College Baseball Coaching Changes Tracker: Full list of NCAA baseball coaching moves feat. Mike Silva
In the world of college baseball, as the College World Series approaches, the volume of new coaches also increases. Plenty of schools are making moves – some planned, some seemingly out of nowhere. There are plenty of jobs still open, but here are all the new coaches who have been hired so far.
College baseball coaching changes tracker
#1. Mike Silva to Arkansas State
Arkansas State let Tommy Raffo go after 16 seasons without an NCAA Tournament appearance. Mike Silva, meanwhile, led Nicholls State to the Tournament each of the last two years, so he makes sense as a new-blood hire for the program.
#2. Karl Kuhn to Charleston Southern
Marc MacMillan got the axe at Charleston Southern after four years in charge. His pitching coach, Karl Kuhn, has replaced him. Kuhn is best known for his work as a pitching coach at Virginia, where he helped lead the Cavaliers to the 2015 College World Series title.
#3. Kevin Schnall to Coastal Carolina
Gary Gilmore left big shoes to fill, including a 2016 College World Series crown in his 29 seasons at Coastal Carolina. A college baseball legend, he retired and handed the reins to Kevin Schnall, a Coastal alum who has been an assistant for over two decades with Gilmore. Needless to say, Coastal Carolina is looking to continue a positive trend with its new hire.
#4. Walt Jones to Eastern Kentucky
This was an ongoing situation as former head coach Chris Prothro has been out due to a medical leave of absence. Walt Jones had replaced him as interim coach and has since been given the full-time job. Jones was an associate coach at Nicholls State before he came to EKU.
#5. Clay VanderLaan to Houston Christian
Former Houston Astros outfielder Lance Berkman got the axe at Houston Christian. His former assistant, Clay VanderLaan has replaced him. VanderLaan is a former D3 head coach who will look to shine on the big stage.
#6. Ty McDevitt to Minnesota
After 43 years, John Anderson certainly earned his retirement from Minnesota. His pitching coach for the last six years, Ty McDevitt, got the nod to replace him. The hire is intriguing on at least one level – as Minnesota goes from one of the oldest D1 coaches (Anderson is 69) to one of the youngest (McDevitt is 31).
#7. Joey Hawkins to Missouri State
Similarly, Missouri State also said goodbye to Keith Guttin after 42 seasons. His replacement, Joey Hawkins, played under Guttin and has been associate head coach at Missouri State for two seasons.
#8. Paul Mainieri to South Carolina
This might be the biggest move in college baseball so far. Mark Kingston was cut loose after seven seasons with Carolina. Paul Mainieri initially retired from LSU after 2021. Mainieri has won a staggering 1,501 NCAA games in his career, so he certainly brings a wealth of experience to the position.
#9. Mitch Hannahs to South Florida
South Florida moved on from Billy Mohl after seven seasons. They nabbed Indiana State coach Mitch Hannahs, who has been to the NCAA Tournament five times as head coach. It'll be interesting to see how Hannahs adjusts to trying to recruit heavily in Florida.
#10. Steve Sabins to West Virginia
This was a previously announced move ahead of the 2024 season. Randy Mazey retired after a dozen years with the Mountaineers. Steve Sabins was his associate head coach, so West Virginia will hope to maintain strong continuity with this move.
Which new college baseball coaches are you looking forward to seeing? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.