Catcher Rob Vaughn of the Kansas State Wildcats makes a throw to first base during the third inning against the Wichita State Shockers on April 14, 2009 at Tointon Stadium in Manhattan, Kansas. Vaughn has been hired as head coach at the University of Alabama. (Photo by Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images)
By Julian Guilarte
World Baseball Network
The University of Alabama has hired Rob Vaughn away from the University of Maryland to replace Brad Bohannon, who was fired in April.
Vaughn, 35, has accomplished a lot at Maryland, leading them to three straight Super Regional appearances. This season, Maryland went 42-19, and Vaughn had a record of 182-115 as their head coach.
Alabama was eliminated in the a Super Regional at Wake Forest on June 11 with a 22-5 loss. The Crimson Tide finished with a record of 43-21. Their interim head coach, Jason Jackson, went 13-6 to finish out the season after Bohannon was fired.
Bohannon was fired after it was discovered he was on the phone with a man in Cincinnati, who was placing large bets on Alabama to lose against LSU on April 28. Bohannon went 30-15 on the season and was 166-124 in five seasons at Alabama.
Vaughn was a former player at Kansas State University from 2006 to 2009. He played in the minor leagues and in independent ball until the end of the 2010 season. Kansas State also gave him his first coaching job as an assistant in 2011.
After 2012, he moved on to become an assistant at Maryland. He would serve in this role for five seasons until he was named the head coach in 2018.
“If you’re going to try to go one-on-one with a buffalo, he’s going to kick you in the mouth a lot. It’s going to be about our group as a unit staying together, we’re going to take him down.” Vaughn told Nick Kelly of the Tuscaloosa News on Tuesday.
Vaughn said he is bringing an aggressive mentality with him to Alabama.