Who could replace Mickey Dean?

[aubiefifty 16,784]

al.com

Who could replace Mickey Dean as Auburn's next head softball coach?

Updated: Mar. 27, 2024, 12:07 p.m.|Published: Mar. 27, 2024, 11:31 a.m.

6–8 minutes

After “several previous conversations” with Auburn athletic director John Cohen, Mickey Dean decided to do what he felt was best for the Auburn softball program: step down as head coach at the conclusion of the 2024 season.

Dean’s decision to retire was officially announced in a press release Tuesday night.

“I came to Athletic Director John Cohen this week after several previous conversations with him and made the difficult decision to step down as the head coach of the Auburn softball program at the conclusion of this season,” Dean said in the release. “This was my decision and while it was a difficult one, it is what I felt was best for me and the program moving forward to allow me to focus time on personal matters.”

According to the release, Dean will continue to serve as a “special assistant to the athletic director” following the 2024 season, which will be his seventh as Auburn’s head coach.

The good news for Cohen is he’ll have ample time to sift through candidates as there’s still about six weeks left of the college softball season.

And in the case of Auburn’s program, perhaps now more than ever, it’s vital Cohen get it right.

As of Tuesday’s announcement, nine of the 13 SEC softball programs ranked inside the top 25 of ESPN/USA Softball’s college softball rankings.

And while Auburn isn’t one of those teams after a 15-9-1 (2-7 SEC) start to the 2024 season, the Tigers are still receiving votes in the polls — as are South Carolina, Kentucky and Ole Miss.

That means each of the 13 softball teams in the SEC are either ranked inside the top 25 or are right on the outside looking in — and that speaks volumes to how competitive of a league SEC softball is.

However, if the league is competitive now, what does one expect it to look like when Oklahoma and Texas, the first- and second- ranked teams in the country right now, join next year?

In SEC softball, it’s about to be “eat or be eaten.” Or, rather, “stay ahead or fall way, way behind.”

And that’s why the hiring of Auburn’s next softball coach really matters.

All that said, who are some potential, way-too-early candidates for the vacancy? An alphabetical run-down:

Emily Carosone — Auburn assistant coach

It’s not out of the realm of possibility that Auburn’s next head coach comes from inside the program as the Tigers currently have former Auburn standout Emily Carosone on their staff. Carosone, who played for Auburn 2013-16, was elevated to associate head coach in August after having just finished up her third season as an assistant back at her alma mater. Based on the promotion, it’s clear Carosone is committed to Auburn’s success and shows great promise as a young coach. However, again, given the need to get this hire right, now might not be the time to roll the dice on someone without head coaching experience.

Pete D’Amour — Virginia Tech head coach

Another name to watch as Auburn looks to replace Dean is Virginia Tech head coach Pete D’Amour, who is in his sixth season at the helm of the Hokies’ program. At Virginia Tech, D’Amour is 215-65-1 and has led the Hokies to four straight NCAA Tournaments. Before being hired at Virginia Tech, D’Amour spent two seasons as Kennesaw State’s head coach, which was preceded by him spending 10 seasons as an assistant at Missouri.

Gerry Glasco — Louisiana head coach

Gerry Glasco is a name Auburn fans might’ve heard before. That’s because Glasco spent very, very brief amount of time at Auburn in 2017, when he was announced as an assistant coach under Dean. However, just two months after his arrival, Glasco was poached by the Ragin’ Cajuns of Louisiana and has served as ULL’s head coach ever since. Coming into this season, Glasco has compiled a 255-69 record at Louisiana and has led the Ragin’ Cajuns to three straight NCAA Tournament appearances.

Jimmy Kolaitis — Arizona State assistant coach

Should Auburn look for a guy with lots of area ties, Arizona State assistant coach Jimmy Kolaitis could be the guy. While currently out in Arizona, Kolaitis previously served as UAB’s head coach (2018-20) and as an assistant at South Alabama (2009-13). Kolaitis also spent five seasons as an assistant at Oregon from 2014-18, helping the Ducks win four Pac-12 titles, finish ranked No. 1 in 2014, 2015 and 2018, and make four trips to the Women’s College World Series. Meanwhile, during his time at ASU, the Sun Devils have won a Pac-12 championship and has made a pair of appearances in the NCAA Tournament. Before starting his softball coaching career, Kolaitis was an assistant baseball coach at his Auburn-area alma mater, Lee Scott Academy, and helped the Warriors win a AISA state title in 2002.

