Arizona State has great coaches to pursue

Arizona State is one of the top-five coaching jobs in college baseball.

With long-time coach Pat Murphy’s resignation on Friday, the Sun Devils will look to former Washington coach Ken Knutson to lead the program on an interim basis for the 2010 season. The Devils could choose to give Knutson the job full-time if he does well. But conventional wisdom suggests there will be an extensive national search.

The list of candidates for this position could be pages long, but we’ve put together a list of ten coaches that Arizona State should strongly consider.

Oregon’s George Horton, Cal State Fullerton’s Dave Serrano and Oregon State’s Pat Casey top our list. We also threw in a couple wild cards, such as Vanderbilt’s Tim Corbin and Auburn’s John Pawlowski – two guys with extensive knowledge of what it takes to win at ASU.

There also are coaches such as Arizona’s Andy Lopez, San Diego’s Rich Hill and Pepperdine’s Steve Rodriguez that should be considered.

Arizona State has a long way to go before it announces a new head coach, likely not until next summer. But it’s never too early to throw out names that would be good fits for the program.

This coaching search will be filled with excitement.

George Horton, Oregon

My take. Horton certainly seems like the longest of all shots, but the Sun Devils would be silly to not at least pique his interest. Horton won a national title at Cal State Fullerton and has been at Oregon for a couple years. However, trying to build Oregon from the ground up is much different than taking over a preseason top-10 team. Horton would have to leave behind a boatload of money to head to Tempe, Ariz., but it wouldn’t be a bad move if he were looking to get closer to Southern California.

Dave Serrano, Cal State Fullerton

My take. His name flared up in Cal State Fullerton’s coaching search a few years ago when he was at UC Irvine. Serrano ended up the coach of the Titans. Now the third-year coach of the Titans could have a decision to make next summer. This is another guy the Sun Devils should at least interview for the vacancy. Serrano was an excellent coach at UC Irvine and has continued that success at Fullerton, most recently guiding the team to the College World Series last season. Serrano loves Fullerton and has family in Southern California. Maybe the Sun Devils could convince him to make the move?

Will Oregon State coach Pat Casey be a candidate for the ASU job? We think he should be.

(US Presswire)

Andy Lopez, Arizona

My take. His name may not be as hot as it was a couple seasons ago after what transpired at Arizona last season, but Lopez still is an outstanding coach and a great person on and off the field. Lopez has been coach at Arizona for eight seasons and sources say the administrative support he receives at UA is borderline embarrassing. Arizona State will have a plethora of options in this coaching search, but if its interested in a coach that does things the right way and has a national title to his credit, Lopez may be the answer. He probably wouldn’t be too hard to get for the Sun Devils.

Tim Corbin, Vanderbilt

My take. Not many would think of Corbin when it comes to the Arizona State job, but considering how close of friends he is with former coach Pat Murphy, Corbin should know exactly what it takes to win at Arizona State. Corbin has zero ties to the region, but you can’t question his ability to run a successful and clean program. Corbin has transformed Vandy into a perennial regional team and won the SEC regular season crown back in 2007. There’s a good chance Corbin would have to take a pay cut to go to ASU, but there’s no question it’s a better job than the one he has in Nashville, Tenn.

John Pawlowski, Auburn

My take. Here’s another SEC coach I’d at least interview if I were Arizona State. Pawlowski is from New York and went to college at Clemson. But he spent a season (’99) on Murphy’s Arizona State staff. Therefore, he knows the inner workings of the program. Pawlowski had a fantastic tenure at College of Charleston that put that program on the map, but had a tough first season at Auburn. If Pawlowski guides the Tigers to an NCAA regional in the spring, he’s a guy I’d at least interview. Pawlowski may not be interested in leaving a conference like the SEC. Perhaps we’ll find out.

Pat Casey, Oregon State

My take. This hire would be along the same lines as getting Horton to leave Oregon. Sure, the Sun Devils wouldn’t have a great shot of getting Casey to leave his home state to head to Tempe, Ariz., but it’d be worth an interview and attempt. Casey has spent 15 seasons as coach of the Beavers, and may not want to leave this late in his career. However, the long-time coach already has recorded a pair of national titles at OSU and has nothing else to prove in Corvallis, Ore. Also to consider, there’s no question ASU is an easier place to win than OSU. Still, it would be a surprise if he’d leave OSU.

Rich Hill, San Diego

My take. Perhaps Hill was smart to pass on the Washington job this past summer. Hill probably wouldn’t be at the top of Arizona State’s wish list, but is a coach I’d take a serious look at if I were ASU athletic director Lisa Love. Hill did a nice job in a previous stint at San Francisco and has transformed San Diego into a well-known program on the national stage in 12 seasons. Hill does a nice job with his program both on and off the field and would be a solid addition for the Devils. He’s at least a guy the Sun Devils should keep in mind.

Steve Rodriguez, Pepperdine

My take. Perhaps some luster rubbed off Rodriguez after the Waves failed to meet expectations last season, but he still is a coach I hold in high regard. Rodriguez has done a great job at Pepperdine in his six seasons with the program. The Waves have been a consistent regional participant with some tough constraints. Rodriguez also is the type that does things the right way on and off the field. Rodriguez won a national title with Pepperdine as a player back in ’92, so he knows what it takes to win it all. His name should enter the mix if the Waves bounce back in the spring.

Jim Schlossnagle, TCU

My take. Schlossnagle is one of the more underrated coaches in college baseball. TCU wasn’t exactly lighting up the college baseball world when he took over. But since that point, Schlossnagle’s Horned Frogs have been the model of consistency. TCU has appeared in six-consecutive NCAA regionals. It also reached another milestone last season with an NCAA super regional berth. Schlossnagle has very few ties to Arizona, but did coach at UNLV in a brief stint. Acquiring Schlossnagle could be difficult for personal reasons plus the fact he has a contract at TCU that goes through ’16.

Turtle Thomas, Florida International

My take. There’s a good chance it would take a while to get to this point, but Thomas may be worth a look. He has made 14 CWS appearances as an assistant coach at Miami, LSU and Arizona State. He also has done a nice job at FIU the past two seasons. Last season, the Panthers finished the season with a 34-23 record and have at least reentered the regional discussion. Thomas has impressive credentials as an assistant, but lacks experience as head coach. Perhaps a strong ’10 campaign would change that perception.