Baseball coach (merged threads) Put all coach options here

[AU64 10,122]

I don't understand the infatuation with Casey Dunn. Just a few years ago, he was a high school head coach and right now he is the head coach of a college where he has a losing record. Yes, he's an Auburn man, but hiring someone based solely on that qualification will land us in the same spot in four or five years. We can and should do much better than Casey.

He's an Auburn man and his team has occasionally beat AU so he must be good....and we can fire him after a few years if it doesn't work out...so what's the problem?

[tinman 305]

Final post, (Im sure to the dismay of many) but the program has been setback at least 5 years. There is no coach that will turn this program around in 5 years. Until Auburn relaxes some of it internal issues. Jacobs refuses to back up his promises of funding this program. Empty promises of upgrading the facilities ( i.e a freaking indoor batting cage..wow) The dismissal of Pawlowski has only stunted the program.. He had no chance to do anything when promises of funding were not kept. He only had 2 years to bring players in of his picking. The rest were left overs from the previous regime. Some were studs offensively, but pitching was very poor. His staff ERA had steadily declined and had signed some power arms that had committed to hitting campus. Those are very much in question now. So, that leaves the question of who can make an impact?.....the answer is big big bucks to lure away any coach into this situation.. and it quite apparent that money IS an object when it comes to the baseball program. So, interested to see any gain by Pawlowski's dismissal. It's great to say Auburn alumni, but that is just plain dumb.... Gross accomplished dropping the team batting about 20 points. Casey Dunn is a below .500 coach in a less competitive league. Its is simply going to take big big money to bring in the "savior" to the program. That simply is not going to happen.. And if it does happen, the next guy will face the same dilemma, no funding ,no facilities and empty promises. Good luck in your search.....Sorry it the truth, horrible decision....well played Mr Jacobs.....

You must have missed the fact that Tim Hudson has just promised $1 million for baseball facility upgrades, and that $$$ MUST ALL go to baseball, no other sports. So the facilities will be upgraded.

[PowerOfDixieland 3,226]

Final post, (Im sure to the dismay of many) but the program has been setback at least 5 years. There is no coach that will turn this program around in 5 years. Until Auburn relaxes some of it internal issues. Jacobs refuses to back up his promises of funding this program. Empty promises of upgrading the facilities ( i.e a freaking indoor batting cage..wow) The dismissal of Pawlowski has only stunted the program.. He had no chance to do anything when promises of funding were not kept. He only had 2 years to bring players in of his picking. The rest were left overs from the previous regime. Some were studs offensively, but pitching was very poor. His staff ERA had steadily declined and had signed some power arms that had committed to hitting campus. Those are very much in question now. So, that leaves the question of who can make an impact?.....the answer is big big bucks to lure away any coach into this situation.. and it quite apparent that money IS an object when it comes to the baseball program. So, interested to see any gain by Pawlowski's dismissal. It's great to say Auburn alumni, but that is just plain dumb.... Gross accomplished dropping the team batting about 20 points. Casey Dunn is a below .500 coach in a less competitive league. Its is simply going to take big big money to bring in the "savior" to the program. That simply is not going to happen.. And if it does happen, the next guy will face the same dilemma, no funding ,no facilities and empty promises. Good luck in your search.....Sorry it the truth, horrible decision....well played Mr Jacobs.....

You must have missed the fact that Tim Hudson has just promised $1 million for baseball facility upgrades, and that $$$ MUST ALL go to baseball, no other sports. So the facilities will be upgraded.

No, quite the contrary. Nightranger knows all as it pertains to Auburn baseball. Some might speculate that this was his last post because he's leaving Auburn.

[PowerOfDixieland 3,226]

I don't understand the infatuation with Casey Dunn. Just a few years ago, he was a high school head coach and right now he is the head coach of a college where he has a losing record. Yes, he's an Auburn man, but hiring someone based solely on that qualification will land us in the same spot in four or five years. We can and should do much better than Casey.

You are either ignorant or disingenuous. There is no "infatuation", Dunn is a serious candidate with unwavering support from Coach Baird. Let me enlighten you on the facts as they relate to his qualifications:

"Dunn has spent the last nine years coaching Samford, where he guided the Bulldogs to their first ever NCAA regional in 2012. Baird coached Dunn, of course, for four years (1996-99) years at Auburn, where the catcher developed into an All-American as a senior and won an SEC title (1998) and reached the College World Series (1997). His first job landed him at Spain Park High School, where he coached from 2002 to 2004 before a one-year stint as an assistant coach at Auburn in 2004."

"He was also named the No. 2 young coach in the country by Baseball America before the 2012 season."

