New Softball Head Coach

[Y.A.G Si Ye Nots]

Marshall has just signed Megan Smith, Kansas' head softball coach, to lead the Lady Herd. Reasonable thinking tells us that Conference USA schools don't steal head coaches from Big 12 schools, so I am sure there is more to this story.

Smith started off leading the Jayhawks to some very competitive years in the Big 12, but they haven't had a winning conference record over the last five seasons. They went 2-16 in the Big 12 this year and 3-14 the previous year.

In her original contract in 2010, she was making $90,000/year. In 2011 or 2012, she was given a four year extension.

 

[wvkeeper(HN)]

This stinks of Kevin Stallings being hired at Pitt before getting fired at Vanderbilt.

 

[W-S HerdFan]

Hey - this is ludicrous! Give her a chance to show us what she can do. Sheesh - the last one didn’t have a resume’ / this one has a big resume’ but not up to your sniff test? She is only the 4th coach in program history. So we whiffed last time up....doesn’t mean we won’t slap a double down the line next at-bat! + imo MU has grown their infrastructure and academic creds quite a bit the last 5 years. EZ champ - just a friendly jab...

 

[bbneutralfan]

Agree W-S give the coach a chance. At least coming to us by way of a “bigger” program.

 

[goherdorgohome2]

What’s softball?

 

[TwolfHerdfan]

I’d say it has to do with her being closer to family in NC and wanting a fresh start. He husband died of cancer in 2011 and they have a 10 year old son. Sometimes a fresh start helps on all fronts.
Sounds like a much better hire than the previous coach. Best wishes to her.

 

[Y.A.G Si Ye Nots]

Hey - this is ludicrous! Give her a chance to show us what she can do.
.

It's not that people aren't giving her a chance. It's simply being realistic about why a Big 12 head coach - one who has had two really, really bad conference years in a row - would leave to be the head coach at Marshall.

 

[W-S HerdFan]

It's not that people aren't giving her a chance. It's simply being realistic about why a Big 12 head coach - one who has had two really, really bad conference years in a row - would leave to be the head coach at Marshall.

Oh, I don’t know Yags......you “realistic” fans have your safe zone - if you end up (3-4 seasons from now) being right, you tell anyone who will listen what a sage you are; you knew all along it wouldn’t go well. If Coach Smith & the Herd surprise, you scratch your head & chalk it up to some fluke!
Maybe she got tired of Kansas getting clobbered by all those talented Big XII teams. Maybe she wants a different situation for her family. She has a ton of HC experience! + she’s a Carolina grad - tough school to get into around these parts.
She won @ WCU & a lot of FCS experience.
Let’s let her move to the River City before we write the obit....

 

[Y.A.G Si Ye Nots]

Oh, I don’t know Yags......you “realistic” fans have your safe zone - if you end up (3-4 seasons from now) being right, you tell anyone who will listen what a sage you are; you knew all along it wouldn’t go well. If Coach Smith & the Herd surprise, you scratch your head & chalk it up to some fluke!
Maybe she got tired of Kansas getting clobbered by all those talented Big XII teams. Maybe she wants a different situation for her family. She has a ton of HC experience! + she’s a Carolina grad - tough school to get into around these parts.
She won @ WCU & a lot of FCS experience.
Let’s let her move to the River City before we write the obit....

You may want to work on your reading comprehension. There has been no hint in this thread about her not being able to win at Marshall. There has been no hint that her winning at Marshall would be a fluke. I simply made a comment - before the delusionals entered the thread - that it isn't likely that we stole a Big 12 head coach away. There were clearly other dynamics at play, most likely having to do with her going 2-16 and 3-14 in the conference the last two years.

 

[Tim Hensley]

Smith was good friends with the KU athletic director, who was fired. She wanted a fresh start. Don't know what happened to the one that replaced Staton; I heard we had four players transfer out. This one is a good move on MH's part.

 

[imherdfan]

Smith was good friends with the KU athletic director, who was fired. She wanted a fresh start. Don't know what happened to the one that replaced Staton; I heard we had four players transfer out. This one is a good move on MH's part.

From what I understand, she never did like Huntington and her partner wouldn’t move here. She just was not a good fit at Marshall.

 

[TwolfHerdfan]

From what I understand, she never did like Huntington and her partner wouldn’t move here. She just was not a good fit at Marshall.

The AD should have vetted that hire better. Good luck to Coach Smith

 

[Herd In the Plains]

I don't care how and why we were able to hire Coach Smith. She has had a few rough years, but her career has many successful years. Hopefully she gets back to that success at MU.