Maryland coach Rob Vaughn named Alabama baseball's next coach, Jason Jackson promoted
Alabama baseball has its next leader in place.
The Crimson Tide has hired Maryland coach Rob Vaughn as its next baseball coach, UA athletics announced Monday.
“I talked to a number of people throughout this process and was so impressed with Rob from the start," Alabama athletics director Greg Byrne said in a statement. "He is one of the young, bright talents in college baseball and has done an excellent job leading Maryland’s program. The success on the field speaks for itself, but even more impactful were the conversations with those who have played for Rob."
Vaughn takes over a Crimson Tide team that saw its head coach Brad Bohannon fired in early May after he was found to have been on the phone with a man in Cincinnati who placed large wagers on Alabama to lose to LSU on April 28.
Pitching coach Jason Jackson was named the interim head coach and led the Crimson Tide to a 13-6 finish that ended with two losses to No. 1 Wake Forest in the NCAA Tournament's Winston-Salem Super Regional. Alabama (43-21) played host to its first NCAA regional since 2006.
Jackson has been retained on staff and promoted to associate head coach while remaining as the pitching coach.
“I could not be prouder of the job Coach Jackson did in serving as our interim head coach for the final six weeks of the season,” Byrne said in a statement. “He was incredible at managing a tough situation and ultimately leading this team somewhere it had not been in quite some time. He has great relationships with our team, the department, our fans and beyond, and we are thrilled to keep JJ here in Tuscaloosa and elevate him to associate head coach.”
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Vaughn is fresh off two seasons as the Big Ten Coach of the Year. He's led the Terrapins for the past six seasons.
Among his highlights during his time in Maryland, he helped it win the Big Ten title in 2022 as well as winning the Big Ten Tournament in 2023. Both were program firsts.
“I could not be more excited to join the Alabama Crimson Tide,” Vaughn said in a statement. “The culture, the people and the program speak for themselves. Watching the team from afar, I could tell just how special it is, and I cannot wait to get started and help get this group get back to Omaha. The fact that Coach Jackson will be here by my side makes me even more excited because he’s done such an incredible job and will be a big part of what we do going forward.”
Vaughn won 42 or more games each of the past two seasons. In 2021, Maryland finished second in the Big Ten.
Overall, Vaughn went 183-117 over six seasons with the Terrapins. The past two, he's gone 93-35. That has included eight NCAA Tournament games. Before Vaughn arrived, Maryland had won only one NCAA Tournament game in program history.
Prior to his time becoming the head coach of the Terrapins, Vaughn served as an assistant coach in the program from 2013-17.
Vaughn's other coaching experience includes Kansas State from 2011-12 when he worked as a volunteer assistant coach.
Vaughn played for the Wildcats as a catcher from 2006-2009. After that, he spent time playing professional from 2009-10 for teams such as the Bristol White Sox, Kannapolis Intimidators and the Great Falls Voyagers.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Rob Vaughn: Alabama baseball hires Maryland coach
