FROM CBD NEWS SOURCE
WACO, Texas – Baylor baseball assistant coach Steve Johnigan has been promoted to associate head coach, as announced by head coach Steve Smith on Tuesday.
Johnigan has been on Smith’s staff for 17 seasons as an assistant coach. He is the Bears’ primary hitting coach, coordinates the Bears’ offense and baserunning, serves as co-recruiting coordinator and coaches infielders and catchers.
Johnigan guided Baylor’s offense to record numbers in 2012. The Bears led the Big 12 Conference in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, runs, hits, doubles, home runs, RBI and walks, and Baylor ranked third in the league in stolen bases.
One of the nation’s leaders in the development of catchers, Johnigan coached a Baylor catcher to All-Big 12 honors for the eighth time in his tenure. In addition to earning first-team All-Big 12 honors in 2012, Josh Ludy was named the Big 12 Conference Player of the Year and earned second-team All-America honors.
Smith also announced that assistant coach Trevor Mote will return for his fifth season on the Baylor staff and volunteer assistant coach Zach Dillon will be back for his second season. Mote was promoted to full-time assistant and co-recruiting coordinator in 2012, and Dillon joined the staff after two seasons at Iowa.
Mote took over as the Bears’ primary pitching coach in 2012 and called pitches for a staff that posted a 3.08 ERA – the best by a Baylor team during the aluminum-bat era. He also coached two All-Americans, four All-Big 12 honorees and four MLB draft picks.
Mote is credited with the dramatic turnaround made by Trent Blank, who entered the season with a 5.99 ERA in his first three seasons at Baylor. Mote worked with Blank on changing his arm slot, and Blank earned All-America honors after posting an 11-1 record with a 2.23 ERA in 19 appearances in 2012. His 11 wins were the most by a Baylor pitcher since 2000, and he led the Big 12 in wins and ranked sixth in ERA.
Dillon, who serves as Baylor’s first-base coach and assists Mote with calling pitches, will continue to run the Baylor Baseball Academy.
Baylor finished the 2012 season 49-17, one win shy of the school record. The Bears won their third Big 12 Conference title with a 20-4 record in league play, had a conference-record four players named All-Americans and earned a school-record 11 All-Big 12 honors.
