Baseball
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Email:
- googins@xavier.edu
- Phone:
- 513.745.2891
Xavier University has announced another addition to the legacy of giving that further celebrates the love of the late Thomas Siemers for his alma mater. The gift will endow the head baseball coaching position, as well as fund capital improvements to the baseball facilities. It will also contribute to the Cintas Center renovation project, particularly the computer resources area for student-athletes.
Â
Scott Googins begins his 12th season at the helm of the Xavier baseball program in 2016-17. Googins, the leader of the 2016 BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year, continues to produce winning Musketeer squads and is coming off a second BIG EAST Championship in three years.
The all-time winningest skipper at XU, Googins holds a 307-330 (.482) career record. He passed former coach John Morrey (287 wins) in 2016.Â
Player development has become a tradition for XU baseball during Googins' tenure, with 11 players selected in the MLB Draft since 2005.
The Granville, Ohio, native was a catcher at Ohio Wesleyan. He and his wife, Jody – a former Xavier volleyball standout – reside in West Chester, Ohio with their daughter, Ellie, and two sons, Tommy and Charlie.
 |
 GOOGINS' ACCOMPLISHMENTS |
• 2016 BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year
• 2009 ABCA Mideast Region Coach of the Year
• 2008 Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year
• Three NCAA Tournament appearances (2016, 2014, 2009)
• Two BIG EAST Tournament Championships (2016, 2014)
• BIG EAST Regular Season Championship (2016)
• Atlantic 10 Tournament Championship (2009)
• Atlantic 10 Regular Season Championship (2008)
• Xavier's first NCAA Tournament win in baseball
• 11 players selected in the MLB First Year Player Draft since 2005
• Highest MLB Draft pick in school history (Seth Willoughby, 4th round)
• Five 30-win seasons (2016, 2014, 2013, 2011, 2009)
• Googins' teams have recorded five of the 10 winningest seasons in school history
• School record 39 wins in 2009
• Produced program's second Louisville Slugger All-American (Andre Jernigan, 2016)
• Produced program's first Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American (Nate Soria, 2015)
|
|
 MLB DRAFT PICKS UNDER GOOGINS |
| Year | Round | Name | Organization |
| 2016 | 13 | Dan Rizzie | New York Mets |
| 2016 | 14 | Andre Jernigan | Minnesota Twins |
| 2015 | 27 | Jacob Bodner | Kansas City Royals |
| 2014 | 25 | Vinny Nittoli | Seattle Mariners |
| 2012 | 4 | Seth Willoughby | Colorado Rockies |
| 2011 | 34 | Ben Thomas | San Francisco Giants |
| 2010 | 9 | Thomas Shirley | Houston Astros |
| 2009 | 22 | Daniel Rosenbaum | Washington Nationals |
| 2008 | 11 | Charlie Leesman | Chicago White Sox |
| 2008 | 47 | Danny Hayden | Chicago White Sox |
| 2007 | 13 | Jordan Wolf | Baltimore Orioles |
| 2005 | 13 | Jay Johnson | Boston Red Sox |
|
|
 XU MILESTONES UNDER GOOGINS |
• July 12, 2005 – Scott Googins Hired at Xavier
• Feb. 16, 2006 – Googins' 1st Win – at East Tennessee State, 10-5
• May 17, 2008 – Xavier Clinches Atlantic 10 Regular Season Championship – vs. George Washington, 6-5
• May 20, 2008 – Googins Named Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year
• May 1, 2009 – Googins' 100th Win – vs. Saint Joseph's, 9-6
• May 23, 2009 – Program's First Atlantic 10 Championship – vs. Rhode Island, 10-1
• May 30, 2009 – Program's First-Ever NCAA Tournament win – vs. Sam Houston State, 9-6
• Feb. 24, 2013 – Googins' 200th Win – at UAB, 12-4
• May 25, 2014 – Program's First-Ever BIG EAST Championship – vs. Creighton, 5-0
• May 31, 2014 – Program's Second-Ever NCAA Tournament win – vs. Clemson, 6-4
• April 13, 2016 – Googins' 287th Win – vs. Cincinnati, 8-5
• April 15, 2016 – Googins' 288th Win – at Georgetown, 8-5
• May 19, 2016 – Googins' 300th Win – vs. VillanovaÂ
• May 21, 2016 – Xavier Clinches BIG EAST Regular Season Championship – vs. Villanova, 9-0
• May 29, 2016 – Xavier Clinches Second BIG EAST Tournament Championship – vs. Creighton, 8-7Â
• June 6, 2016 – Xavier Clinches Trip to First-Ever NCAA Regional Championship – vs. Washington, 7-5 Â
|
|
 YEAR-BY-YEAR HIGHLIGHTS |
The Musketeers went on a dramatic run in 2016, winning 18 of their final 22 games to capture a BIG EAST regular season and tournament title. XU also made its second appearance in the NCAA Tournament in three years, winning a pair of games to reach the program's first-ever regional championship in Nashville, Tenn.
