June 11, 2012

2012 Coaching Changes  

Smith named head coach at Ohio

Creighton associate head coach Rob Smith has been hired to take over the program at Ohio University. Smith succeeds Joe Carbone, who retired following the 2012 season after 24 years with the Bobcats.

Smith has been with the Bluejays for the past six seasons, helping Creighton compile a record of 213-133 with three NCAA Regional appearances and three Missouri Valley Conference crowns (2007, 2011, 2012). His staffs twice led the Valley in pitching (2008, 2009). Smith worked with five All-Americans, two freshman All-Americans, one Valley Pitcher of the Year, two Valley Newcomers of the Year and five pitchers offered professional contracts. Junior Ty Blach was drafted in the fifth round of the 2012 MLB Draft by the San Francisco Giants.

Creighton was the No. 8 seed in this year’s Missouri Valley Conference tournament, but went 4-0 to capture the title for the second straight season. The Bluejays went 2-2 in the Los Angeles Regional as the No. 4 seed, defeating No. 3 New Mexico and No. 2 San Diego while falling twice to top-seeded and No. 2 national seed UCLA. Creighton finished with a 28-30 mark and a team ERA of 3.44.

Prior to his arrival in Omaha, Smith spent five years as pitching coach at Purdue. He helped lower the staff ERA by more than 1.7 runs per game over that five-year period. For the 2005 and 2006 campaigns, the Boilermakers had strikeout-to-walk ratios of 2 to 1 or better.

Smith began his collegiate career at Vincennes University in 1991 and concluded at Indiana Southeast in 1994. He earned his degree from Indiana in 1998.