Athletic Director Greg Byrne announced his choice for Alabama’s 32nd baseball coach on Thursday, picking 14 year SEC veteran assistant Brad Bohannon as the head man. Bohannon has been at Auburn the last two seasons, after spending 12 years at Kentucky. Bohannon got his start at Wake Forest as a volunteer coach, spending two years there. At his previous stops, Byrne hired John Cohen at Mississippi State and Jay Johnson at Arizona. Cohen reached the College World Series within three years and Johnson did in his first year, finishing as national runner up.
Auburn is playing in the Tallahassee Regional this weekend, and Bohannon will remain with the Tigers at least through this weekend. It has been reported there will be a press conference on Monday in Tuscaloosa to introduce the new coach.
Alabama followed the model of several SEC teams over the last few years of hiring a first time head coach with experience as an assistant at a big time program. Florida plucked Kevin O’Sullivan from Clemson in 2008 after serving as the Tigers pitching coach for nine years. Kentucky hired Mississippi State assistant Nick Mingione last year and he is SEC Coach of the Year this season. Auburn named long time Mississippi State pitching coach Butch Thompson as head coach after ridding themselves of Sunny Golloway, and Mississippi State hire Andy Cannizaro was hitting coach at LSU before heading to Starkville. All were first time head coaches and have had great success thus far.