Demon fans will understand the reason the Southeastern Conference West Division could be renamed to honor the tidal wave of Northwestern coaching influence on that part of the college baseball world.
Alabama - head coach Jim Wells (NSU alumnus, NSU head coach 1990-1994); assistant head coach Mitch Gaspard (NSU assistant coach 1993-94, NSU head coach 2002-2007)
Arkansas - head coach Dave Van Horn (NSU head coach 1995-97)
Mississippi State - head coach John Cohen (NSU head coach 1998-2001)
Ole Miss - head coach Mike Bianco (NSU assistant coach 1991-92)
BTW, nobody who knows Cohen was surprised at the grace with which he handled the difficult situation with retired coach Ron Polk at Cohen's introductory press conferences Saturday at Mississippi State. Polk was vehemently upset that his hand-picked successor, assistant coach and former player Tommy Razzo, was passed over in favor of Cohen. Said Polk Saturday, "I told John I loved him, but ..." on the heels of a rant Friday in which he said he wanted his name removed from State's field, he was taking State out of his will and he was going to undermine the Bulldogs' new athletic director.
Cohen took the high road and had nothing but praise for Polk, his former coach at State.
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