Mike Silva set to join Arkansas State as new HC after three seasons at Nicholls and two NCAA Tournament appearances: Report
Arkansas State baseball is reportedly set to hire Mike Silva as its next head coach, per D1Baseball's Kendall Rodgers. Silva will replace Tommy Raffo, who was let go by the Red Wolves in May, after 16 seasons in charge of the team.
Silva has garnered attention from several Sun Belt conference teams after an impressive few seasons at Nicholls State. He took charge of the Colonels in 2022 and has guided them to two NCAA Tournament appearances in the past two years.
Now, it appears that Silva will be at the helm at Arkansas State for next season.
The Red Wolves struggled for consistency in the past three seasons under Raffo. They even failed to reach the Sun Belt Tournament since the 2021 season, forcing the program to change its head coach.
A glimpse into Mike Silva's coaching career
Mike Silva began his coaching journey in 2003, after graduating from Northwestern Oklahoma State, where he also played as a catcher. He served as an assistant coach at Clarendon College (2003-2005) and Bethany Swedes (2006).
In 2007, Silva got his first head coaching job at Clarendon College. He was then the head coach for Galveston College from 2010 to 2012.
Silva returned to his role as an assistant coach during his time at Texas State (2013-2015). He was also an Area Scout for the MLB's San Diego Padres in 2016.
Moreover, Silva was a pitchers coach at Arkansas-Little Rock (2017-2018) and an assistant head coach at Louisiana Tech (2019-2021).
In 2022, Silva got the head coaching job at Nicholls State and it made him quite a popular figure in the college baseball world. In his first season at the helm, he led the team to a winning 26–25 overall record.
In 2023, Silva's Nicholls State won the Southland regular-season championship and the Southland Conference Tournament. His team repeated the feat of winning the Southland Conference Tournament in 2024.
Across three seasons with the Colonels, Silva racked up a 98–71 record.