"It's hard to beat that. He has done a terrific job both at Spain Park and Samford. I just don't know of anybody whose pedigree could be a better fit for Auburn -- tremendous coach, tremendous player. His time at Auburn was a successful time in the program. He knows the university and he would certainly understand what it takes to be successful here. It certainly looks like to me he would be a great fit here." - Hal Baird

[DyeHardAllTheWay 0]

I don't understand the infatuation with Casey Dunn. Just a few years ago, he was a high school head coach and right now he is the head coach of a college where he has a losing record. Yes, he's an Auburn man, but hiring someone based solely on that qualification will land us in the same spot in four or five years. We can and should do much better than Casey.

You are either ignorant or disingenuous. There is no "infatuation", Dunn is a serious candidate with unwavering support from Coach Baird. Let me enlighten you on the facts as they relate to his qualifications:

"Dunn has spent the last nine years coaching Samford, where he guided the Bulldogs to their first ever NCAA regional in 2012. Baird coached Dunn, of course, for four years (1996-99) years at Auburn, where the catcher developed into an All-American as a senior and won an SEC title (1998) and reached the College World Series (1997). His first job landed him at Spain Park High School, where he coached from 2002 to 2004 before a one-year stint as an assistant coach at Auburn in 2004."

"He was also named the No. 2 young coach in the country by Baseball America before the 2012 season."

"It's hard to beat that. He has done a terrific job both at Spain Park and Samford. I just don't know of anybody whose pedigree could be a better fit for Auburn -- tremendous coach, tremendous player. His time at Auburn was a successful time in the program. He knows the university and he would certainly understand what it takes to be successful here. It certainly looks like to me he would be a great fit here." - Hal Baird

So someone who coaches at Samford is good enough for you? Someone with a sub-.500 record is good enough for you? Someone's opinion who hired Jeff Lebo and Steve Renfroe is valuable??? And finally, you keep bringing up an irrelevant magazine, because it listed Dunn as the number 2 young coach, or whatever. Are you going to base your opinions off of a news article?? Dunn may very well be a good head coach, but after how the last three coaches have turned out, we need someone proven, and not just someone who is an Auburn man or who has done "well with what they've been given" like Dunn. I'm tired of us hiring coaches from pitiful conferences because they have potential.

[auburn4ever 1,266]

I would vote no for hiring Casey Dunn.

[auburn4ever 1,266]

We need to go outside the Auburn Family and hire a proven winner and who knows how recruit the top players.

[DyeHardAllTheWay 0]

We need to go outside the Auburn Family and hire a proven winner and who knows how recruit the top players.

Amen. Hire whoever is truly the best for the job. I say hire Batesole from Fresno State.

[Mikey 16,599]

It will be extremely difficult to hire a coach that won't be a step up from Pawloski. His team was going down year by year and the fewer of Slater's recruits he had left the worse his record got.

The man had five years here to accomplish something and all he did was head the program downhill. His recruiting consisted in rounding up JUCO players and transfers. He only had them two years so there has been constant turnover.

Player development was non-existent. For example, two years ago Dillon Ortman was one of the more promising freshman closers in the SEC. This year he barely saw the field. Others have jumped ship.

Steve Renfroe took the Auburn team to three NCAA tournaments in four years and got fired. Pawloski was kept around two years too long.

[Mikey 16,599]

We need to go outside the Auburn Family and hire a proven winner and who knows how recruit the top players.

Amen. Hire whoever is truly the best for the job. I say hire Batesole from Fresno State.

Why? Is there something wrong with Auburn people? We're inherently inferior, don't shower regularly or didn't finish high school? This "go outside" stuff doesn't make any more sense than someone insisting on hiring an Auburn guy would make. Identify the best man for the job, period. If that's an Auburn man, all the better!

[PowerOfDixieland 3,226]

So someone who coaches at Samford is good enough for you? Someone with a sub-.500 record is good enough for you? Someone's opinion who hired Jeff Lebo and Steve Renfroe is valuable??? And finally, you keep bringing up an irrelevant magazine, because it listed Dunn as the number 2 young coach, or whatever. Are you going to base your opinions off of a news article?? Dunn may very well be a good head coach, but after how the last three coaches have turned out, we need someone proven, and not just someone who is an Auburn man or who has done "well with what they've been given" like Dunn. I'm tired of us hiring coaches from pitiful conferences because they have potential.

I gave no opinion in my post, simply stated the facts to answer your (assinine) rhetorical question. Where the next Auburn head coach comes from is not of critical importance to me. Casey's record is 272-248, which if my Auburn degree serves me correctly is not sub .500. I happened to play for Coach Baird, and yes his baseball opinion carries weight with me. And finally, no I don't base my opinion on any magazine article. I also played for Casey's dad, know the kind of baseball mind Casey has and formed my opinion in fact based on personal experience. But again, nowhere in that post did I state my opinion.

