Apparently this news isn’t the “trickling” type. It’s now official that Terrapin head baseball coach Terry Rupp has resigned after nine years at the helm of the program. The University’s athletic department released this statement early in the evening:
“COLLEGE PARK, Md. – After nine years of service, Maryland head baseball coach Terry Rupp has announced his resignation, effective immediately, and a national search for his replacement is underway.
“I thank coach Rupp for his nine years of hard-working and tireless service to the University,” Associate Athletics Director for Compliance/Baseball Sport Supervisor Dan Trump said. “Terry has conducted himself in a first-class manner throughout his tenure in College Park and I have appreciated his dedication to the program.
“To his credit, he is leaving the program in a position where we expect for our current and incoming student-athletes to have the opportunity to advance to the ACC and NCAA tournaments in the very near future. We appreciate everything he has done as the Terps’ head coach and wish him the best in his future endeavors. Our national search for coach Rupp’s successor will begin immediately.”
In nine years leading the Terps, Rupp compiled a 227-271 record and 61-183 mark in Atlantic Coast Conference play.
The fifth head coach in Maryland baseball history, Rupp posted winning seasons in 2002 and 2008 and the Terps’ 10 conference wins this season were the most since 1972. The Terps finished .500 or better the last two seasons, but have failed to qualify for the ACC Tournament since the conference expanded to 12 teams in 2006.
Rupp produced four Major League Baseball players at Maryland, including current big-leaguer Justin Maxwell (Washington Nationals).
Prior to his nine-year stint in College Park, Rupp coached his alma mater, Division II Tampa, for five years, leading it to the 1998 D-II national championship.”
More reaction after the jump.
After finishing 30-26 in 2008, just the second time the program had achieved 30 wins, 2009 was supposed to be the year that the Terps took a big step forward and made the ACC Tournament for the first time since the league expanded.
But, the team was plagued by inconsistency and uninspired play against beatable teams, something that may have led to Rupp’s resignation.
To be fair to Rupp the ACC is one of the best leagues for college baseball in the entire country, and it is hard to compete against perennial powers like North Carolina and Florida State when the program isn’t even fully funded.
It will be interesting to see which direction AD Debbie Yow goes on this “national” search. I would be surprised if many top-tier coaches would be interested in taking over a program that will continue to have difficulty competing against a very hard schedule.
Plus the University just promoted pitching coach Jim Farr, a former head coach at William and Mary, to assistant head coach last year. Farr has a lot of recruiting ties in the greater Maryland area, especially in Virginia where there is a wealth of talent. Yow would be wise to give Farr a hard look before deciding what she ultimately wants to do.
More on this in the June 4th issue of The Diamondback.
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