Samantha Ricketts — Mississippi State head coach

Samantha Ricketts is a name Auburn athletic director John Cohen is familiar with after he hired her to take the reins of the Mississippi State program following the 2019 season. In her four complete seasons in Starkville, Ricketts has compiled a 135-80 record, led the Mississippi State program to its first ever NCAA Super Regional in 2022 and helped the program land three top-10 recruiting classes. Ricketts spent her playing career at the University of Oklahoma, where she played under legendary head coach Patty Gasso, who has led the Sooners to seven national championships and counting.

Marissa Young — Duke head coach

Duke head coach Marissa Young inherited a unique situation when she was named head coach of Duke’s inaugural softball team in 2015. Since then, Young has gone on to compile a 213-97 record with the Blue Devils. In 2021, Young led Duke to its first ever ACC Championship and NCAA Tournament berth. Prior to her time at Duke, Young coached stints at UNC and Eastern Michigan. Young also spent four seasons at the helm of Concordia University — a NAIA program that went from 2-20 to 23-23 in less than three seasons under her watch.

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[Big Fat Barner 135]

Emily Carasone is not ready to coach this program. All years of coaching experience have come under Dean. I’m ok with keeping her on the staff but this program needs Pete D’Amour or Marissa Young desperately. 

[RedDirtFan 39]

10 minutes ago, Big Fat Barner said:

Emily Carasone is not ready to coach this program. All years of coaching experience have come under Dean. I’m ok with keeping her on the staff but this program needs Pete D’Amour or Marissa Young desperately. 

Unfortunately for her, she hasn't had the best tutelage. McD didn't give her much responsibility. She probably learned more watching her dad coach. She deserves a spot on the roster and an opportunity to learn...I hope they don't nuke the whole staff, but take out cancers surgically.

[RedDirtFan 39]

Who can replace McD? I know Daddyball coaches that would do better given these resources.

That's setting the bar pretty low 🤣. Let's find a coach who can truly call themselves an Auburn Woman or Man:

• Sam Ricketts, MS State
• Tripp McKay, Kennesaw State

[Big Fat Barner 135]

6 minutes ago, RedDirtFan said:

Who can replace McD? I know Daddyball coaches that would do better given these resources.

That's setting the bar pretty low 🤣. Let's find a coach who can truly call themselves an Auburn Woman or Man:

• Sam Ricketts, MS State
• Tripp McKay, Kennesaw State

Tripp McKay sucks and Ricketts hasn’t proven anything yet. These are bad options to me. 
 

In order, I would call:

Kenny Gajewski - Oklahoma State (longshot)

Pete D’Amour - Virginia Tech

Marissa Young - Duke 

Steve Singleton - Texas (Asst.) 

[RedDirtFan 39]

13 minutes ago, Big Fat Barner said:

Tripp McKay sucks and Ricketts hasn’t proven anything yet. These are bad options to me. 
 

In order, I would call:

Kenny Gajewski - Oklahoma State (longshot)

Pete D’Amour - Virginia Tech

Marissa Young - Duke 

Steve Singleton - Texas (Asst.) 

That's a good list...I definitely think the next hire will be a woman:

Kenny G - You're smoking crack, but would definitely be a conference upgrade for him after all of his buddies flee his conference.

Pete D - Good chance he would upgrade his conference

Marissa - I've said somewhere else, so I apologize if this is repetitive...She's built a legacy at Duke and she needs to manage health issues within her family. The timing is not right to make a big move.

Singleton - Great offensive mind. He might think he's ready to take the wheel, but I'm not sure we can afford to take the chance. Does he leverage Carosone to manage D while he improves our O?

Ricketts - She's turned that program around from where Van left it and they are the dark horse in the conference this year. Speaking of Ricketts, she's done a great job maturing from Assistant to HC, which bodes well for Carosone, but I still don't think that's the answer.