Googins led Xavier to a fourth 30-win season in six years during 2014. The 2014 team closed the season with a remarkable postseason run, winning three-straight games to claim the program's first BIG EAST Championship. After falling to host-school Vanderbilt in the opening game, Xavier defeated Clemson for its second NCAA tournament win in school history.
In 2013, Googins led the Musketeers to a 32-26 finish. The season concluded with a 6-1 record in the final seven regular-season games and a return to the Atlantic 10 tournament. XU finished one game out of first place in the A-10 regular season standings with a 16-8 conference record, but earned a four seed in the conference tournament. The record in conference play marked the seventh-straight winning A-10 record for Googins.
Xavier and Googins made a strong run in the Atlantic 10 tournament by defeating George Washington and top-seeded Saint Louis in their first two games. Tough losses to Charlotte, the tournament's host, and Saint Louis in an elimination game closed out the Musketeers' final season in the A-10 with a 32-26 overall record and a third-place tournament finish.
In 2012, Googins led the Musketeers to a 28-28 record overall and a 13-11 record in conference play. After strong non-conference wins at No. 4 North Carolina and two against Michigan, Googins and Xavier finished 2012 with a 10-5 record in their final 15 games and just missed making the Atlantic 10 Tournament for a sixth-straight year.
Googins led the 2011 Musketeers to their fifth straight Atlantic 10 Tournament, fifth-straight 20-win season and second 30-win season in three years. The 2011 edition of the Musketeers boasted five players earning Atlantic 10 honors including conference Player of the Year, Ben Thomas. Thomas became Xavier's all-time leader in homeruns and was drafted by the San Francisco Giants.
In 2010, XU saw six players honored by the Atlantic 10 and junior pitcher Tommy Shirley was drafted in the ninth round of the Major League Baseball draft by the Houston Astros.
In 2009, the Musketeers tallied a program-best 39 wins and posted an overall winning percentage of .650 (39-21), third-best in the record books. In conference play, Xavier went 18-9, one win shy of tying the record for A-10 wins set in 2008. XU went 5-1 in the Atlantic 10 Championship to capture its first-ever tournament crown and earned the program's first appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
Six Musketeers were named to the 2009 A-10 All-Tournament team, including Billy O'Conner who was named Tournament MVP. Four Musketeers earned mentioned on A-10 All-Conference teams following the regular season, including Jordan Conley who was the first XU player to ever make both the First Team (relief pitcher) and the Second Team (short stop) rosters.
Googins led the 2009 Musketeers to the school's first-ever NCAA Tournament win, a 9-6 victory over Sam Houston State, in the Houston Regional hosted by Rice. Bobby Freking earned a spot on the All-Regional team and following the season Ben Thomas earned mentioned on the ABCA All-Mideast Region Second Team.
In 2009 XU set new school records in: at bats (2135), runs scored (445), hits (663), doubles (114), RBI (396), innings pitched (534.0), pitching strikeouts (446) and saves (14). Thomas tied the school record for home runs in a season with 16 and Conley eclipsed his own school record for saves in a season which was set in 2008 as he posted 13. Conley's two-year saves total of 23 set the new XU career saves mark as well.