[DyeHardAllTheWay 0]

There's nothing wrong with hiring Auburn people, it's just cliche, corny and there aren't many good ones to choose from. I'm not going to settle for hiring a coach whose record isn't all that great, is only a couple of years removed from being a high school head coach, and doesn't have the experiences that would make me satisfied with the direction of the program! Our baseball program is about to undergo serious facilities upgrades, we have a lot of money to offer a coach, and a winning tradition to boast in baseball. Why not go after the very best we can??? If you think Casey is, you're only kidding yourself and you haven't learned anything since 2000, when our revolving door of coaches began. Auburn baseball can be amazing, but we have to stop settling.

[Charleston Tiger 134]

We need to go outside the Auburn Family and hire a proven winner and who knows how recruit the top players.

Amen. Hire whoever is truly the best for the job. I say hire Batesole from Fresno State.

Why? Is there something wrong with Auburn people? We're inherently inferior, don't shower regularly or didn't finish high school? This "go outside" stuff doesn't make any more sense than someone insisting on hiring an Auburn guy would make. Identify the best man for the job, period. If that's an Auburn man, all the better!

I don't think he was implying that someone with AU ties can't get the job done. The problem is historically JJ has seemed to put more focus on a tie to Auburn than having a pedigree of winning and developing talent, regardless the sport. I agree, if it's someone with an AU tie, that's all the better, but make no bones about it: I want to win. I don't care if he played here, coached here in the past, or stopped by for directions. If he wins and wants to come here, then get it on paper - AU or not.

[AU64 10,122]

We need to go outside the Auburn Family and hire a proven winner and who knows how recruit the top players.

Amen. Hire whoever is truly the best for the job. I say hire Batesole from Fresno State.

Why? Is there something wrong with Auburn people? We're inherently inferior, don't shower regularly or didn't finish high school? This "go outside" stuff doesn't make any more sense than someone insisting on hiring an Auburn guy would make. Identify the best man for the job, period. If that's an Auburn man, all the better!

I don't think he was implying that someone with AU ties can't get the job done. The problem is historically JJ has seemed to put more focus on a tie to Auburn than having a pedigree of winning and developing talent, regardless the sport. I agree, if it's someone with an AU tie, that's all the better, but make no bones about it: I want to win. I don't care if he played here, coached here in the past, or stopped by for directions. If he wins and wants to come here, then get it on paper - AU or not.

I don't think that's true. Like them or not, Barbee, JP and Flo had no AU ties. And as for JP, he came to AU from a smaller school with very little in the way of facilities, resources, etc. and managed to take the team to the NCAAs three times including a super regional. It's easy to find him lacking now ...but some of the coaches being promoted at the moment don't have credentials anywhere near what JP had when AU hired him... and there is surely no reason (based on his past performance) to believe that Dunn could win in the SEC. Frankly there are some lame reasons being offered for hiring Dunn. He sounds like a good guy...but none of those reasons have anything to do with his ability to win in the SEC. I expect even JJ knows this.

[Bro Johnny Mac 1,394]

So someone who coaches at Samford is good enough for you? Someone with a sub-.500 record is good enough for you? Someone's opinion who hired Jeff Lebo and Steve Renfroe is valuable??? And finally, you keep bringing up an irrelevant magazine, because it listed Dunn as the number 2 young coach, or whatever. Are you going to base your opinions off of a news article?? Dunn may very well be a good head coach, but after how the last three coaches have turned out, we need someone proven, and not just someone who is an Auburn man or who has done "well with what they've been given" like Dunn. I'm tired of us hiring coaches from pitiful conferences because they have potential.

I gave no opinion in my post, simply stated the facts to answer your (assinine) rhetorical question. Where the next Auburn head coach comes from is not of critical importance to me. Casey's record is 272-248, which if my Auburn degree serves me correctly is not sub .500. I happened to play for Coach Baird, and yes his baseball opinion carries weight with me. And finally, no I don't base my opinion on any magazine article. I also played for Casey's dad, know the kind of baseball mind Casey has and formed my opinion in fact based on personal experience. But again, nowhere in that post did I state my opinion.

Anyone who thinks Casey Dunn isnt one of the best young coaching talents in America,doesnt get it.I would value your's and Coach Baird's opinion over most of the people on this board.Anyone who has had any personal experience with Casey,understands how great of a coach he is IMO.

He will flat out be a big time college coach,he will either help us win or be beating us as a coach of another SEC team in the future.

