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Post by una04 on May 14, 2022 17:36:40 GMT -6
Release from The university! Finally Our longest tenured coach in UNA history has announced his retirement this weekend. Coach Mike Keehn has been a part of the UNA Baseball program for 34 years, and we're so grateful for his leadership & dedication to our program and department! Thank you, Coach Keehn! Join us tomorrow during pregame at 12:45pm for a tribute to Coach Keehn and his family at his last home game at Mike D. Lane Field! Full Story: 1l.ink/FPF6B35#RoarLions |
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Post by roaringsince96 on May 14, 2022 17:43:21 GMT -6
Hope the best for him, appreciate his loyalty to the Lions program and his efforts. He guided the Lions through the transition.
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Post by unalions on May 14, 2022 18:18:16 GMT -6
I absolutely respect his loyalty. He and Mike Lane had a lot of success. Keehn was successful and had a very competitive final year in D2. Wishing him the best.
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Post by bbb111 on May 16, 2022 7:30:16 GMT -6
Thanks to coach Keehn for all those years of stability and service. I wish him all the best.
Any rumors on the replacement or the status of the rest of the staff? Normally when a new head coach comes into a program, he brings his own "guys" as PC and HC. I don't know how that works if the current PC and HC are under contract. Were our assistance on year to year contracts? I hope they look at a larger group of potential replacements than those from the area or with UNA ties. I went to a few of the games this year. I hope the new coach spends some more time in the weight room
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Post by unabalch on May 16, 2022 10:34:49 GMT -6
I am curious as to what names pop up… I agree I think we need to move on from anyone with UNA ties…are there any assistants/head coaches in Tenn, Al, or Miss? I don’t think it needs to be a national search with where we are at at our current status but needs to be someone who can recruit regionally!
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Post by bbb111 on May 16, 2022 11:27:42 GMT -6
Development at a mid major is as important as recruiting. UNA is not going to get the top kids. Get kids with potential/skills and develop them. That's how other mid majors do it. The facilities/history/etc isn't attractive to the top 100 kids in AL, FL, TN, GA, ETC. Chase the 100-150 and make them better. There are alot of late bloomers that get overlooked in HS...alot of kids develop as Juniors. All the "studs" are committing to schools as Freshmen as they are being coveted by the SEC/ACC at an early age. Get some of those late bloomers looking for a home.
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Post by unalions on May 16, 2022 18:08:41 GMT -6
Development at a mid major is as important as recruiting. UNA is not going to get the top kids. Get kids with potential/skills and develop them. That's how other mid majors do it. The facilities/history/etc isn't attractive to the top 100 kids in AL, FL, TN, GA, ETC. Chase the 100-150 and make them better. There are alot of late bloomers that get overlooked in HS...alot of kids develop as Juniors. All the "studs" are committing to schools as Freshmen as they are being coveted by the SEC/ACC at an early age. Get some of those late bloomers looking for a home. This is where I think having a team at NW Shoals again will help the team. Some guys develop at a CC but don't really want to leave the north AL/MS area. UNA needs all of those players, IMO. Best way to draw a crowd is to have some local/regional guys on the team. That said, we also just need some talented folks that are looking for a D1 break whether that be players with excellent D2 offers and we snag them and/or international players. Student-athletes from other countries should be a big part of UNA's plan for the future. Tuition at UNA is so affordable compared to schools in so many countries. The Athletic Department needs to capitalize on that economic advantage. |
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Post by tuna85 on May 17, 2022 5:45:39 GMT -6
Development at a mid major is as important as recruiting. UNA is not going to get the top kids. Get kids with potential/skills and develop them. That's how other mid majors do it. The facilities/history/etc isn't attractive to the top 100 kids in AL, FL, TN, GA, ETC. Chase the 100-150 and make them better. There are alot of late bloomers that get overlooked in HS...alot of kids develop as Juniors. All the "studs" are committing to schools as Freshmen as they are being coveted by the SEC/ACC at an early age. Get some of those late bloomers looking for a home. If it is going to take late bloomers to get us there (and it probably will), we better find us a darn good horticulturist! |
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Post by unabalch on May 17, 2022 8:13:15 GMT -6
I’m hoping we can afford to get some D1 experience in here, we are in a different world now being in D1 and we need someone who has done it at a high level that can bring a successful blueprint to us here in Florence.
I’m really hoping we can finish this year on a strong note with Lipscomb btw!
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Post by firstandtenn on May 17, 2022 9:34:41 GMT -6
I’m guessing this will be a young up-and-coming assistant coach. Probably keep less than 50% of the current roster by the time spring gets here. Bring in an infusion of transfers and Juco’s with the goal of 20 wins next year. Very possible, especially with some favorable non-conference scheduling. In that sense, it’s an attractive job. It won’t take a miracle to show substantial improvement.
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Post by unalions on May 17, 2022 12:11:30 GMT -6
I saw that Tulane now has an opening, as well. I'm wondering how much other schools hiring at the same time will affect UNA's process. I noticed that the outgoing Tulane coach was hired after their long-term coach left for Texas. This guy was hired after being an assistant at Vandy. He lasted six seasons with a mediocre record. But, it's obviously a different scenario. Tulane is used to post-season bids and wants to get back to that. www.nola.com/sports/tulane/article_6ba03bb0-d56c-11ec-b42c-3b46d25c1924.html |
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Post by unabalch on May 17, 2022 20:17:10 GMT -6
Tons of rumors out there already for the few jobs that are open in baseball, I have heard a few names floating around town but no mention of Willingham. Is he an option?
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Post by lion1979 on May 17, 2022 22:49:04 GMT -6
From what I’ve heard, Willingham is more interested in leading the Mars Hill program, and spending time with his family. Could be wrong, just what I’ve been told.
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Post by brandon on May 18, 2022 11:07:08 GMT -6
From what I’ve heard, Willingham is more interested in leading the Mars Hill program, and spending time with his family. Could be wrong, just what I’ve been told. Yeah, he is wanting to be around his kids as much as possible right now. |
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Post by unalions on May 18, 2022 11:53:19 GMT -6
UNA needs a baseball coach with more than one year of coaching experience.
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