July 3, 2013

Tracy Smith Named CBI Coach of the Year

RICHMOND, Va. – After leading Indiana to its first appearance in the College World Series, Tracy Smith (left) has been named the 2013 CollegeBaseballInsider.com National Coach of the Year.

Smith was selected from a group of finalists that included John Cohen of Mississippi State, Brad Hill of Kansas State, Dan McDonnell of Louisville, Brian O’Connor of Virginia, John Savage of UCLA and Rick Vanderhook of Cal State Fullerton.

“Tracy Smith helped the Hoosiers register numerous firsts this season, including that historic run to Omaha,” said Sean Ryan, co-founder of CollegeBaseballInsider.com. “He is very deserving of this recognition. We congratulate Tracy and the entire Hoosiers program on a tremendous season.”

On Opening Day, Indiana blanked Louisville to catch the nation’s attention. More eyebrows were raised in early March, when the Hoosiers took two of three at Florida. The Sunday win in Gainesville started an 18-game win streak as IU started 25-3 overall and 8-0 in Big Ten play.

Indiana took two of three at Ohio State in mid-May to claim its first Big Ten regular season title since 1949 and first outright championship since 1932. IU went 17-7 in conference play.

The Hoosiers headed to Minneapolis for the Big Ten Tournament at Target Field. IU beat Minnesota and Ohio State before falling to Nebraska. The Hoosiers rebounded and beat the Huskers 4-3 to secure the tourney crown.

IU hosted its first regional in program history, welcoming Austin Peay, Florida and Valparaiso to Bart Kaufman Field. The Hoosiers rallied past the Crusaders and beat the Govs twice to claim its first regional title.

The Hoosiers would travel to Tallahassee to meet No. 7 national seed Florida State. Indiana would flex its offensive muscles, outscoring the Seminoles 10-9 and 11-6 to advance to Omaha for the first time in program history. The Hoosiers were the first Big Ten team to reach the College World Series since Michigan in 1984.

As it did in mid-February, Indiana shut out Louisville 2-0 in its first College World Series contest before falling 5-4 to Mississippi State and 1-0 to Oregon State to finish a magical season at 49-16.

Cohen led the Bulldogs to a runner-up finish in the College World Series, the best finish in program history. MSU was 51-20 overall and 16-14 in SEC play. The Bulldogs won the Starkville Regional and Charlottesville Super Regional to advance to Omaha. Cohen was CBI National Coach of the Year in 2006 while at Kentucky.

Hill guided the Wildcats to a record of 45-19, setting a program record for victories in a season. KSU was 16-8 in the Big 12 to claim its first conference crown since 1933 after placing seventh in the preseason coaches poll. The Wildcats hosted and won a regional for the first time. They were one game away from the College World Series, falling twice to Oregon State in the Corvallis Super Regional.

McDonnell took Louisville to its second College World Series and first since 2007. The Cardinals were 51-14 overall and 20-4 in the Big East, claiming the regular season crown. They won the Louisville Regional and Nashville Super Regional to advance to Omaha.

O’Connor coached the Cavaliers to a 50-12 overall mark and 22-8 in the ACC after not being nationally ranked in the preseason. Virginia was the No. 6 national seed in the NCAA Tournament and won the Charlottesville Regional before falling to Mississippi State in the Charlottesville Super Regional.

Savage took UCLA to the College World Series for the third time in the past four years, claiming its first national championship. The Bruins went 10-0 in the NCAA Tournament, winning the Los Angeles Regional and Fullerton Super Regional before going 5-0 in Omaha. UCLA finished 49-17 overall and 21-9 in the Pac-12, good for third. Savage was CBI National Coach of the Year in 2010.

Vanderhook used a pair of freshmen starting pitchers to win the Big West title and earn a No. 5 national seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Titans won the Fullerton Regional before falling to UCLA in the Fullerton Super Regional. The Titans finished 51-10 overall and 23-4 in Big West contests.

Honorable mention goes to Elliott Avent of NC State, Mark Calvi of South Alabama, Pat Casey of Oregon State, Tim Corbin of Vanderbilt, Jeff Goff of Campbell, Mike Gottlieb of Towson, Allen Gum of Central Arkansas, Carlton Hardy of Savannah State, Darin Hendrickson of Saint Louis, Joe Jordano of Pittsburgh, Larry Lee of Cal Poly, Gary McClure of Austin Peay, Steve Owens of Bryant and Jamie Pinzino of William and Mary.

Previous CBI Coaches of the Year

2012 – Matt Senk, Stony Brook, and Scott Stricklin, Kent State

2011 – David Esquer, California

2010 – John Savage, UCLA

2009 – Brian O’Connor, Virginia

2008 – Paul Mainieri, LSU, and Mark Marquess, Stanford

2007 – Tim Corbin, Vanderbilt, and Rob Childress, Texas A&M

2006 – John Cohen, Kentucky

2005 – Pat Casey, Oregon State

2004 – David Perno, Georgia

2003 – Elliott Avent, North Carolina State

(photos courtesy of IU Media Relations)