Following the 2009 season, Danny Rosenbaum was selected in the 22nd round of Major League Baseball's First-Year Player draft by the Washington Nationals. Rosenbaum was the 652nd pick overall, making it the third consecutive year and fourth time since 2005 a Musketeer had been chosen in the draft. Two other Musketeers were picked up as free agents: Billy O'Conner and Jordan Conley.
The Musketeers made it to the championship game of the Atlantic 10 Tournament in 2008 for the first time in school history after winning the team's second all-time A-10 regular season title. XU won a record-breaking 19 conference games and did not lose a single A-10 series.
Overall, the team finished 27-31 after playing am extremely tough non-conference schedule that included eight games versus nationally ranked opponents, and posted a stellar 19-8 A-10 mark. For his outstanding leadership, Googins was named the 2008 Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year. As a team, the Musketeers recorded new school records in hits (587), strikeouts (414) and tied the school record for saves with 12 in 2008. The team also tallied a program second-best mark in at bats (2050), doubles (109) and innings pitched (520.0).
Two Musketeers were drafted in 2008, including Charlie Leesman who was selected in the 11th round as the 330th pick by the Chicago White Sox, the second highest draft pick in school history. Additionally, Michael Lucas was signed as a free agent by the White Sox.
In just his second season as the head coach, Googins guided his squad to the most conference wins in school history (17) at the time, while the team also set a new mark by sweeping four A-10 series in 2007. As a team, Xavier finished with a 29-31 record overall and a 17-10 mark in conference play. The 29 wins tied for the fifth most in school history and the team also won two games in the A-10 Championship, which was the most by any Musketeer squad in five trips. The trip to the A-10 Championship marked the first appearance for XU since the 2003 season.
After starting the 2007 campaign with a 4-18 record, Googins engineered one of the best turnarounds in school history as the Blue and White proceeded to go 17-3 over the next 20 games. Xavier would end the season with a 25-13 record and earn a No. 4 seed in the A-10 Championship.
Additionally, the 2007 squad broke its previous school record in fielding percentage, marking two of the three best fielding percentages in school history over Googins' first two seasons. The Blue and White also finished the year tops in school history for at bats (2052), hits (561), saves (12) and innings pitched (523.0).
Not only did school records fall but Xavier tied a seven-year-old NCAA record for most hits in the second inning at Richmond as XU tallied 12 hits (all singles and doubles) to score 14 runs. The Musketeers followed that performance with a 23-run effort at Toledo, which ranked tied for third-most in school history.
The end to a great season saw Xavier senior Jordan Wolf become the fourth highest Musketeer to be drafted as he was taken by the Baltimore Orioles in the 13th round. For his efforts during the year, Wolf was named to the Atlantic 10 All-Conference Second Team.
In his first season as skipper, Googins led the Musketeers to a 19-37 mark overall and a 9-18 record in Atlantic 10 play.
As a team in 2006, XU recorded the program's second-best fielding percentage of all time at .964. The 2006 squad also produced high marks in hits (482), walks (227), total bases (660) and triples (nine). Googins stepped into his role after spending the 2005 season as an assistant coach for the Musketeers. The 2005 campaign saw Xavier send its first player into the MLB Draft since 2001 and place one player on the Atlantic 10 All-Conference Second Team after notching a 19-35 record and a 9-15 mark in the A-10.
|
|
 BEFORE XAVIER |
In four seasons at Miami (Ohio), Googins was a part of four straight Mid-American Conference Tournament appearances. With outfield being his primary focus, he saw two of his players leave for the professional ranks with one garnering All-American honors before his departure. Googins was also in charge of academics, travel and field maintenance. The team recorded the highest GPA among men's teams at Miami.
Before coming to Miami (Ohio), Googins had an eight-year stint as an assistant coach with Indiana University. During his time at IU, he was a part of the 1996 Big 10 Championship team and traveled to the Wichita State Regional for the NCAA Tournament. He was responsible for the coaching and conditioning of the Hoosier catchers and assisted with the outfielders and hitters. Off the field, Googins assisted in the recruiting process, facility and field maintenance, academic progress and the supervision of student managers.
