(03-13-2020 06:05 PM)Hart Foundation Wrote:  Don’t spend more money on the baseball program when basketball needs all the investment right now.
There is almost no revenue from baseball and no exposure until the CWS.

Basketball can produce millions in revenue per year with the right coach.
Basketball can bring alumni and donors back to campus. More money more engagement.
Basketball can be the front porch of JMU with many opportunities to get on national TV each year.

Now if JMU signs a major basketball coach and still has some financial scraps left over to hire a new baseball coach after that, go for it. Not before, maybe after.

This coming from a baseball fan.

I agree MBB comes first, but we’re not talking about a ton of new money with baseball. Spanky was only making around $89k. Not sure what Ike’s salary is as HC, but assume it’s in the very low six figure range. JMU just needs a change to reset expectations, such as the change of HC made in softball. The old softball coach wasn’t getting it done. Enter Mickey Dean and the rest is history.

Like I said Longhorn, bring in an established coach with a great track record, then I am fine with the change. This years out of conference schedule was set up for wins. Ike’s future would have been decided with the conference schedule. Without playing it, hard to judge the coach this year. Obvious the administration does not have 100% confidence in Ike or he would have been extended already.

(03-14-2020 07:57 AM)JMUNation Wrote:  Like I said Longhorn, bring in an established coach with a great track record, then I am fine with the change. This years out of conference schedule was set up for wins. Ike’s future would have been decided with the conference schedule. Without playing it, hard to judge the coach this year. Obvious the administration does not have 100% confidence in Ike or he would have been extended already.

Time will tell. I’ve not got much confidence in JMU when it comes to hiring or holding baseball HCs accountable right now, but I’ve said my piece. It’s sad, and rather like MBB, because I truly believe JMU baseball (like MBB) is a sleeping giant.

(03-13-2020 07:21 PM)Longhorn Wrote:  Spanky was only making around $89k. Not sure what Ike’s salary is as HC, but assume it’s in the very low six figure range. JMU just needs a change to reset expectations, such as the change of HC made in softball. The old softball coach wasn’t getting it done. Enter Mickey Dean and the rest is history.

104.8K
https://www.breezejmu.org/salary_database/

(03-14-2020 01:11 PM)Deez Nuts Wrote:  

(03-13-2020 07:21 PM)Longhorn Wrote:  Spanky was only making around $89k. Not sure what Ike’s salary is as HC, but assume it’s in the very low six figure range. JMU just needs a change to reset expectations, such as the change of HC made in softball. The old softball coach wasn’t getting it done. Enter Mickey Dean and the rest is history.

104.8K
https://www.breezejmu.org/salary_database/

Thanks. Sounds right. Might be a bit more now if he received annual raises since his original hiring.

Edit: this online list of salary info is current

From D1 Baseball ...

2020 Conference Wrap: Colonial Athletic Association
Aaron Fitt - May 14, 2020


It’s still hard to believe the 2020 college baseball season is over after just four weeks of play. Most conferences didn’t even reach league play before the coronavirus halted the season, so it would be pointless to give out any legitimate awards or draw any sweeping conclusions from our meager sample size. With that in mind, we won’t be releasing a 2020 All-America team or naming a national Player of the Year or Freshman of the Year.


BEST TEAM
UNC Wilmington

College of Charleston (12-2) and Northeastern (10-5 with a nice road series win over Florida Atlantic) also got off to strong starts and notched some quality wins, and both appeared to be worthy contenders for the CAA title. But we’re going to stick with our preseason pick to win the league: UNC Wilmington, which got off to a good 11-5 start that was highlighted by a road sweep of Kentucky. The Wildcats weren’t exactly the class of the SEC, but they do have talent, and sweeping any SEC team on the road stands out. The Seahawks followed it up by stubbing their toes with a home series loss to Memphis, but they rebounded with a quality midweek win against East Carolina in their final game of the season.

I thought in the preseason that UNCW had the rotation arms to win a regional, and two of those starters — Landen Roupp (3-1, 2.00 with a league-best 30 strikeouts against seven walks in 27 IP) and Zarion Sharpe (2-1, 2.18) were off to very encouraging starts, while veteran Luke Gesell (3-0, 4.71) is a proven workhorse. The Seahawks had the best and deepest pitching staff in the CAA, as well as a nice core of quality veteran hitters like Cole Weiss (.305/.397/.441), Noah Bridges (.290/.371/.387, 8 SB) and Jackson Meadows. This team’s ceiling would ultimately be determined by how its talented young position players (like Trevor Marsh, Brooks Baldwin, Jac Croom, Matt Suggs and Ron Evans) developed. The early indications were certainly positive. As first-year head coach Randy Hood said in our UNCW Fall Report:

“So we’ve got some pieces and got some depth, got some left/right type matchups. It’s just a matter of plugging in the right guys and finding the right mix as we go. I like our team. They’ve been loose all fall, they’ve done what we’ve asked them to, and hopefully, they’ll keep getting better.”


