Utah Baseball Coaching Search, Job Profile And Candidates

Utah on May 24 announced the retirement of head coach Bill Kinneberg, effective at the end of the regular season. 

Kinneberg served in the role for 18 seasons, and going into the last series of his tenure in Salt Lake City this weekend, he has compiled a 381-533-1 record. 

He led the program to two postseason appearances, in 2009 and in 2016, in the latter case winning the Pac-12 title on the last day of the regular season and then defeating top-seeded Mississippi in the Oxford Regional. 

In essence, Kinneberg built up Utah twice. First, he did it while the team was in the Mountain West Conference, leading it in 2009 to its first regional appearance since 1960. Then, he guided the program through its transition to the Pac-12, which was a big step up in competition for a program that was typically around .500 in the MWC, peaking with the conference title in 2016. 

For a program without a ton of history, Kinneberg’s success stands out, but the challenge now is finding a way for the Utes to be more competitive year to year in the Pac-12. They have won more than eight conference games in a season just twice (2016 and 2017).

Previous Head Coach

Bill Kinneberg: 381-533-1, 18 seasons

Job Description

The reality is that Utah is not an easy job. It has the harshest weather conditions in the Pac-12 early in the season. It also doesn’t have a home park of its own, instead sharing Smith’s Ballpark with Triple-A Salt Lake. It’s too big for the Utes usual attendance and Salt Lake’s schedule takes priority. It’s also outside the biggest hotbeds of talent on the West Coast and there just isn’t much history of success. That said, Utah is not a job without upside. Being in the Pac-12 is always going to be a selling point, and its conference affiliation makes at-large NCAA Tournament bids attainable. The university and surrounding area, which is nestled in the shadow of the Wasatch Mountains, is also an easy sell from an aesthetic standpoint. So while it’s a tough job, there might be some latent potential to be found. 

What are the expectations?

One of the key questions Utah has to ask itself in this search is what it realistically expects in terms of results. If the goal is to turn the program into an annual regional contender, it needs to not only invest in a head coach, but also in the program’s infrastructure. First, however, the new coach will be trying to get Utah out of the Pac-12 cellar. But, given that this is the first baseball hire Utah has made in 18 years and the first since moving to the Pac-12, it’s hard to know exactly how Utah views itself.

What kind of coach is the right fit?

The Utah job comes with some risk due to the limitations, so there are a couple of archetypes of coaches that might fit well. One is the younger coach who wants to bet on himself and get into a Power Five coaching job as quickly as he can rather than biding his time and waiting for something better. The other type of coach who may be a fit is the older coach who has either been passed over for other jobs and is itching to get his first shot or who has been previously let go at another job and wants another crack at a major-conference gig. 

Will we see an increase in investment?

As of 2020, Kinneberg’s total compensation was the lowest among any non-Big Ten coach at a public school at the Power Five level. It would still represent a raise for a vast majority of assistant coaches and mid-major coaches out there, but it could limit the candidate pool somewhat if a similar compensation package is put together for the new coach. With that said, it’s worth saying again that Utah hasn’t made a baseball hire in a long time, and perhaps this hire will signal a redoubling of efforts on the part of the Utah administration in the form of increased pay for the new coaching staff. 

Roster outlook

With the one-time transfer exception now a part of life in the sport, it’s increasingly hard to predict what rosters will look like the season after a coaching change. Regardless, Utah will still very much be in a building phase in 2022, but there are some interesting players on the roster if they choose to return. Chief among them is righthander Randon Hostert, a big arm and a legitimate prospect for the 2022 draft who was working his way back from injury this season. One of the team’s top relievers in Matthew Sox and its most reliable starter in David Watson could also come back. The same is true of shortstop Matt Richardson, the team’s top hitter, catcher Jayden Kiernan, first baseman Christopher Rowan, who leads the club with nine home runs, and lineup stalwart Rykker Tom.

The Candidates

The challenges at Utah are real, but it’s a major conference job. You don’t have to win the league to go to the NCAA Tournament and, in fact, you don’t have to finish much above .500 in conference play to get in the mix. So, there will be plenty of interest here.

Gary Henderson joined Kinneberg’s staff two years ago as associate head coach/pitching coach and will be the in-house candidate. He was head coach at Kentucky from 2009-2016 and served as interim head coach for most of 2018 at Mississippi State, leading the Bulldogs to the College World Series. It’s hard to imagine Utah will interview anyone who can match the experience of Henderson, 60.

Grand Canyon’s Andy Stankiewicz also offers experience. He has been head coach at GCU for 10 years, leading the program through the transition to Division I and making it one of the powers in the Western Athletic Conference. Beyond his time at GCU, Stankiewicz, 56, has a wide, varied resume. The former big leaguer was a minor league manager, a scout, an assistant coach at Arizona State and the Mariners’ minor league field coordinator. 

Sacramento State’s Reggie Christiansen has over the last 12 seasons built the Hornets into one of the most consistent programs in California and has led them to their only three regionals appearances in program history. Christiansen, 45, knows how to make the most out of what he has.

Texas Christian associate head coach Bill Mosiello, like Stankiewicz, has a long, varied resume. He’s in his eighth season at TCU and has 20 years of experience as a college coach at places like Cal State Fullerton, Oklahoma, Southern California and Tennessee. He also has seven years of experience as a minor league manager, most notably when he was Mike Trout’s manager in Double-A. Mosiello, 56, is one of the most-respected assistant coaches in the country.

Brigham Young’s Mike Littlewood is an interesting candidate to consider. BYU and Utah are rivals, which might make it challenging for such a move to be made. But Littlewood, 55, has been a head coach in the state for 15 years, starting at Dixie State for six years. He led BYU to the NCAA Tournament in 2017 and has had the Cougars at or near the top of the West Coast Conference standings for most of his tenure.