June 27, 2006
Louisville, Ky. -
Former Citadel cadet-student-athlete and assistant coach Dan McDonnell, one of the top young minds in college baseball, has been named the 18th head coach of the University of Louisville baseball team.
"I am ecstatic with the calibre of coach we are bringing to the University of Louisville in Dan McDonnell. He is a high energy guy who has a vast baseball background," said University of Louisville Vice President of Athletics Tom Jurich.
"When we met him, he was the most prepared of any candidate that I have brought in on an interview in any sport. Recommendations for him came from across the country about his ability to recruit and handle student athletes. He reminds me a lot of Bobby Petrino," Jurich added.
The top assistant and recruiting coordinator for Mike Bianco at the University of Mississippi for the last six seasons, McDonnell and the Rebels have had four top-20 recruiting classes, and three groups that ranked in the top ten nationally. The first full recruiting class for the Rebels under McDonnell's direction was ranked #6 in the nation by Collegiate Baseball.
In McDonnell's 18 seasons in NCAA baseball as a player and coach, teams he has been a part of have averaged 37.6 wins per season and have advanced to a NCAA regional in 10 of those seasons, including seven of the last nine. In each of the last two seasons, Ole Miss has been one win away from advancing to the College World Series in Omaha.
His recruiting classes have produced three first team Freshman All-Americas, one second team Freshman All-America and two honorable mention Freshman All-America selections. Former Rebel OF Seth Smith was the SEC Freshman of the Year winner in 2002 and 1B/LHP Stephen Head earned the honor in 2003. Head was also selected as one of four National Freshmen of the Year by Collegiate Baseball in 2003. As the Rebels' infield coach, McDonnell has helped coach Head to All-America honors in 2003, 2004 and 2005 to become the first three-time All-American in school history. Head also earned SEC Co-Player of the Year honors in 2004 and was a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award, the most prestigious in college baseball.
In the five seasons that preceded McDonnell's arrival at Ole Miss, the team averaged just 28 wins per season and finished no higher than fifth in the SEC Western Division. In his six seasons in Oxford, the team has averaged just over 40 wins per seasons and has finished in the top three on four occasions, winning the 2006 SEC Tournament, and sharing the 2005 regular season title.
Infielders Josh Christian, Cooper Osteen, Brian Pettway, Jon Swearingen, Matt Tolbert and Head have all advanced to play professional baseball following their tutelage under McDonnell. Head and Pettway were both First Team All-America selections in 2005, while Head was joined by Smith on the US National Team that took home the silver medal in the 2003 Pan American Games.
In the 2005 MLB draft, Ole Miss was the only team in the nation with four players selected in the top 100. A total of 21 Mississippi players have been drafted over the past three seasons including six Rebels in the 2006 draft.
Before his arrival in Oxford, Mississippi, McDonnell was an assistant and recruiting coordinator at his alma mater, The Citadel for eight seasons. The Bulldogs advanced to four NCAA Regionals and won five Southern Conference titles during that span. He was the top assistant from 1995-2000.
Primarily working with the Bulldog infielders and hitters, McDonnell also worked with the baserunners, establishing a conference record for steals in a single season in 2000 with 198 in 240 attempts over 59 games. The Citadel was paced by junior outfielder Chris Morris, who lead the nation with 84 bags.
During his playing days for the Bulldogs McDonnell earned four letters, helping The Citadel to the 1990 College World Series, marking the first time a military school has made the trip to Omaha. He was a member of the All-Atlantic Regional team in Miami that same season.
As a second baseman he was named first team All-Southern Conference as a junior. He finished his career as the league's all-time leader in stolen bases with 99, a total that now places him fourth in school history. He is the school's all-time leader in walks, picking up 185 bases on balls, and is ninth in runs scored in Bulldog history with 165.
The Port Chester, N.Y.-native, McDonnell, 35, graduated from The Citadel in 1992 and later completed his master's degree in business administration in 1995. He is married to the former Julie Anne Underwood of Charlotte, N.C. The couple has two sons, Jake (8) and Justin (4).
What people are saying about Dan McDonnell:
Mike Bianco - Head Coach Ole Miss
"It's going to be a huge loss for us. He's made such an impact on our program over the last six years. No doubt recruiting wise, where every one of our recruiting classes has been ranked and certainly our program would not be at the level it is now without Dan McDonnell. The U of L baseball program just got a lot better today. He's ready, and in my opinion he was the best assistant coach in the country. I leaned on him for so much for the last six years. I have no doubt that year in, year out Louisville will compete for a championship in the BIG EAST."
John Manuel - Baseball America
"In Dan McDonnell, Louisville has hired one of the true rising stars in college baseball, a first-rate recruiter and individual who has been a winner at every step. He's not only shown he can win at the college level, but he's also shown an eye toward player development, making his players better and preparing them well for the professional ranks."
Lou Pavlovich - Editor, Collegiate Baseball
"He's a very, very dynamic coach and I know that a lot of programs were very interested in him. I think it is a real coup that the University of Louisville got him because he has really helped elevate Mississippi into the program that they are now. He's a very big reason for them to be on the brink of the College World Series the last two years. He's a great recruiter, knows all of the mechanics of the game and has brought along some really fine players that he has helped tutor and made them even better. He's really a very fine young coach."
Skip Bertman - Former head baseball coach and Director of Athletics, Louisiana State
"Dan McDonnell is a fine hire for Tom(Jurich) and the University of Louisville. He's a first class recruiter and a classy young man, whom I have watched Mike Bianco bring along in a system that can't miss, and Dan's one of those coaches who will take the system to the U of L and improve its fine tradition."
Ron Polk - Head Coach Baseball, Mississippi State
"Dan has done well at Ole miss and I think that Mike Bianco is certainly going to miss him because he was his number one recruiter. The time I've been around Dan, he has always been a pleasant guy and a very, very intense recruiter. I think it's a great hire."
Rick Pitino - Head Coach U of L Men's Basketball
"He is one of the best young recruiters in college baseball and this is a great hire for our program as he brings in some of the top baseball talent from across the country to play for the Cardinals."