MOST SURPRISING TEAM
College of Charleston

We expected 2020 to be a transition year for the very young Cougars, and we picked them to finish sixth in our CAA preview, writing: The Cougars must replace a host of departed mainstays from last year’s second-place club, leaving just three returning players who logged more than 100 at-bats last year, and none who registered 160 at-bats.

So coach Chad Holbrook’s club caught our eye by racing out to a 12-2 start, highlighted by an 11-2 midweek blowout of Clemson on the road. The Cougars had yet to prove themselves against high-caliber weekend competition, but they certainly made a nice early impression. Offensively, CofC got the big bounceback it needed from senior first baseman Ari Sechopoulos (.360/.475/.680, 20 RBI) and a big step forward from fellow senior Harrison Hawkins (.333/.365/.483) in his second year in the program. Spark plug freshman shortstop Trotter Harlan (.321/.390/.491) has the look of a future star — Holbrook thinks he has a chance to be a special player over the next few years. And physical outfielder Donald Hansis (.289/.358/.667, 5 HR, 14 RBI) ranked as the most impactful junior-college transfer in the CAA, helping Charleston’s new-look lineup hit the ground running.

But the Cougars were even better on the mound, ranking seventh in the nation with a 2.13 staff ERA. Seniors Jordan Carr (1-0, 3.60, 24-8 K-BB in 25 IP) plus freshmen Caswell Smith (3-0, 1.45) and CJ Czerwinski (3.38 ERA in 13.1 IP) formed a strong weekend rotation, and the Cougars got contributions from a host of different arms in the bullpen — eight different pitchers on the staff posted 0.00 ERAs in at least one inning of work, led by Zach Williams (1-0, 0.00 in seven appearances over 11 IP).

MOST IMPRESSIVE HITTER
Austin Gauthier, Hofstra

This one is a slam dunk. Gauthier was a force of nature in the 14 games he played, leading all CAA hitters in batting (.411), OBP (.515), slugging (.714), and of course OPS (1.229). He hit six doubles and three home runs — exceeding his entire 2019 season total (two homers in 171 at-bats). Gauthier was an everyday player as a freshman in 2018 and as a sophomore last year, but he made a gradual step forward, improving his OPS from .618 in ’18 to .747 in ’19. He made another quantum leap as a junior, learning into some of the sneaky pop he had flashed at times earlier in his career. The best athlete on the Hofstra roster, Gauthier stands out for his range and arm strength at shortstop, and he’s a smart baserunner. As the Pride’s shortstop and leadoff man, Gauthier was the engine that made the offense go and also the glue of the defense.

MOST IMPRESSIVE PITCHER
Justin Showalter, James Madison

After posting a 7.24 ERA in nine relief appearances as a freshman in 2018, Showalter took a nice step forward as a sophomore in 2019, posting a 3.72 ERA in 36.1 innings over 10 appearances (nine starts). The Dukes predicted a big breakout junior year for him, saying in the preseason that his “upside is through the roof.” A physical 6-foot-4 right-hander with a 90-93 fastball, a legit slider and putaway changeup, Showalter simply needed to put the pieces all together. And that’s exactly what he did this spring, going 4-0, 0.68 in five appearances (four starts). His high walk rate held him back in 2019, but this spring he pounded the zone, posting a 21-4 K-BB mark in 26.2 IP, while also holding opponents to a .144 average.

BEST SENIOR
Brandon Raquet, William & Mary

Raquet has been a key bat in the Tribe lineup for four years, posting a .939 OPS as a freshman and then bouncing back from a sophomore slump to post a .933 OPS as a junior. But he was off to a torrid start to his senior year, hitting .328/.453/.705 for a 1.158 OPS that ranked second in the CAA. In just 61 at-bats, he smacked four homers, four triples and three doubles while driving in 11. A strong, compact 5-foot-10, 190-pound corner outfielder, Raquet’s power bat is his calling card, but he also runs well. Raquet has one of the best long-term track records of any CAA hitter, and he was having his best season yet before the pandemic shut everything down.

