A familiar face is back on the Plains to lead Auburn's baseball program.
Former Mississippi State pitching coach Butch Thompson, who held the same position at Auburn from 2006-08, was named the head baseball coach at Auburn on Thursday morning in a statement released by athletic director Jay Jacobs.
“Throughout the interview process with Coach Thompson, it became clear he was the right man to lead Auburn’s student-athletes now and into the future," Jacobs said in the statement. "Coach Thompson is widely known and respected as one of the best men in college baseball. He has an outstanding track record as an elite recruiter, and he has been recognized as the best pitching coach in the country. His track record of developing players who have gone on to highly successful careers in baseball is second to none.”
The hiring comes after a university press release on Sept. 27 announced the firing of former head coach Sunny Golloway after two years with the Tigers. Jacobs formed a search committee to find Golloway's replacement, interviewing Thompson and former Clemson head coach Jack Leggett, among others.
Auburn held a press conference on Thursday afternoon to introduce Thompson.
"When you begin to look at what Butch has done from a recruiting standpoint and also from a player development standpoint, it's very rare that you have the opportunity to hire somebody that has all of those qualities, and Butch has those," Jacobs said.
Thompson, who spent six seasons as the pitching coach and associate head coach at Mississippi State, has been an assistant coach in the SEC since 2002, and he feels Auburn has "all the ingredients" necessary to return to the College World Series.
"I'm honored, humbled and blessed to stand here today as head baseball coach at Auburn University," Thompson said. "I had the great fortune of spending the last 15 years in the Southeastern Conference. I feel battle-tested, and trust me, it's a battle in our league. The experience of remaining and being current in the league has prepared me for this opportunity. (Auburn) is a place I know, I love and I respect."
Thompson met with athletic department officials and several Auburn players last week regarding the open position, and the student-athletes were sold on Thompson's drive and vision for the program immediately.
"He was very honest and genuine with us, so that was a big stepping stone in the trust process," said junior pitcher and infielder Keegan Thompson. "It was really important for us to be able to take part in that interview process."
Junior first baseman Daniel Robert said the team had great fall practices under interim coach Greg Norton and is ready to begin working with its new coach.
"We're all in; we're ready to go" Robert said. "We've been working so hard, and he has as well, to get to this moment, and we're going to try to make the best of it."
Thompson, the 2014 Baseball America and American Baseball Coaches Association National Assistant Coach of the Year, has coached nine conference championship teams and made seven trips to the College World Series.
During Thompson's previous stint at Auburn, three of his recruiting classes were ranked among the nation's top 18, including a No. 5 national ranking in 2007.
Thompson's contract will cover five years and pay $350,000 annually, significantly less than Golloway's $650,000 annual salary.
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