DRC: UNT hires new softball coach

[Brett Vito]

DRC:

https://www.dentonrc.com/sports/unt-names-delong-as-new-softball-coach/article_94b880ce-f7f4-57b6-a197-78cef5470f0a.html

[TheColonyEagle]

The 2 new hires from Baker both had nice 1 year turnarounds at their previous stop...

Don't know if that's a pattern or anything...but the last one did well in year 1 here and seems to have momentum going into year 2.

Go get 'em Coach Delong. Welcome!

 

[UNTLifer]

This line from the article made me cringe and laugh at the same time

UNT has invested heavily in its softball program over the last several years and added a ticket booth and indoor restrooms to Lovelace Stadium in the summer of 2015.[/quoted]

[Harry]

Positives: young, hungry

Negatives:  inexperienced compared to Kee

I'll have to trust Wren on this one.  He hit a homerun with McCasland.

[GreenN'walinsVet]

again..2 is not enough to establish  pattern, but, his 2 hires are both young guys that have proven they can win at lower levels and again at the D1 level in the short term.  Not a bad strategy for a school at our level.  

 

[Hunter Green]

Looks like a good hire.

[Side Show Joe]

1 hour ago, Harry said:

Positives: young, hungry

Negatives:  inexperienced compared to Kee

I'll have to trust Wren on this one.  He hit a homerun with McCasland.

I agree, but Baker is a basketball guy. He was on Sutton's staff. I sure he feels much more comfortable dealing with basketball hires. I still wish Baker would have spent some money and raided OU's staff. That would have been a safer bet, and made some noise on the national level. Having said that, I will support DeLong and wish him and our team the best. Go Mean Green!!!

[greenjoe]

Both head coaches at their prior jobs.

[El Paso Eagle]

Hopefully, this is another good Oklahoma connection

[Texas Stranger]

The 2 hopes for me are developing our young pitching and recruiting DFW, especially Keller and Frisco ISD's.

[Stix]

DeLong spent all four years of his college baseball career playing in Oklahoma and has strong ties to the Texas-Oklahoma region.

Ties to the region have been a common theme with the recent coaching hires.

[Rudy]

Didn't know we had to find a new coach. What happened?

[Texas Stranger]

3 hours ago, Rudy said:

Didn't know we had to find a new coach. What happened?

Coach Kee resigned shortly after the end of the season.

[FirefightnRick]

As SUMG reminded me, one of our best patterns recently has been bringing coaches back closer to home and family.

Aston, Littrell and McCasland all did well their first year coming back closer to home and Jalie is heating up.  DeLong's father is currently the head baseball coach at Lawton McCalister High School in Oklahoma. So Coach is just 156 miles from his family now.  That has to feel good and I bet he's extremely excited to hit the recruiting trail here and get started.

 

Rick