On Monday, University of Alabama director of athletics Greg Byrne announced the hiring of the 2022 and 2023 Big Ten Conference Coach of the Year, Maryland’s Rob Vaughn, as the head coach of Alabama baseball.
"We are thrilled to welcome Rob Vaughn as the next head baseball coach at The University of Alabama," said Byrne. "I talked to a number of people throughout this process and was so impressed with Rob from the start. He is one of the young, bright talents in college baseball and has done an excellent job leading Maryland's program. The success on the field speaks for itself, but even more impactful were the conversations with those who have played for Rob. We look forward to welcoming Rob, his wife Kayleigh, and children, Wyatt and Beau to Tuscaloosa."
It was also announced, in addition to the hiring of Vaughn, interim coach Jason Jackson would be retained to serve as the associate head coach of the Crimson Tide while continuing his role as pitching coach. Jackson, who took over after the firing of Brad Bohannon, did an amazing job leading the team during a tough situation, and while he didn’t get his chance to be the head coach, he will at least get to remain on the staff and add associate head coach to his resume.
"I could not be prouder of the job Coach Jackson did in serving as our interim head coach for the final six weeks of the season," said Byrne. "He was incredible at managing a tough situation and ultimately leading this team somewhere it had not been in quite some time. He has great relationships with our team, the department, our fans and beyond, and we are thrilled to keep JJ here in Tuscaloosa and elevate him to associate head coach."
Vaughn, 35, led Maryland to back-to-back Big Ten regular season titles and three straight NCAA Tournament appearances. Vaughn led Maryland to a 42-21 record this season, winning the Big Ten conference tournament and advancing to the Winston-Salem Regional. Before this season, Vaughn led Maryland to a school record 48 wins, earning the Terrapins a host site in an NCAA regional for the first time in program history.
Over the course of six seasons as Maryland’s head coach, Vaughn achieved a 183-115 record. Before becoming the head coach of Maryland, he spent five years in the program as an assistant. Vaughn is a former Kansas State catcher who started off his coaching career at his alma mater in 2012-13 as an assistant for the Wildcats.
"I could not be more excited to join the Alabama Crimson Tide," said Vaughn. "The culture, the people and the program speak for themselves. Watching the team from afar, I could tell just how special it is, and I cannot wait to get started and help get this group get back to Omaha. The fact that Coach Jackson will be here by my side makes me even more excited because he's done such an incredible job and will be a big part of what we do going forward.
"I want to thank Greg Byrne and the administration for this opportunity of a lifetime. My family and I are thrilled for the move to Tuscaloosa and look forward to being part of the community. Roll Tide!”
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