Ponders Departure For Second Time In Four Seasons…
Pat Casey
Long time Oregon State baseball coach Pat Casey may leave the diamond to accept an administrative position at the university. He has taken the program to unprecedented heights, with national championships in 2006 and 2007, in his 17 seasons in the position.
Casey told The Oregonian Newspaper “There have been conversations. I can’t tell you that’s something that I haven’t been thinking about.”
Casey, 52, has a record of 578-356-4 in his tenure, making him the second-winningest coach in the history of the program. He is 35 wins shy of tying Jack Riley for the all-time record of 613.
After winning his first national championship in 2006, Casey was courted heavily by Notre Dame to take over its program. The Fighting Irish had a vacancy to fill after Paul Mainieri left for LSU.
Oregon came calling a year later after Casey’s Beavers won the 2007 national crown. The Ducks eventually hired George Horton from Cal State Fullerton as the school began playing baseball in the 2009 season.
Casey is currently in the middle of a 10-year contract that runs through 2016. He also considering moving to an administrative position after a 2008 season that saw OSU miss the NCAA Tournament. He has led the Beavers to NCAA bids in each of the last three seasons, including a 41-19 mark in 2011 that saw OSU fall to Vanderbilt in Super Regional play.
According to The Oregonian, a decision on Casey’s future is expected in the next few weeks. He met with OSU athletic director Bob De Carolis on Wednesday (July 20).