Lots of chatter so some may need to brace themselves

[Cooterpoot]

Well then if we already have hired a coach, which we have not, and Marcus Thames is being brought in by that new HC then the hire is not Brian O'Conner and it is probably not a sitting HC. And it's probably either Will Coggin or Reggie Willits.

Naw, we've been talking about the move to a MLB developmental program expansion for a few weeks now. If that's going to be the case, I'd say Bakich is the guy. It's what Vandy does and he started that. I'm not saying we're hiring Bakich, just that he would fit that situation. Walter would kinda fall there too though. But look at the 1st round picks O'Connor has produced as well. You have to feel like IF such a program is happening a coach would be involved.

[KOdawg1]

Well then if we already have hired a coach, which we have not, and Marcus Thames is being brought in by that new HC then the hire is not Brian O'Conner and it is probably not a sitting HC. And it's probably either Will Coggin or Reggie Willits.

Could be Skip Johnson and Reggie Willits. Which would be underwhelming as hell.

I don't think we've already got our coach though.

[StarkVegasSteve]

Could be Skip Johnson and Reggie Willits. Which would be underwhelming as hell.

I don't think we've already got our coach though.

I know we don't because we haven't formally sat down with anyone for an official interview. There were some people that spoke with Mingione when he was here, but it wasn't a formal sit down interview to my knowledge.

[KB21]

Could be Skip Johnson and Reggie Willits. Which would be underwhelming as hell.

I don't think we've already got our coach though.

I get why some think Skip Johnson would be an underwhelming hire, but that guy is one of the best evaluators and developers of pitchers in college. He has produced a lot of power arms at Oklahoma that have gone on to become high round MLB picks. I think since he's been at OU, he's had around 27 pitchers that have been drafted.

[Tripp McNeely]

He is the hitting coach for the White Sox. He was with the Yankees through 2021. He and Reggie Willits were on the same staff in New York. Marcus was in Miami in 2022, Anaheim in 2023, and has been in Chicago since 2024.

Geeze, that's not a good track record of teams over the last couple of years to be pulling a hitting coach from!

[StarkVegasSteve]

Geeze, that's not a good track record of teams over the last couple of years to be pulling a hitting coach from!

He's not being talked about as a hitting coach for us. It would an be off the field. Player Development most likely.

[SteelCurtain74]

Question for those in the know. Of the main names being mentioned, how many players from those teams would/could we potentially get through the portal if that coach was hired? How many would we actually want? Would this tip the scale in favor of one coach over another?

[StarkVegasSteve]

Question for those in the know. Of the main names being mentioned, how many players from those teams would/could we potentially get through the portal if that coach was hired? How many would we actually want? Would this tip the scale in favor of one coach over another?

It would not tip the scales one way or the other. Of the coaches mentioned, Virginia and Clemson have the most players we'd want. But how many of them we'd actually get is probably 2-4 from each of them.

[Todd4State]

He's not being talked about as a hitting coach for us. It would an be off the field. Player Development most likely.

He could be our GM. I agree player development is most likely because that makes the most sense.

[Cowbell]

Not necessarily. We told Lemonis he was hiring Jake. Hell, Jake flew on the university jet to go get Lemonis.

And especially for an off the field role like Player Development, you can hire someone and tell the new HC to deal with it.

We didn't tell Lemonis anything. He agreed to keep Jake on and because he had done an excellent job and he was the key to keeping current recruits.

[StarkVegasSteve]

We didn't tell Lemonis anything. He agreed to keep Jake on and because he had done an excellent job and he was the key to keeping current recruits.

Cohen told Lemonis Jake was staying. Jake and Chris both told me that. That's not a source or anything. It came from both of them. I asked Chris at Boardtown on a Sunday in April of 21 about how he basically got hired, wildly interesting story, and I talked to Jake about it early in the 19 season.

[ScottH]

My money is now on Bakich.

[Todd4State]

My money is now on Bakich.

I for one hope you are really good at gambling because that is who my first choice would be.

[DownwardDawg]

I for one hope you are really good at gambling because that is who my first choice would be.

Me too.

[KB21]

Here's how I would categorize some of the coaches in college baseball, not all of whom are candidates for this job.

The Elite of the Elite
Dave Van Horn/Arkansas
Kevin O'Sullivan/Florida
Brian O'Connor/Virginia
Jim Schlossnagle/Texas
Tim Corbin/Vanderbilt
Tony Vitello/Tennessee
Jay Johnson/LSU

Previous Elite Who Have Fallen Off
Dan McDonnell/Louisville
Tim Tadlock/Texas Tech
Paul Mainieri/South Carolina

Just Below Elite That Could Make The Jump To Elite
Link Jarrett/Florida State
Erik Bakich/Clemson
Dan Heefner/Dallas Baptist
Scott Forbes/North Carolina
Butch Thompson/Auburn
Mark Wasikowski/Oregon
Nick Mingione/Kentucky
Chris Pollard/Duke

Rising Stars
Wes Johnson/Georgia
Dan Fitzgerald/Kansas
Steve Sabins/West Virginia
Kevin Schnall/Coastal Carolina
Mitch Canham/Oregon State
Ben Orloff/UC Irvine

Older Steady Coaches
Elliot Avent/NC State
Mike Bianco/Ole Miss
Skip Johnson/Oklahoma

[Chuck3124]

So Steve, yes I know lol, is reporting over at 247 that UVA is pretty confident they will not be conducting a coaching search.

[Cooterpoot]

My money is now on Bakich.

You're going to be disappointed IMO. But things are about to pick up after today!!

[TheLostDawg]

Here's how I would categorize some of the coaches in college baseball, not all of whom are candidates for this job.

The Elite of the Elite
Dave Van Horn/Arkansas
Kevin O'Sullivan/Florida
Brian O'Connor/Virginia
Jim Schlossnagle/Texas
Tim Corbin/Vanderbilt
Tony Vitello/Tennessee
Jay Johnson/LSU

Previous Elite Who Have Fallen Off
Dan McDonnell/Louisville
Tim Tadlock/Texas Tech
Paul Mainieri/South Carolina

Just Below Elite That Could Make The Jump To Elite
Link Jarrett/Florida State
Erik Bakich/Clemson
Dan Heefner/Dallas Baptist
Scott Forbes/North Carolina
Butch Thompson/Auburn
Mark Wasikowski/Oregon
Nick Mingione/Kentucky
Chris Pollard/Duke

Rising Stars
Wes Johnson/Georgia
Dan Fitzgerald/Kansas
Steve Sabins/West Virginia
Kevin Schnall/Coastal Carolina
Mitch Canham/Oregon State
Ben Orloff/UC Irvine

Older Steady Coaches
Elliot Avent/NC State
Mike Bianco/Ole Miss
Skip Johnson/Oklahoma

To note, all at the top of your list is sec but one

[Cowbell]

So Steve, yes I know lol, is reporting over at 247 that UVA is pretty confident they will not be conducting a coaching search.

That information is worth less than the information on this thread

[Homedawg]

Why in the hell he said Marcus Thames might be on staff is beyond me. Good grief.