LAFAYETTE — UPDATE: Louisiana Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Dr. Bryan Maggard announced on Thursday the start of a search for the fifth head softball coach in program history after Gerry Glasco submitted his resignation to accept a similar role at Big 12 member Texas Tech.
.@RaginCajuns AD Bryan Maggard on the pressure of hiring Gerry Glasco's replacement: "It's an adrenaline rush...you do everything to make sure your student-athletes are communicated to". @MaggardB @KATCTV3
— Jamarcus Fitzpatrick (@JFitzTV) June 20, 2024
More on Glasco's departure: https://t.co/YxtjjwKuEy pic.twitter.com/6ystHs4LAR
We reported earlier today that Glasco accepted the head coaching job at Texas Tech, according to sources.
Glasco's decision is just a week after former pitching coach Justin Robichaux became the head baseball coach at St. Thomas More.
This also comes a month after the Cajuns were eliminated by Baylor from the Lafayette Regional in the NCAA Softball Tournament. UL went 45-19 on the year and 22-2 in Sun Belt conference play.
Some of Glasco's biggest accomplisments in Vermilion and White include beating LSU to get the Cajuns to the Super Regional round in 2023, guiding UL to hosting its first regional since 2017, and extending Louisiana's nation-best conference series winning streak to 89 series.
Glasco finishes his tenure at UL with a 300-88 overall record in seven seasons.
The Illinois native takes over a Red Raiders program that finished 29-21 this past season. Their former head coach Craig Snider became an assistant at Tennessee on June 9 after going 60-43 in two years.
The transfer portal closed on Monday, June 17 but with Glasco leaving, players now have a 30-day window to enter the portal.
Here's what UL had to say:
A national search for the next head coach in the program’s storied history is currently underway. Assistant coach and Louisiana alumna Shellie Landry will serve as acting director of the softball program.
“I want to personally thank Gerry Glasco for his leadership during the past seven years as he and his staff maintained a winning culture within our Softball program,” Maggard said. “We wish Gerry and his wife, Vickie, the very best with their future endeavors at Texas Tech University.”
Glasco, who posted a 300-88 record in seven years at the helm of the Louisiana program and is ranked fifth among active Division I coaches in winning percentage (.773), guided the Ragin’ Cajuns to five consecutive Sun Belt Conference regular-season titles (2019, 2021-24) and four SBC Tournament championships (2019, 2021-23) in his tenure.
Louisiana (45-19, 22-2 Sun Belt) earned its 31st overall finish in the final national rankings – and 16th in the past 17 seasons – following its 25th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance which was highlighted by a national seed (No. 13) and host site at Lamson Park.
The Ragin' Cajuns, who would snap eventual national champion Oklahoma’s historic 71-game win streak in March, landed a Top 20 finish across all major national polls (USA Today/NFCA, ESPN/USA Softball, D1Softball, Softball America) for the second consecutive season.
During the 2024 season, the Ragin' Cajuns reached the 40-win mark for the 25th consecutive completed season by closing out the regular season winning 31 of the final 35 games. The success was driven by an offense ranked Top 20 nationally in batting average and a No. 1 ranking in double plays turned.
Louisiana collected its fifth consecutive Sun Belt Conference regular season championship and reached the SBC Tournament championship game for the sixth time in as many attempts under Glasco's guidance and 10th consecutive occurrence of the event. The Cajuns also continued impressive streaks of consecutive Sun Belt series won (now 89 straight) and consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances (now 25 straight).
The NCAA postseason was highlighted by the first national seed of the Glasco era with Louisiana claiming the No. 13 seed and first regional hosting spot at Lamson Park since 2016. The program advanced to Championship Sunday of the NCAA Lafayette Regional, marking the 16th consecutive NCAA Regionals appearance reaching the championship round.
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