[OlderWhiskey 953]

Here are some other names I picked up from Ultimate College Softball; I don't even know who they all are.  Ashley Waters, Kristi Bredbenner, Clarissa Crowell (Penn St.), Kirin Kumar.  The betting favorite still seems to be D'Amour. 

[Jad0003 405]

1 hour ago, OlderWhiskey said:

Here are some other names I picked up from Ultimate College Softball; I don't even know who they all are.  Ashley Waters, Kristi Bredbenner, Clarissa Crowell (Penn St.), Kirin Kumar.  The betting favorite still seems to be D'Amour. 

Ashley Waters is at Charlotte. She’s a very good pitching coach, and they’ve knocked off a few teams over the past few years. She’s engaged to the baseball coach at Charlotte. 

Kristen Bedbenner is at Wichita State, and they hit well. She got them facility upgrades, and I’m not certain she’d leave. 

Kumar is at Miami, Ohio. They hit really well and scored 6 or 7 runs on Oklahoma. She also was an assistant under D’Amour at Virginia Tech. 

Everyone seems to think it’ll be D’Amour. Phillip Marshall said Cohen had coaches reaching out about the job. 

[Big Fat Barner 135]

I really really hope Cohen goes after a power 5 coach like D’Amour or Young, I’m just not sure I’m willing to take a chance on an unproven group of 5 coach again with Texas and Oklahoma coming up next year. 
 

also did Marshall mention possibly which coaches? I don’t pay for that stuff lol. 

On 3/29/2024 at 7:07 PM, Jad0003 said:

Ashley Waters is at Charlotte. She’s a very good pitching coach, and they’ve knocked off a few teams over the past few years. She’s engaged to the baseball coach at Charlotte. 

Kristen Bedbenner is at Wichita State, and they hit well. She got them facility upgrades, and I’m not certain she’d leave. 

Kumar is at Miami, Ohio. They hit really well and scored 6 or 7 runs on Oklahoma. She also was an assistant under D’Amour at Virginia Tech. 

Everyone seems to think it’ll be D’Amour. Phillip Marshall said Cohen had coaches reaching out about the job. 

 

Edited March 31 by Big Fat Barner

[WarTiger 3,901]

6 hours ago, Big Fat Barner said:

I really really hope Cohen goes after a power 5 coach like D’Amour or Young, I’m just not sure I’m willing to take a chance on an unproven group of 5 coach again with Texas and Oklahoma coming up next year. 
 

also did Marshall mention possibly which coaches? I don’t pay for that stuff lol. 

 

They aren't going to make that stuff public.  Everybody should know that by now. Marshall probably doesn't even know which coaches.  Even if they did, it would be premium content and not sharable here. 

[Jad0003 405]

14 hours ago, Big Fat Barner said:

I really really hope Cohen goes after a power 5 coach like D’Amour or Young, I’m just not sure I’m willing to take a chance on an unproven group of 5 coach again with Texas and Oklahoma coming up next year. 
 

also did Marshall mention possibly which coaches? I don’t pay for that stuff lol. 

 

They didn’t mention names. All Marshall said was it wouldn’t be announced until after the WCWS. 

[AU9377 4,929]

When Dean was hired, he was thought of as being one of the top coaches that could be looking to move up to a Power 5 program.    The problem was that he just isn't a great fit at Auburn.  Auburn has an incredible recruiting footprint.  Dean took advantage of that and recruited well.  He simply had a really tough time translating that talent into wins. 

We need an energetic dynamic coach that comes either with a proven record of success or an assistant that is hungry and has been impactful at their current school.  If the fit is right and the personality fits, they can find a great deal of success at Auburn.

Edited April 1 by AU9377

[AUBwins 10,075]

On 4/1/2024 at 2:57 PM, AU9377 said:

When Dean was hired, he was thought of as being one of the top coaches that could be looking to move up to a Power 5 program.    The problem was that he just isn't a great fit at Auburn.  Auburn has an incredible recruiting footprint.  Dean took advantage of that and recruited well.  He simply had a really tough time translating that talent into wins. 

We need an energetic dynamic coach that comes either with a proven record of success or an assistant that is hungry and has been impactful at their current school.  If the fit is right and the personality fits, they can find a great deal of success at Auburn.

