Last season was a disappointment but for the most part, the fanbase is happy with Stoops. He has won 10 games in a season twice within a 5 year span, which accounts for half of the 10-win seasons in Kentucky history. He's also gotten the administration to invest in facilities heavily-the stadium was renovated within the past 10 years and is gorgeous (I enjoy going to games there more than I do Rupp), a new weightlifting facility, and the indoor practice field is about to be a full-length field without having to share it with the track team come August.
He's made mistakes along the way. Last season went off the rails because of an OC hire that didn't work as well as failed recruiting and development for the OL( granted, that had more to do with having an OL coach die mid-season in 2020 from a terminal cancer diagnosis and his replacement leaving after 1 season, but they still missed on transfer targets), but he's safely gotten Kentucky to a place where 7 wins is a minimum expectation. The question is can he elevate the program going to Atlanta or a NY6 bowl. I think he can.
Mingione saved his tenure at the end of 2022 by making it to the semis in Hoover as a 12 seed and then making it to the Super Regionals this year. Year 1 with Mingione they made the Super Regional for the first time in program history in 2017, but missed the tournament every year until 2023.ThatGuy wrote: ↑July 14 23, 8:54 amYeah, and not gonna get any easier when Oklahoma and Texas join the conference. I was wondering if the run to the Super Regionals this year might create some momentum for the program, but maybe not.
Tennessee's program didn't even get to the postseason from 2005 to (I think) 2018—they were out in the wilderness. They got there in Vitello's second year and have now been to the CWS two of the past three years. I've seen what a difference the right coach can make, so I feel like Kentucky could do better with a dynamic hire.
I think Kentucky can be a consistent tournament team given that the athletic department is one of the top 20 revenue-generating departments in the country and Kentucky has good baseball facilities (the stadium is less than 5 years old), but it's still going to be hard to a serious threat for Omaha.
The relationship has certainly gone through rough patches recently, but I don't think he'll ever be fired. He's done so much for the program, university, and state that they'll give him the dignity to leave on his own terms (or be heavily encouraged to retire because boosters want him gone) unless he does something stupid.
