Scott Googins begins his fourth season as the head coach for the Xavier baseball team. The 2008 campaign was another record-breaking year for the Musketeers as XU built upon the success of the 2007 season.
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 last season 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, Michale Lucas was signed as a free agent by the White Sox as well and both Leesman and Lucas remain within the White Sox organization. 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 four 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' 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, while establishing top marks in statistical team categories over the past five seasons. 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) as a team in the past five seasons. 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. In four seasons at Miami (Ohio), Googins was an integral part of the RedHawks' success. While at Miami, 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 an overall 2.88 grade-point average, the highest 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. While his in-game duties included first base coach, off the field Googins assisted in the recruiting process, facility and field maintenance, academic progress, and the supervision of student managers. The Granville, Ohio, native was a catcher at Ohio Wesleyan. He and his wife, Jody, a former Xavier volleyball standout, have a daughter, Ellie, and a son, Tommy. |
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