I have said before, he coached Auburn like a mid major program (JMU).  He played small ball in all circumstances, tried to steal every base you can, and run the starting dominant pitcher into the ground.  Good thing he had a good one in Penta.  That is a path if you have a good team trying to topple the larger programs in a tourney for example.  Gotta be able to actually hit against SEC pitchers in this conference.  Struggled mightily in that regard minus a few sluggers we have had.

[Jad0003 405]

Phillip brought up DJ Gasso as another possibility recently. The others mentioned were already listed here: Glasco, Ricketts, and Carosone.

If Auburn is to go the route of an assistant then I think they should target one of the Gasso brothers or Malveaux at Tennessee. It not only will improve our hitting, but it takes away from our opponents in the SEC. However, most people seem to think it’ll be D’Amour. 

[CameronCrazy 1,059]

Jennifer Rocha - OU Associate Head Coach. 

SEC experience as an assistant at Florida. Big-time pitching coach. Well-loved and respected. She would bring an enormous amount of positive energy and credibility to Auburn softball. 

[Big Fat Barner 135]

Watching Duke softball more makes me really want Marissa Young. She’s built that program up from the ground and Duke’s softball stadium and support are pitiful. I hope Cohen atleast calls her and makes an enticing offer. She’s a michigan grad so she may be holding out for that job.

 

i’m still for the idea of D’Amour, as long as he finds a solid pitching coach. VT’s offense is superb but their pitching hasn’t been good since Keely Rochard left. 

[Big Fat Barner 135]

On 4/6/2024 at 3:05 PM, Big Fat Barner said:

Watching Duke softball more makes me really want Marissa Young. She’s built that program up from the ground and Duke’s softball stadium and support are pitiful. I hope Cohen atleast calls her and makes an enticing offer. She’s a michigan grad so she may be holding out for that job.

 

i’m still for the idea of D’Amour, as long as he finds a solid pitching coach. VT’s offense is superb but their pitching hasn’t been good since Keely Rochard left. 

i came back to this to say that the pitching concerns for VT may not translate to AU, if D’Amour is hired here. I think it’s a very difficult thing to recruit to Virginia Tech, given the academic standards and lack of support. I am curious to see how D’Amour would do in recruiting here. There is a lot more talent from the surrounding southern states here than there. The only other thing that worries me with Young/D’Amour is their lack of use for the transfer portal. But again, not sure how much the academics play into that. I’m sure neither Duke nor VT have a large NIL fund either. I am just convinced that a coach of their caliber would thrive at a program like Auburn. And honestly, i think we need to pick up one of them before Ole Miss fires Traschel, South Carolina fires Bev Smith or Patrick Murphy of Alabama retires. Right now, Auburn is the best job available, and I think we need to take advantage of that. 

[Tiger1992 999]

On 4/6/2024 at 4:05 PM, Big Fat Barner said:

Watching Duke softball more makes me really want Marissa Young. She’s built that program up from the ground and Duke’s softball stadium and support are pitiful. I hope Cohen atleast calls her and makes an enticing offer. She’s a michigan grad so she may be holding out for that job.

While I would love to have Young, again her husband’s health issues make that extremely unlikely. No first hand knowledge, just common sense.

Not to mention she currently has Duke ranked #1. If money would be the only incentive, I tend to believe Duke could cover the nut.

 

[Big Fat Barner 135]

7 hours ago, Tiger1992 said:

While I would love to have Young, again her husband’s health issues make that extremely unlikely. No first hand knowledge, just common sense.

Not to mention she currently has Duke ranked #1. If money would be the only incentive, I tend to believe Duke could cover the nut.

 

I agree. It is very unlikely. However, i do not think money is the only incentive. Recruiting to Auburn would be a lot easier, the stadium and facilities are a lot better here. Duke softball’s scoreboard is like a high school scoreboard and their stadium only fits 500. I think she would get a healthy raise and double the amount of support here. But agree, her husband’s health should come first for sure. 

[AU1947 157]

Missouri softball placed on post-season bans while Early wine and D'Armour where there coaching... which is why Pete left... the grade and tutor scandal..... 

Edited April 17 by AU1947