WACO, Texas — Baylor Head Baseball Coach Steve Rodriguez announced Monday that he will not return to coach the Bears in 2023. Rodriguez coached Baylor for seven seasons, amassing a 197-146 record.
Rodriguez and the Bears fell short of expectations in the 2022 season, going just 26-28 and bowing out of the Big 12 Tournament in just two games.
Baylor missed the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season.
“While a decision of this magnitude is never easy, I am at peace with it,” Rodriguez said in a statement released by the university. “Seven years is a long time at one place, and now it is time for a new voice to lead the Baylor Baseball program. I will forever be grateful to the outstanding young men who have played for me. I am just happy that I was able to help young men achieve their own goals of playing professionally, that our program helped young men find faith and that I have built lifelong friendships with players for my entire career. I wish every one of them the very best on the field and in life. My family and I wish Baylor the very best and will always cherish our times as Baylor Bears.”
Rodriguez came to Baylor from Pepperdine University in 2016. He leaves the program ranked third in wins all-time.
During his time at Baylor, Rodriguez led the Bears to three straight NCAA Regional appearances as well as their first Big 12 Tournament title in program history (2018).
However, the Bears struggled after the COVID-canceled 2020 season. Baylor was the first team not to make the 2021 NCAA Tournament field.
“We are grateful for Steve’s time at Baylor over the past seven years and for his commitment to our student-athletes, our university and to Preparing Champions for Life,” Director of Athletics Mack Rhoades said in a statement. “On behalf of Baylor University, I want to thank Steve and his family for their service, and we wish him, his wife Kim and their two children, Julia and Nolan, the very best as God directs their next steps. We have a world-class university and incredible momentum in Baylor Athletics, and I am confident we will identify and recruit a tremendous new head coach.”
Rhoades has launched a national search for the next Baylor baseball head coach and will not make any comments on prospective candidates or on the search process.
