December 16, 2008

Kendall Rogers
Rivals.com College Baseball Editor

There are many coaches who could excel at the highest level in college baseball. San Francisco's Nino Giarratano has accomplished a great deal with limited resources, while Pepperdine's Steve Rodriguez could be a hot commodity if a bigger job in Southern California becomes available. Then there's a coach such as Memphis' Daron Schoenrock, who has transformed that program into one to watch in the future.

We're not suggesting any coach will leave his current program but are taking an inside look at which coaches we believe would excel at a bigger program.

Who made our list of 10 coaches who could get a bigger job and succeed?


Nino Giarratano (San Francisco)

The Dons had a chance to make an NCAA regional last season before getting swept by Dallas Baptist to finish the regular season. The Dons certainly were disappointed with missing the postseason, but the silver lining is that coach Giarratano actually has turned this program into a postseason contender. Giarratano has been at USF for 10 seasons and has guided the program to new heights despite facing a plethora of obstacles. With Giarratano's coaching qualities and his ability to relate to players, coaches and administrators alike, he easily could end up at a bigger program in the near future.

Steve Rodriguez (Pepperdine)

Rodriguez helped the Waves win the 1992 national title as a player and is a native son, so it probably would take a load of money to get him to leave Malibu. But if you're a bigger program looking for a coach in the future, he's worth remembering. Though Rodriguez hasn't guided the Waves to the College World Series, he has experienced a wealth of success with this program. In addition to being a good recruiter in the region, Rodriguez runs his program with class and is one of the nation's bright young coaches. Rodriguez knows what it takes to build a winner the right way.

Rob Walton (Oral Roberts)

If you're a bigger program in the Midwest or Heartland regions, Walton should be your No. 1 guy. Though Walton may have little interest leaving ORU after just four seasons, his interest certainly is worth gauging. Walton has guided the Golden Eagles to a super regional appearance and has put together a great resume in his four seasons at the school. Walton recently was head coach for Team USA this past summer, when he guided the team to a perfect 24-0 mark. Walton is one of the nation's best teachers and his success at ORU speaks volumes for what he could accomplish at a bigger program.

Rex Peters (UC Davis)

Peters could be perfectly happy at UC Davis, but if a bigger program in the state of California must look for a new coach anytime soon, he would be one of the best candidates to pursue. After guiding the Aggies to their first Division II postseason appearance in 12 seasons in 2003, Peters once again made history last season by guiding the Aggies to a 35-24 overall record and an NCAA regional berth in their first official season in the Big West. Peters has Cal State Fullerton roots and tends to get the most out of his teams. It'll be interesting to see if a bigger program pursues him in the near future.

Scott Stricklin (Kent State)

A trait of a good coach is his ability to help the program bounce back from a slow start and put together an impressive campaign. Stricklin accomplished that goal last season. After starting conference play with a 0-5 record last season, the Flashes managed to finish the regular season with a conference record of 16-8. They also finished the season with an overall record of 36-21. In addition to being a quality coach, Stricklin has experience in different parts of the country, which included coaching stops at Georgia Tech and Vanderbilt. Stricklin has a good gig at Kent State, but a better job soon could come open.

Tom Walter (New Orleans)

When Walter arrived in the Big Easy, turning New Orleans into a consistent postseason contender seemed like a pipe dream. Four seasons later, however, the Privateers actually are focused on finally making a trip to the College World Series. Walter has experienced success at each stop and has worked wonders at UNO. He also has coached in different parts of the country, so his resume includes regional diversity. Walter's coaching peers have high praise for him and believe he'd be great at a bigger school. Though Walter maintains his loyalty to UNO, a bigger job likely will be available soon.

Sherman Corbett (Texas-San Antonio)

An important sign of a good coach is his ability to take a program that has experienced very little success and transform it into a consistent postseason contender. Corbett certainly has accomplished that goal at UTSA. UTSA has captured two consecutive Southland Conference regular-season crowns and also recorded more than 35 victories the last three seasons. After failing to record 30 wins in four of his first five seasons with the program, what Corbett has accomplished the last three seasons simply is amazing. I'd be very interested to see what Corbett could accomplish at a bigger program.

Ed Servais (Creighton)

When it comes to coaches exceeding expectations, Servais is one of the first names to come to mind. The Bluejays have a less than stellar facility and must find ways to establish consistency with Big 12 power Nebraska not too far down the interstate. Additionally, the Bluejays must also go toe-to-toe with MVC power Wichita State, which also attracts some of the region's best recruits. In his six seasons with the program, Servais has established consistency and made the Bluejays a consistent postseason contender. If he can accomplish those goals at Creighton, I'm interested to see what he could do elsewhere.

Daron Schoenrock (Memphis)

When Schoenrock was hired at Memphis, observers literally laughed at the thought of the Tigers reaching an NCAA regional in the near future. The new coach, however, believed his program could find a way to turn the corner. Though it hasn't always been pretty, Schoenrock really has done a great job of making Memphis a respectable program. In addition to guiding the program to an NCAA regional berth in 2007, Schoenrock recently spearheaded a fundraising campaign that essentially gives his program a new stadium. Schoenrock is a visionary who could help all programs.

Mike Kennedy (Elon)

Kennedy probably is content with being Elon's coach, but it certainly would be interesting to see what he could accomplish at a bigger in-state program. Kennedy has been at Elon for 12 seasons and carried the program to new heights, recently guiding the Phoenix to an impressive overall record of 44-18 last season. Elon has become a household name in college baseball because of Kennedy. Given that he played at Elon, Kennedy probably is happy with his current position at the institution. But the question remains, would a bigger program be able to lure him away from his alma mater?

Kendall Rogers is the college baseball editor for Rivals.com and Yahoo! Sports. He can be reached at rogersk@yahoo-inc.com.