Honorable mention to the afore-mentioned Ari Sechopoulos and Jordan Carr (both of CofC), William & Mary RHP Chris Farrell (2-0, 0.42), Northeastern RHP Kyle Murphy (2-2, 3.00), Elon LHP Dean McCarthy (2-2, 3.92), and Delaware catcher Jack Goan (.333/.355/.596).

BEST FRESHMAN
Caswell Smith, College of Charleston

Listed as the league’s No. 3 Impact Freshmen in our CAA season preview, Smith managed to exceed even those high expectations, going 3-0, 1.35 with 20 strikeouts against eight walks in 20 innings over four starts. He held opponents to a .203 batting average. The power-armed 6-foot-3 right-hander has a very bright future, but and his debut was exciting, suggesting that he has a real chance to harness his full potential as his collegiate career unfolds. Here’s what we wrote about Smith in the season preview:

CofC coach Chad Holbrook said the super-talented Smith reminds him of major leaguer Matt Harvey when he was a freshman at North Carolina; he’s an excellent athlete with a clean arm action that can produce 92-95 heat with good sink. Holbrook thinks he has a chance to develop into the first Cougar to be drafted in the first round by the time his collegiate career is done.

Each of the top four players on our preseason Impact Freshmen list got off to strong starts. Honorable mention goes to the No. 1 player on that list, Northeastern RHP Sebastian Keane (3-1, 4.50, 24-6 K-BB in 20 IP); No. 2 Chase DeLauter of James Madison (.382/.455/.559); and No. 4 Trotter Harlan of Charleston (.321/.390/.491). Delaware third baseman Joey Loynd didn’t make the preseason list but also deserves honorable mention after hitting .342/.479/.605 with two homers in 38 at-bats.

BREAKOUT HITTER
Jared Dupere, Northeastern

Dupere got his feet with 90 at-bats as a freshman in 2019 and struggled mightily, hitting .156/.222/.311 with four homers. But the coaching staff predicted big things for him as a sophomore, telling us in the preseason that Dupere has “plus speed and power. Has a very good arm and can defend well. Contact needs to improve but he has all of the tools. Looking for a big jump from him this season.”

Dupere, an exciting lefthanded-hitting center fielder, did indeed make a big jump in 2020, hitting .359/.394/.578 with six doubles, two homers and 13 RBIs in 64 at-bats, playing a key role in Northeastern’s strong start, which included a road series sweep of South Florida and a road series win of Florida Atlantic. He still has room to improve his offensive approach, as he still struck out 23 times against five walks in 15 games, but he clearly improved the quality of his contact and showed why the Huskies are so excited about his future. Look for another step forward in 2021.

BREAKOUT PITCHER
Sam Jacobsak, Northeastern

A talented 6-foot-5, 200-pound junior right-hander, Jacobsak struggled with his control over his first two seasons in the Northeastern bullpen, walking 17 batters in 17 innings as a freshman (when he posted a 6.35 ERA), then walking 17 in 32 innings as a sophomore (5.34 ERA). But this spring he moved into the rotation and did a much better job pounding the strike zone, posting a 25-5 K-BB mark in 24.2 innings, which helped him go 2-1, 3.65. He also held opponents to a .207 batting average. Once again, the Northeastern coaching staff saw this emergence coming, telling us in the preseason that Jacobsak had made a jump physically and with the quality of his stuff. His fastball climbed into the 90-92 range and bumped 93, and his slider became a wipeout pitch, giving him draft potential in 2020. But the draft getting shortened to five rounds means there’s a good chance Jacobsak will be back in 2021 with a chance to really establish himself as a top-10-rounds prospect.

Thanks for sharing this, geewizNU. Our Showalter was in process of what could have been an incredible season. Obviously unfortunate to see things end so abruptly, especially for him.

Zoom Happy Hour with JMU Coach Ikenberry next Thursday. Preregister below.

https://jmudukeclub.com/sb_output.aspx?form=159

(03-13-2020 07:24 AM)Wear Purple Wrote:  

(03-13-2020 07:21 AM)Deez Nuts Wrote:  What was coach's contract terms? Was this his final contract year?

Awkward year for spring coaches contracts and performance.

That’s a good question. I think this was/is Year 5 of 5 for Ike. I’m guessing we extend him for 1 more year.

Greg Madia reporting Coach Ike has received a one-year contract extension through the 2021 season per AD Kevin Warner.

That is the worst thing you can do to a coach, players and the program. If JMU doesn’t have confidence enough to extend him now, then let him go. A one year extension puts too much added pressure on the players and coaches to perform. The games have enough pressure already. The one year extension hurts recruiting for the next year too.

