Something special is happening in the state of Arizona. Jay Johnson came into Tempe with little on the resume that would give an indication of how things would play out. To say he’s been a pleasant surprise would be an understatement. University of Arizona baseball is on a roll in this, Johnson’s second season, and
Next up to the plate in a long line of great coaches at Tulane University is Travis Jewett. When Rick Jones retired a few years ago after a wonderful run at Tulane, David Pierce stepped in briefly before he got plucked by Texas to replace Augie Garrido. That left Tulane in a tight spot, opening up
This week we’re back in Connecticut, talking to old friend, UConn head baseball coach, Jim Penders. We had a tremendous visit with Coach Penders back in episode 140, where he shared a lot about coaching your son and being coached by your father. Now he’s back for a long overdue part two and you won’t
Click here! Mention TOP COACH and receive 10% off your entire order at Burbank Sport Nets! This week we’re talking to Rusty Stroupe (pronounced Strap) of Gardner-Webb University in Boiling Springs, North Carolina. As we’ll find out, many things in his orbit are not pronounced the way they’re spelled (see Chair’-a-vul). Coach Stroupe is no
Click here! Mention TOP COACH and receive 10% off your entire order! You asked for it, you got it! After our first conversation with Scott Malone, we’ve got an incredible amount of feedback commenting on that episode. The Texas A&M Corpus Christi coach knows how to pack some energy into every answer. This native Texan was more than happy
There are many factors that going into being a “top coach”, but winning the College World Series in Omaha certainly doesn’t work against you. Gary Gilmore has had one busy schedule since his Coastal Carolina team won it all in Omaha last June. In fact, the weekend I ran into him at the Texas High
Wow! Need a lift this week? Perhaps you can just recharge your batteries by siphoning off some of the energy of this week’s guest, Scott Malone. If he was a player, we’d perhaps call him a high motor guy. Does that go for coaches as well? Coach Malone has been putting his energy into the
Since the dawning of the 21st Century, Kermit Smith has plied the coaching trade at NCAA D2 schools, Belmont Abbey and Lander — and, it must be added, was extremely successful, appearing in the D2 World Series on multiple occasions. That caught the attention of Appalachian State, who would love to see Coach Smith bring
Johnny Cardenas is a Texas boy and former professional ballplayer who’s sure that he’s found the right place — coaching college baseball at Stephen F Austin. He knew he could stretch the pro career out just a bit more, given primarily that he was a bilingual catcher, but he was ready to move on. After
We had such a great interview with University of Washington head coach Lindsay Meggs the first time around that we’ve invited him back for a part two. Frankly, we could have added a part three. As is the case with the baseball coaching tree, Coach Meggs has a connection to so many others in the profession, including former Top
Lindsay Meggs says he learned the most from a football coach. This California guy has learned to pick up and apply lessons learned from many sources, including guys like Joe Maddon. The University of Washington head coach says that “It’s a simple game. People have complicated it.” So from that standpoint, he likes Joe Maddon’s
It’s got to be a dream job when a Missouri boy can land an SEC coaching job without leaving his home state. And that’s exactly what Steve Bieser did. After growing up in Missouri, playing his college ball in the state, and then spending 13 years in professional baseball, Steve Bieser got into coaching via
Skip Bertman’s name is nearly synonymous with the rise of college baseball as we know it today. What he crafted at Louisiana State University started a ripple effect through the SEC and across the nation. A fixture at the College World Series, LSU fans got so used to going to Omaha that many still go
Now that we’ve got our foot in the door in Arkansas, we plan on returning occasionally. Our trip to Arkansas this time around takes us to Pine Bluff, where we’ll talk to the head coach at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Carlos James. UAPB and the city of Pine Bluff have been known
We are thrilled to welcome back for a part two, the head coach at the University of San Diego, Rich Hill. In this episode, Coach Hill talks about the benefits he derived from coaching in the legendary Cape Cod League for many summers. We also talk about the value of high school baseball and summer travel (and showcase) baseball,
Much of what the University of San Diego’s head baseball coach does comes from his desire to help influence young lives, much the same as what helped him coming from a divorced home. Rich Hill has been paying it back — and forward — for nearly three decades now in a big way. Hill comes
When you think of ACC baseball, you’re not necessarily thinking of a team in the Northeast, but Boston College certainly got some folks to do a geographical readjustment this season. Coming out of a very tough ACC Atlantic division, the Eagles finished just one game shy of Omaha, losing a three game Super Regional to
The number of times that Brian Shoop‘s name has been brought up on Top Coach is hard to remember. Let’s just say that many coaches, including Auburn’s Butch Thompson, have listed Coach Shoop as one of their great influences. When you listen to the head coach of the University of Alabama-Birmingham in this episode, you’ll
Finally! Yes, we’ve plugged that gaping hole in our Top Coach Guest Map that’s right over Arkansas. And we’ve done it in a big way with the incredibly successful and popular head coach at the University of Central Arkansas, Allen Gum. Coach Gum is Arkansas born and bred and, except for a brief foray right
I knew there was something I liked about this guy when I started the conversation. Turns out he was taking his wife on a date after the interview. Now there’s a guy who understands what’s important. That man is Brian Green, head coach of the Aggies of New Mexico State University. In just two short years
We’ve been looking forward to this interview for a long time. Chip Baker is a popular man on the Florida State campus. Not only because of what he’s accomplished, but because of an infectious and magnetic personality. I’d almost go as far as to say he’s a cult hero in Tallahassee (almost). He’s was a
He admittedly kind of stumbled into coaching, but it has been nothing but head down and learning his craft since he’s stepped into the arena. Jason Dietrich is in his fourth season as pitching coach for the well-respected program at Cal State Fullerton. He’s learned from some of the best along the way, including the
His title is Director of Baseball Operations, but Chris Domingue (pronounced Doh’ mang) is almost singularly focused on one thing at Louisiana-Lafayette — and that’s academics. This is in addition to his full time gig as assistant fire chief. And this guy knows his way around the block academically. A guy who once flunked out of
Long mentioned among the top assistant coaches in NCAA Division 1 baseball, Butch Thompson finally gets his shot to direct things as he guides Auburn Baseball in his first season as head coach. Coach Thompson has a resume that looks very similar to many others in his position, having stops at many schools and, as the old saying
