AUBURN, Ala. — Butch Thompson has been named Auburn’s head baseball coach, Auburn Director of Athletics Jay Jacobs announced Thursday. Thompson, who spent three seasons as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Auburn from 2006-08, returns to the Plains after seven seasons at Mississippi State as both associate head coach and pitching coach.
Widely regarded as one of the premier pitching coaches in the country, Thompson was named the 2014 Baseball America and American Baseball Coaches Association National Assistant Coach of the Year while at Mississippi State.
“We are thrilled to introduce Coach Butch Thompson as our next head baseball coach,” Jacobs said. “Throughout the interview process with Coach Thompson, it became clear he was the right man to lead Auburn’s student-athletes now and into the future.
“Coach Thompson is widely known and respected as one of the best men in college baseball. He has an outstanding track record as an elite recruiter, and he has been recognized as the best pitching coach in the country. His track record of developing players who have gone on to highly successful careers in baseball is second to none.”
In 23 years of coaching at the collegiate level, including 13 in the Southeastern Conference, Thompson has coached seven College World Series participants, including a national runner-up finish, won nine conference championships and made 14 NCAA regional appearances. He has also served as an assistant under three National Coach of the Year recipients.
In seven seasons at MSU, Thompson made four NCAA regional trips, two Super Regionals, won the SEC Tournament and advanced to the College World Series finishing as NCAA runner-up in 2013. In three of the last four seasons, the Bulldogs’ staff ERA finished no higher than 3.06. Thompson’s 2013 pitching staff was one of two nationally to finish in the top 15 in ERA, strikeouts per nine innings and hits allowed per nine innings.
Additionally, Mississippi State was 168-4 under Thompson the last four seasons when holding a lead after eight innings.
“This is the opportunity of a lifetime to be the head baseball coach at Auburn University,” Thompson said. “My entire family is excited to return to The Plains and be part of such a special place. I want to offer my sincere thanks to President Gogue, Director of Athletics Jay Jacobs and the Board of Trustees for the opportunity to lead this tradition rich program.”
Thompson said he is excited about leading a program with fan support that can make a difference.
“This is the perfect time for all who love Auburn University to embrace our current and future players. Starting today, we will begin to define an identity that will make every Auburn man and woman proud of their team on and off the field. I want to personally reach out to every baseball alumni and fan and let you know we need and want you now more than ever. This is a worth-while task best done together.”
Thompson is considered one of the top recruiters in the country. Since 2003, he has secured nine recruiting classes that were ranked in the top 10 by either Baseball America or Perfect Game. His classes signed from 2006-08 at Auburn each ranked in the top 18 nationally including the No. 5 class nationally in 2008 which included All-American and SEC Player of the Year Hunter Morris.
Player development has been equally important for Thompson, who has turned 23 student-athletes who went undrafted out of high school into Major League Baseball draft picks.
A native of Amory, Miss., Thompson has coached 22 Division I All-Americans and 29 all-conference honors. In 2014, former Mississippi State pitcher Kendall Graveman became the ninth player Thompson tutored to pitch in the big leagues.
Thompson had three pitchers drafted in the first 11 rounds of the 2014 MLB Draft, and in 2013 five of his pitchers were drafted including three in the top 10 rounds.
In addition to his experience at Auburn and Mississippi State, Thompson also spent five seasons at Georgia from 2002-05, including a trip to the College World Series in 2004.
“Coach Thompson’s name came up time and time again as we heard from former players and Auburn people throughout this search,” Jacobs said. “They saw the same qualities in Butch that made him the right man to lead our program that I saw. He has the character, work ethic and experience to build this program into something we can all be proud of and support.”
Thompson launched his coaching career as pitching coach and top assistant at Huntingdon College (Montgomery, Ala.) in 1993, before returning to his alma mater in Birmingham, where he helped lead the Panthers to back-to-back Southern States Conference championships and in 1995 coached BSC to its first NAIA World Series berth.
Thompson left BSC briefly to serve as head coach at Jefferson State Community College in Birmingham in 1997. While at JSCC, he was honored as the Regional Tournament Coach of the Year, the ABCA Alabama Junior College Coach of the Year and the Southeast Region Coach of the Year after guiding JSCC to a 39-21 mark, the AJCAA Region 22 State Championship and a third-place finish in the NJCAA Division II World Series.
He returned to Birmingham-Southern as top assistant the following season, beginning a four-year run during the most successful span in BSC baseball history. The Panthers won 196 games and four TranSouth Conference championships and made three-consecutive appearances in the NAIA World Series. BSC’s 2001 team posted a school-best 55-11 mark and captured the NAIA National Championship.
In 2002, Thompson joined the SEC baseball coaching fraternity, beginning a four-year term as pitching coach and recruiting coordinator. Georgia’s 2003 recruiting class was ranked 10th nationally, while capturing the SEC title in 2004 en route to advancing to the NCAA College World Series.
Thompson, honored as the 2006 Fellowship of Christian Athletes SEC Coach of the Year, has shared his expertise as a featured speaker at numerous baseball coaching clinics throughout the United States.
Thompson prepped at Amory (Miss.) High School and later starred as a pitcher at Itawamba (Miss.) Community College from 1989-90. On Oct. 25, 2014, Thompson was inducted into the ICC Athletic Hall of Fame.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in history at BSC in 1992 and completed a master’s degree in sports administration at UAB in 1996. He is married to the former Robin Ashe of Birmingham, Ala., and they are the parents of three daughters — Anna, Olivia and Madelyn Gail.
