'It's time for us to knock down the gates of Omaha': Rob Vaughn excited to get started at Alabama

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The University of Alabama introduced Rob Vaughn as its new baseball head coach on Tuesday afternoon. Crimson Tide director of athletics Greg Byrne announced the hire on Monday, and Vaughn made his first appearance in an introductory press conference.

Standing behind a lectern at the Mal M. Moore Athletic Facility, Vaughn shared his excitement.

“I don’t need to sell Alabama, I don’t,” Vaughn said. “We as a staff are gonna tell you, ‘This is who we are. This is what we care about. This is how we’re gonna coach you. This is how we’re gonna make you the best version of who you can be. And from there, I believe in what’s called the law of attraction – like-minded people are drawn to like-minded people.

“I’m excited to get started. I’m excited to roll our sleeves up and work. Because the beauty of this thing is that cupboard is not bare, I can tell you that. There’s some really talented players on this roster. There’s some really talented players coming in. And I’m just excited to get to know them, I’m excited to come alongside them and I’m excited to put a staff together that’s gonna coach them to be the best version of who they can be.

“I’m very, very excited to be here. My wife is thrilled to be here. Wyatt is more stoked than anybody. We’re excited as a family to make Tuscaloosa home, and I think that’s one thing that we’re really excited about. This program has laid the foundation. Now, it’s time for us to knock down the gates of Omaha, and we’re gonna do this real soon.”

Vaughn spent the past 11 years at Maryland, including the last six as the Terrapins’ head coach where he led their baseball program to a 183-117 (.610) overall record and 84-54 (.609) mark in conference play. He was named the Terps’ head coach in 2017 after serving as associate head coach, and Vaughn, 35, helped turn the Maryland program around. Part of the Terps’ staff for the three winningest seasons in school history, including Maryland’s only four 40-win seasons, Vaughn was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year each of the last two years.

The 2023 season was one for the record books as Maryland claimed its second consecutive Big Ten regular-season title and third straight NCAA Regional appearance. Vaughn led the team to the 40-win mark for the fourth time in program history, recording 42 victories and 17 wins in Big Ten play. The Terps were one of the most prolific offenses in the nation, setting program records in runs (578), hits (684), walks (385) and RBIs (552) in the 2023 campaign.

Vaughn on his ‘pack’ hitting philosophy

Before his stint at Maryland, Vaughn spent the 2011-12 seasons as a volunteer assistant coach at Kansas State – his alma mater – where he coached catchers and hitters and was in charge of base-running instruction. A native of Humble, Texas, Vaughn began his coaching career in 2010 after spending two seasons as a player in the Chicago White Sox organization.

While speaking to reporters Tuesday, Vaughn explained his “pack” hitting philosophy, which he credited Louisiana coach Matt Deggs, who was at Texas A&M at the time, with creating.

“Every wolf in the pack has its job, and it’s no different than our offense,” Vaughn said. “When you look at it, every hitter is built different. Jimmy Jarvis isn’t the same as Tommy Seidl. They’re not built the same, they have different skillsets, and for us to coach them the same, doesn’t make any sense. So we’re gonna find out what do you do well? How can we help you grow that? Because we don’t need 15 of the same guys. We need different pieces of the puzzle. 

“If you’re gonna go beat a guy like (LSU pitcher) Paul Skenes on a Friday night, you better have different ways to beat him other than line up and go hit, hit, hit, hit, hit. And I think that’s what the pack mentality has kind of us done for us offensively over the last 11 years at Maryland. It’s allowed us to kind of slay some giants in that situation from just being able to just do it together. 

“That’s really what’s it all about – how can we emphasize what you do really well, and how can we understand what this is all about? It’s not me going 3-for-3. It’s us finding a way to score 5-6 runs and take down a Friday night guy. I think it’s fun. Guys like being a part of it. It gives them an identity. We help them understand this is who you are, this is what we expect from you and this is what you need to be good at. It’s not all the same, and that’s OK. 

“… It’s how wolves hunt. Lone wolves don’t survive. That’s just the reality. A lone wolf in the wild, it sounds cool, but they don’t survive. They hunt in packs, and they do it for a reason because you have a buffalo walking around. One grabs one leg, one grabs the other, one jumps on its back and the final one jumps on his throat and takes him down. That’s how we have to compete on Friday nights, especially in this league.”

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