With the college baseball season a little over a month away, some coaches at major schools may be fighting for their jobs this season. Let’s break down the top three.
- Butch Thompson, Auburn Tigers
Auburn head coach Butch Thompson finds himself in a make-or-break season with the Tigers.
To his credit, he’s gotten to the College World Series in Omaha twice, in 2019 and 2022, while at Auburn. However, he has struggled to win SEC games in his career.
Since his tenure with the Tigers began in 2016, Thompson is 104-134 in SEC play. His overall record with Auburn sits a little above .500 as he has toed the line of winning baseball.
This record across his career was reflected in 2024 when Auburn finished 27-25 overall and was an abysmal 8-21 in SEC play.
A great season for the Tigers and a deep run in the NCAA Tournament can help Thompson stay. However, after a lackluster 2024, his seat is getting warm, and it is noticeable.
- John Savage, UCLA Bruins
The 2024 season was not pretty for the UCLA Bruins. Head coach John Savage led his team to a 19-33 overall record and a 9-21 record in Pac-12 play.
This was the worst season UCLA has had since Savage’s first season in Los Angeles in 2005.
Savage led UCLA to the national championship in 2013, the last time the Bruins were in Omaha for the College World Series.
The team has also missed out on the NCAA tournament two years in a row, as they last played in it in 2022.
The 59-year-old skipper is a legendary coach for the Bruins who has made the program into a powerhouse. As UCLA makes the transition into the Big 10, a great first season in the new conference should give him some breathing room with his job security.
This should also include an NCAA tournament appearance. If the Bruins do make it back, it would be Savage’s 14th time getting UCLA back to postseason baseball.
- Mike Bianco, Ole Miss Rebels
This felt strange to put considering head coach Mike Bianco led Ole Miss to a national championship just recently in 2022. However, 2023 and 2024 were not pretty for the Rebels.
Ole Miss has a 52-58 overall record in the past two seasons. Their conference record over that same stretch is 17-43.
Back-to-back below-.500 seasons in Oxford, at the very least, raise eyebrows about Bianco’s coaching job, which is entering its 25th season.
Bianco’s fix this season is simple: finish above .500 and make the NCAA tournament. This can help him stay at Ole Miss a little while longer. Prior to the putrid 2023 and 2024 seasons, the Rebs had made the NCAA Tournament in nine of the last ten seasons.
In layman’s terms, do not finish with a losing season again.
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WBN NCAA: https://worldbaseball.com/league/ncaa/