[tigertim25 0]

I really don't know why we aren't talking more about Pat Murphy as our top and possibly only real candidate. He has lead two programs to heights our program hasn't reached since we had Tim Hudson around. His resume is far superior than any other candidate that has been discussed. He has won 1,000 college baseball games. He has more major leaguers than any current college coach. I have done my research since his name was brought up in a previous post. He was cleared of any wrong doing by the NCAA. In fact, all of the assistant coaches at ASU at that time are now head coaches in college baseball (Holladay-Ok St., Esmay-ASU, and Turtle Thomas-FIU). So how do we not make a serious push at getting Pat Murphy here on the plains to turn this thing around once and for all?

[DyeHardAllTheWay 0]

I really don't know why we aren't talking more about Pat Murphy as our top and possibly only real candidate. He has lead two programs to heights our program hasn't reached since we had Tim Hudson around. His resume is far superior than any other candidate that has been discussed. He has won 1,000 college baseball games. He has more major leaguers than any current college coach. I have done my research since his name was brought up in a previous post. He was cleared of any wrong doing by the NCAA. In fact, all of the assistant coaches at ASU at that time are now head coaches in college baseball (Holladay-Ok St., Esmay-ASU, and Turtle Thomas-FIU). So how do we not make a serious push at getting Pat Murphy here on the plains to turn this thing around once and for all?

I agree completely. I think Murphy is a proven winner and we could definitely bring him in. Unfortunately, some people will discount him because he is not an "Auburn man".

[Mikey 16,599]

I really don't know why we aren't talking more about Pat Murphy as our top and possibly only real candidate. He has lead two programs to heights our program hasn't reached since we had Tim Hudson around. His resume is far superior than any other candidate that has been discussed. He has won 1,000 college baseball games. He has more major leaguers than any current college coach. I have done my research since his name was brought up in a previous post. He was cleared of any wrong doing by the NCAA. In fact, all of the assistant coaches at ASU at that time are now head coaches in college baseball (Holladay-Ok St., Esmay-ASU, and Turtle Thomas-FIU). So how do we not make a serious push at getting Pat Murphy here on the plains to turn this thing around once and for all?

I agree completely. I think Murphy is a proven winner and we could definitely bring him in. Unfortunately, some people will discount him because he is not an "Auburn man".

Can you name one single person that will discount a coaching prospect because they aren't an Auburn man? I can't.

[doc4aday 1,887]

I hope that the coach we hire will come from a school that at least makes it into a Super Regional if at all possible. If we offer the next coach a minimum of $550,000.00 and hopefully more, we should be able to bring home a coach that will be a winner.

[autigeremt 6,616]

I really don't know why we aren't talking more about Pat Murphy as our top and possibly only real candidate. He has lead two programs to heights our program hasn't reached since we had Tim Hudson around. His resume is far superior than any other candidate that has been discussed. He has won 1,000 college baseball games. He has more major leaguers than any current college coach. I have done my research since his name was brought up in a previous post. He was cleared of any wrong doing by the NCAA. In fact, all of the assistant coaches at ASU at that time are now head coaches in college baseball (Holladay-Ok St., Esmay-ASU, and Turtle Thomas-FIU). So how do we not make a serious push at getting Pat Murphy here on the plains to turn this thing around once and for all?

I agree completely. I think Murphy is a proven winner and we could definitely bring him in. Unfortunately, some people will discount him because he is not an "Auburn man".

I'm open to that hire! An Auburn man can be made once they get here.

[Mikey 16,599]

I hope that the coach we hire will come from a school that at least makes it into a Super Regional if at all possible. If we offer the next coach a minimum of $550,000.00 and hopefully more, we should be able to bring home a coach that will be a winner.

The problem is there are no guarantees, whether we choose a proven winner or an up-and-comer, it's still a crapshoot.

Look at Tennessee. You can't find a more successful head coach, a more proven winner than the guy they hired. He took two different schools to the CWS and yet he's been horrible at Tennessee.

[doc4aday 1,887]

Whyought not bring coach Baird back for 3-4 seasons, and then let him pick his predesssor (Casey Dunn would be that man no doubt). Just a thought.

[PowerOfDixieland 3,226]

I really don't know why we aren't talking more about Pat Murphy as our top and possibly only real candidate.

Pat Murphy is a loose cannon with an ego that could not survive in Auburn, AL. Especially if Jay Jacobs is making the decision on Pawlowski's replacement. Just because he didn't knowingly break NCAA rules, doesn't mean his program was not in violation. He hasn't gotten so much as a sniff from another college program in almost four years since he parted ways with ASU. Seems like there was a certain motorcycle riding football coach from Arkansas that some also referred to as a no brainer.

[DyeHardAllTheWay 0]

I don't care about personalities. I want someone that can win. We HAVE to stop having the mentality that nice guys are who we should be hiring.

[PowerOfDixieland 3,226]

We HAVE to stop losing the mentality that nice guys are who we should be hiring.

Yeah, I follow you.