Butler Says Coach Won’t Be Back

Butler said Wednesday coach Steve Farley will not be retained.

Farley had been the Bulldogs coach since 1992 and is the winningest coach in program history, but had not produced a winning record since 2003. Butler went 14-40 this season, and finished last in the Big East Conference at 4-14.

Farley went 588-754-2 in 25 seasons at Butler. The Bulldogs reached the NCAA tournament in 1998 and 2000, and won three regular season championships from 1996-99. But Butler has not gone .500 or better in conference play since moving to the Big East for the 2014 season. In their first three seasons in the conference, the Bulldogs are 19-35.

Farley also received the 2011 Ethics in Coaching award from the American Baseball Coaches Association and was named conference coach of the year four times.

In a statement, athletic director Barry Collier thanked Farley, and said he believes Butler can be competitive in the Big East.

“These decisions are never easy and are made after careful review of all aspects of the program,” he said. “Ultimately, the expectations that we have for our baseball program have not been met.”