This is not a smart move by JMU. One year extensions historically don’t produce positive results for either the school or coaches.

(06-08-2020 10:07 AM)JMUNation Wrote:  That is the worst thing you can do to a coach, players and the program. If JMU doesn’t have confidence enough to extend him now, then let him go. A one year extension puts too much added pressure on the players and coaches to perform. The games have enough pressure already. The one year extension hurts recruiting for the next year too.

This is not a smart move by JMU. One year extensions historically don’t produce positive results for either the school or coaches.

Under normal circumstances, I would agree with you 100%. But, this isn't normal circumstances. That is, the 2020 season was essentially taken away. If the administration was/is going to give him a 5th year of his 5-year contract which is what he/they did, then it makes sense to me to extend 1 year. Having said all that and for full disclosure, I didn't think Ike had done anything remotely close to warrant his final year of his 5-year deal (just like Lou Rowe situation) so I was never big on him coaching another season in 2020...though, it wasn't a surprise to me he/they gave him his last year.

Just one idiot's opinion of course...

(06-08-2020 11:51 AM)Wear Purple Wrote:  

(06-08-2020 10:07 AM)JMUNation Wrote:  That is the worst thing you can do to a coach, players and the program. If JMU doesn’t have confidence enough to extend him now, then let him go. A one year extension puts too much added pressure on the players and coaches to perform. The games have enough pressure already. The one year extension hurts recruiting for the next year too.

This is not a smart move by JMU. One year extensions historically don’t produce positive results for either the school or coaches.

Under normal circumstances, I would agree with you 100%. But, this isn't normal circumstances. That is, the 2020 season was essentially taken away. If the administration was/is going to give him a 5th year of his 5-year contract which is what he/they did, then it makes sense to me to extend 1 year. Having said all that and for full disclosure, I didn't think Ike had done anything remotely close to warrant his final year of his 5-year deal (just like Lou Rowe situation) so I was never big on him coaching another season in 2020...though, it wasn't a surprise to me he/they gave him his last year.

Just one idiot's opinion of course...

We all knew it was going to happen, still kinda hurts seeing it though. I just don't know what good can come out of it. Either he keeps his trend of losing and you set the program back more with losing seasons and lame duck recruiting, or he somehow lucks into some wins and you have to give a guy more years that will continue to drive the program to the ground. I think many don't understand how bad we've been vs how good we should be. This is like if football went 6-5 and missed fcs playoffs bad.

(06-08-2020 10:07 AM)JMUNation Wrote:  That is the worst thing you can do to a coach, players and the program. If JMU doesn’t have confidence enough to extend him now, then let him go. A one year extension puts too much added pressure on the players and coaches to perform. The games have enough pressure already. The one year extension hurts recruiting for the next year too.

This is not a smart move by JMU. One year extensions historically don’t produce positive results for either the school or coaches.

I tend to a agree with you. I understand the special circumstances and that dismissing a HC after a truncated season due to the virus might seem harsh, even a bit cold-hearted, however, it’s got to be all about the program and not an individual. Extending the coach by one-year actually hurts the program.

I have been one of the more critical ones about Ike, but I have to say I agree with this. There were signs that the program was improving this season but never got the chance to prove it. They could have lost the last half of the season. Who knows. I am usually against one year extensions, but at least this one makes sense to me.
I definitely do not believe he deserved a two year extension based on the overall results of the team. At the same time he didn't deserve to be released for reasons I already mentioned.
As others mentioned, this is a really weird scenario and any other year I probably would have absolutely hated this decision.
I think it also proves that the admin certainly wasn't convinced he had finally turned the program around. Give him his chance next year and either extend him or release him in 2021.

(06-08-2020 12:07 PM)JMU08 Wrote:  We all knew it was going to happen, still kinda hurts seeing it though. I just don't know what good can come out of it. Either he keeps his trend of losing and you set the program back more with losing seasons and lame duck recruiting, or he somehow lucks into some wins and you have to give a guy more years that will continue to drive the program to the ground. I think many don't understand how bad we've been vs how good we should be. This is like if football went 6-5 and missed fcs playoffs bad.

This is it in a nutshell.

Extending by a year doesn't help recruiting, and only prolongs the mediocrity. And let's be honest, based on past performance, Ike definitely did not deserve to be extended.

