Virginia Tech Fires Coach Patrick Mason
Virginia Tech on Sunday fired coach Patrick Mason after four seasons and a record of 90-126-1.
Mason, 41, was an assistant coach under Pete Hughes with the Hokies and succeeded him when Hughes left for the same job at Oklahoma.
Hughes had led the Hokies to five consecutive NCAA regional appearances, but Mason’s teams were unable to keep up that level of success, especially in the Atlantic Coast Conference, where Virginia Tech was just 37-82.
“I want to thank Coach Mason for his commitment and dedication to our baseball program during his tenure as both head coach and as an assistant coach at Virginia Tech,” director of athletics Whit Babock said in a news release. “We appreciate the work that Patrick and his staff have done to help our student-athletes both academically and athletically.
“We are always cognizant of the many individuals impacted by leadership changes in any of our programs, especially our student-athletes,” Babcock said. “After careful consideration and an ongoing evaluation of the long-term direction of baseball at Virginia Tech, we have decided to make a change. While I know Coach Mason is disappointed, he has handled this situation like the consummate professional that he is. We wish him the best. We plan to make no further comments regarding our baseball program or coaching search until we announce our next head coach.”
The Hokies were 23-32 this season, including 9-21 in the ACC
“I’ll always be grateful for the opportunity to coach at Virginia Tech,” Mason said in the news release. “I appreciate the efforts that our players, coaches and support staff made to represent Tech in a first-class manner. The support of my wife and family has meant the world to me. We have many fond memories of our time in Blacksburg and we wish the Hokies the very best going forward.”
The timing of the move was not surprising, given that Tech announced in 2016 that it would spend about $18 million to upgrade its stadium, English Field at Union Park, with the renovations expected to be completed in time for the 2018 season.
According to the DailyPress.com, Mason, 41, had one year remaining on a contract that paid him $176,000 annually.
Babcock has not been averse to firing coaches with time and money remaining on their contracts. In 2014, he fired men’s basketball coach James Johnson with three years left on his contract. And he fired women’s basketball coach Dennis Wolff in March 2016 with one year left on his contract.
| 2017 COACHING CHANGES | ||
| School | Departures | Arrivals |
| Massachusetts | Mike Stone | |
| Stanford | Mark Marquess (retiring after season) | |
| Tennessee | Dave Serrano | |
| Towson | Mike Gottlieb | |
| Virginia Tech | Patrick Mason | |
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