Earleywine is gone, agree or not, it's time to move forward. Fogue is in as the interim. Black and Gold game is Saturday, with what I'm sure will be an interesting donor banquet to follow. First pitch on the 2018 campaign comes next Thursday.
We know there will be a coaching search this June. I'm sure the PM staff has been working tirelessly developing a strategy to cover this search. I have no doubt Gabe has had a hot board ready to go ever since Mack was the AD. I like how he's keeping it so close to the vest now that we know there's an opening. Keeps us softball fans (1%???) always wanting more.
Just in case I'm wrong, I thought I would share my preliminary thoughts on who I would look at if I were in charge. This is not a list based on inside information. I will have names on here who are not realistic. This is just fghtgr's pipe dream of who I think we should consider, even if it means they all tell us no.
Pete D'Amour, Kennesaw State HC - Pete has one season as HC under his belt, in which he won an impressive 40 games. For those that don't know, prior to becoming HC at Kennesaw he was an assistant at Ole Mizzou for 10 years. These were the most successful years Mizzou has seen and much of the success is attributed to Pete by those most familiar with the game. He was the antithesis to CEE, which I'm sure will be a sought-after trait. While here he was responsible for recruiting and pitching, both of which have digressed since his departure. I think Pete would be a welcomed choice by the players and fans. I know he would listen if we called too. There will be more flashy names coming, but the combination of familiarity, success, and affordability make Pete D'Amour my top choice if I'm AD.
Clint Myers, Retired (kinda) - Myers is one of the most successful college softball coaches ever. He's immediately succeeded at every stop. I think he's got 9 World Series appearances under his belt, including a couple championships. There's no denying the splash this hire would generate. There's also no doubt the success that would likely follow. But, this would be an expensive hire. I would be surprised to see a high-dollar hire like this coming from a department who lost money last year. Even if money weren't an issue, I don't think this is a road Mizzou will go down. Myers recently "retired" after only 3 (very successful) years at Auburn following a scandal involving his associate coach, who also happened to be his son. His son received notice of multiple Title IX violations for inappropriate relationships with players and has been blackballed as a result. While I would love to see a guy like Myers, I don't think we're going to touch the baggage that comes with him.
Deanna Gumpf, Notre Dame HC - Gumpf has led Notre Dame to 16 consecutive NCAA Regionals and compiled a .711 win % as HC. She's averaged 41 wins a year, in a large sample size. Gumpf's strength is her work with pitchers, which is the most important part of the game. I have no idea if she would be interested in leaving South Bend, but the prestige of coaching softball in the SEC could be a draw that interests her.
Kate Drohan, Northwestern HC - Drohan has a very similar track record as Gumpf. She's coached Northwestern for 16 years and has a .620 win %. She's been to the postseason, but not every year. She has however been to a couple World Series in her time. Again, heading south to an established program in one of the top 2 conferences in the country could be very intriguing to someone like Drohan.
Glenn Moore, Baylor HC - Moore is been at Baylor for a while now, but has been very successful. He's been to multiple World Series and won nearly 70% of his games. Like the previous two on the list, challenging himself in a higher prestige conference could be of interest. The best part of this hire is the further headache it would create for Mack Rhoades. Wouldn't it be ironic if he finally got his way for Earleywine to be fired, only for it to mean Mizzou hires his guy right from under his nose?
Gina Fogue, Mizzou Interim HC - I've got Gina on the list, but I don't think she would be a serious candidate. She doesn't have a ton of experience, and is tied to CEE. She has a tough approach like Earleywine too. It could be a combination Mizzou just wants to avoid. But, a successful 2018 campaign and the backing of the team could change that. Fogue has an opportunity nobody else has. It's double-edged though as a bad season would doom her. Mizzou loves hiring True Sons and Daughters though, which obviously works in her favor.
That's all I've got for now. It will be interesting to see what happens.
We know there will be a coaching search this June. I'm sure the PM staff has been working tirelessly developing a strategy to cover this search. I have no doubt Gabe has had a hot board ready to go ever since Mack was the AD. I like how he's keeping it so close to the vest now that we know there's an opening. Keeps us softball fans (1%???) always wanting more.
Just in case I'm wrong, I thought I would share my preliminary thoughts on who I would look at if I were in charge. This is not a list based on inside information. I will have names on here who are not realistic. This is just fghtgr's pipe dream of who I think we should consider, even if it means they all tell us no.
Pete D'Amour, Kennesaw State HC - Pete has one season as HC under his belt, in which he won an impressive 40 games. For those that don't know, prior to becoming HC at Kennesaw he was an assistant at Ole Mizzou for 10 years. These were the most successful years Mizzou has seen and much of the success is attributed to Pete by those most familiar with the game. He was the antithesis to CEE, which I'm sure will be a sought-after trait. While here he was responsible for recruiting and pitching, both of which have digressed since his departure. I think Pete would be a welcomed choice by the players and fans. I know he would listen if we called too. There will be more flashy names coming, but the combination of familiarity, success, and affordability make Pete D'Amour my top choice if I'm AD.
Clint Myers, Retired (kinda) - Myers is one of the most successful college softball coaches ever. He's immediately succeeded at every stop. I think he's got 9 World Series appearances under his belt, including a couple championships. There's no denying the splash this hire would generate. There's also no doubt the success that would likely follow. But, this would be an expensive hire. I would be surprised to see a high-dollar hire like this coming from a department who lost money last year. Even if money weren't an issue, I don't think this is a road Mizzou will go down. Myers recently "retired" after only 3 (very successful) years at Auburn following a scandal involving his associate coach, who also happened to be his son. His son received notice of multiple Title IX violations for inappropriate relationships with players and has been blackballed as a result. While I would love to see a guy like Myers, I don't think we're going to touch the baggage that comes with him.
Deanna Gumpf, Notre Dame HC - Gumpf has led Notre Dame to 16 consecutive NCAA Regionals and compiled a .711 win % as HC. She's averaged 41 wins a year, in a large sample size. Gumpf's strength is her work with pitchers, which is the most important part of the game. I have no idea if she would be interested in leaving South Bend, but the prestige of coaching softball in the SEC could be a draw that interests her.
Kate Drohan, Northwestern HC - Drohan has a very similar track record as Gumpf. She's coached Northwestern for 16 years and has a .620 win %. She's been to the postseason, but not every year. She has however been to a couple World Series in her time. Again, heading south to an established program in one of the top 2 conferences in the country could be very intriguing to someone like Drohan.
Glenn Moore, Baylor HC - Moore is been at Baylor for a while now, but has been very successful. He's been to multiple World Series and won nearly 70% of his games. Like the previous two on the list, challenging himself in a higher prestige conference could be of interest. The best part of this hire is the further headache it would create for Mack Rhoades. Wouldn't it be ironic if he finally got his way for Earleywine to be fired, only for it to mean Mizzou hires his guy right from under his nose?
Gina Fogue, Mizzou Interim HC - I've got Gina on the list, but I don't think she would be a serious candidate. She doesn't have a ton of experience, and is tied to CEE. She has a tough approach like Earleywine too. It could be a combination Mizzou just wants to avoid. But, a successful 2018 campaign and the backing of the team could change that. Fogue has an opportunity nobody else has. It's double-edged though as a bad season would doom her. Mizzou loves hiring True Sons and Daughters though, which obviously works in her favor.
That's all I've got for now. It will be interesting to see what happens.