(06-08-2020 03:29 PM)Longhorn Wrote:  

(06-08-2020 12:07 PM)JMU08 Wrote:  We all knew it was going to happen, still kinda hurts seeing it though. I just don't know what good can come out of it. Either he keeps his trend of losing and you set the program back more with losing seasons and lame duck recruiting, or he somehow lucks into some wins and you have to give a guy more years that will continue to drive the program to the ground. I think many don't understand how bad we've been vs how good we should be. This is like if football went 6-5 and missed fcs playoffs bad.

This is it in a nutshell.

Extending by a year doesn't help recruiting, and only prolongs the mediocrity. And let's be honest, based on past performance, Ike definitely did not deserve to be extended.

I think you are over-stating the recruiting aspect. It is a big deal in football, men's bball, and women's bball to have a lameduck coach.

IMO it is not that big of a deal in any of the other sports. And by the way I thought Ike had a pretty decent recruiting year this year in the last year of his contact.

I also this the baseball team was going to make the CAA tournament with a top 4 conference record. All signs pointing toward a pretty good season.....but you never know now.

This program is sooo much better than what he inherited from Spanky.

JMU has managed the baseball program very poorly

It takes many bad decisions to achieve the failures we have witnessed for the last two decades.

(06-08-2020 04:23 PM)ShadyP Wrote:  

(06-08-2020 03:29 PM)Longhorn Wrote:  

(06-08-2020 12:07 PM)JMU08 Wrote:  We all knew it was going to happen, still kinda hurts seeing it though. I just don't know what good can come out of it. Either he keeps his trend of losing and you set the program back more with losing seasons and lame duck recruiting, or he somehow lucks into some wins and you have to give a guy more years that will continue to drive the program to the ground. I think many don't understand how bad we've been vs how good we should be. This is like if football went 6-5 and missed fcs playoffs bad.

This is it in a nutshell.

Extending by a year doesn't help recruiting, and only prolongs the mediocrity. And let's be honest, based on past performance, Ike definitely did not deserve to be extended.

I think you are over-stating the recruiting aspect. It is a big deal in football, men's bball, and women's bball to have a lameduck coach.

IMO it is not that big of a deal in any of the other sports. And by the way I thought Ike had a pretty decent recruiting year this year in the last year of his contact.

I also this the baseball team was going to make the CAA tournament with a top 4 conference record. All signs pointing toward a pretty good season.....but you never know now.

This program is sooo much better than what he inherited from Spanky.

Disagree about the importance of the stability of a HC’s tenure in the recruiting process regardless of the sport in question. Extending a one and possibly done contract makes effective recruiting darn near impossible, and the instability and uncertainty over Ike’s continuance will be used against JMU by other coaches in the recruiting process. It would have been better to cut JMU’s losses and move on. I think Ike was 4 games over .500 when this season was called to a halt (10-6), and he was one game under .500 for his 4 years at JMU, missing two CAATs and never advanced to the semis or finals when his teams did make the CAAT. That’s not a record that should be rewarded. Not even close. As bad as Spanky left the program at least he put together teams that made the occasional NCAAT. Ike’s team’s were so weak we were reduced to being “happy” if JMU made the CAAT. Again, that’s not the level of play that should define expectations for any JMU varsity sport.

I personally feel the program was in better shape when Spanky took over than it was for Ike. It was in a deep crap hole for Ike. That being said, this is year four. An AD should know his coach by now and either the AD believes in him or he doesn’t. It should not take another year to figure out if he is right for the job. The virus is a cop out.

Wins and losses never tell the full story. A good AD knows when a coach has IT and when he doesn’t.

This will be year two of having a lame duck coach. That’s two recruiting classes impacted because the AD can’t make up his mind on whether or not Ike is the guy. This type of indecision is horrible for a program. It is like not being able to decide on a starting QB and choosing to go with two. It is a remedy for mediocrity. It is a bad decision.

(06-08-2020 11:07 PM)JMUNation Wrote:  I personally feel the program was in better shape when Spanky took over than it was for Ike. It was in a deep crap hole for Ike. That being said, this is year four. An AD should know his coach by now and either the AD believes in him or he doesn’t. It should not take another year to figure out if he is right for the job. The virus is a cop out.

Wins and losses never tell the full story. A good AD knows when a coach has IT and when he doesn’t.

This will be year two of having a lame duck coach. That’s two recruiting classes impacted because the AD can’t make up his mind on whether or not Ike is the guy. This type of indecision is horrible for a program. It is like not being able to decide on a starting QB and choosing to go with two. It is a remedy for mediocrity. It is a bad decision.

100% correct