibbs back into his previous role.

The absolute best thing about Hooper is that he could care less if we look like a DI team getting off the bus.

[shoxlax]

Ask Hooper what he wants and give it to him. I’m pretty sure the big donor alums would get behind that one, would they not?

Then all of my concerns go away. I don’t have a good feeling this is going to happen. I think Saal has his guy and I’m not wild about it.

[shockerofandover0943]

Rob Childress - Previously: Head Coach at Texas A&M. Current: Director of Player Development at Nebraska.
16 seasons at A&M: 622-336
2007-2019: 13 straight regional trips, 2 CWS trips.

The Aggies missed the postseason in 2021, after a run of 13 straight trips under Childress. With that, the Aggies made a coaching change. Childress has spent the past two seasons at Nebraska as the Director of Player Development.

[shoxlax]

I like Sogard!

https://wsuraiders.com/staff-directory/alex-sogard/161

Hannas would be like Doug McDermott becoming our basketball coach.