Baylor Hires McLennan's Mitch Thompson as New Baseball Coach
The Baylor Bears coaching search has come to a conclusion just over two weeks after it began.
Following a disappointing season for the Baylor Bears, which saw them finish at 26-28 and miss the NCAA Tournament, it felt inevitable that changes would be made in the offseason.
Those changes would come in the form of coach Steve Rodriguez agreeing to step down, ushering in a new era for Bears baseball with a coaching search to take place as a result.
That search, as mentioned above, has finally come to a conclusion with the Bears set to hire Mitch Thompson to take over as the coach of Baylor Bears baseball moving forward, the school announced.
“We are thrilled to introduce Mitch Thompson as the next head coach of our baseball program,” Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Mack Rhoades said. “His proven track record of success along with his personal connection to Baylor make him a special fit for this position. Mitch is a passionate leader who truly understands and embraces our purpose, Preparing Champions for Life, pouring into student-athletes on and off the field challenging them to be the best they can be in all areas of their lives. I am confident in his ability to bring tremendous energy and excitement and look forward to supporting his leadership of our young men and our baseball program. We are so excited to welcome home Mitch, his wife Amber, and their daughters Mary Conley and Caroline.”
He enters the program at a pivotal time, as the Bears desperately need a shot of rejuvenation to pick things back up. Thompson knows the Baylor program extremely well, as he spent 18 seasons as an assistant coach under Steve Smith from 1995 to 2012.
Now, Thompson returns to Baylor fresh off of a decade of success at McLennan College, including a JUCO national title in 2021, ready to right the ship and make the Bears a contender again.
“I’m so grateful for this opportunity to return home to a place where I spent 18 wonderful years working hard to help build a championship program,” Thompson said. “This is truly a dream job for me and my family, and I’m so thankful to Mack Rhoades and his team for believing in my vision to bring new energy to the Baylor Baseball program. I look forward to working together with our administration, alumni, the Heart of the Order, and all of the Baylor Family, to bring championship-caliber baseball and a great home-field advantage back to Baylor Ballpark.”
He'll have his work cut out for him, as he now must convince several of Baylor's key players from last season to take their names out of the transfer portal. However, this is a home run hire for the Bears and one that could lead to a much-needed culture change in Waco.
You can find Connor Zimmerlee on Twitter @Connorjz98
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Connor Zimmerlee is a writer and reporter for the FanNation network. Zimmerlee received his Bachelor's of Journalism from the University of Texas at Austin and graduated from Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism with a Master's of Science in Journalism with a Specialization in Sports Media.