Notebook: Kentucky coaching staff update

Recruiting coordinator Will Coggin is leaving the program after four years, but pitching coach Dan Roszel is returning on a new two-year contract.

Pitching coach Dan Roszel, left, signed a new contract extension. Photo by Sarah Caputi (UK Athletics).

With the offseason fully underway following Kentucky’s run to the Super Regionals, news with coaching changes, the MLB draft and the transfer portal will take the spotlight for the next few weeks. This newsletter will focus on the Kentucky coaching staff.

Coggin leaving for Georgia

Late Thursday night, D1baseball.com managing editor Kendall Rogers reported that Kentucky recruiting coordinator Will Coggin accepted a job on Georgia’s staff. Coggin has been with the Wildcats since the 2020 season and played a crucial part in overhauling the roster to help get the program back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017. 

Coggin, who had the title of recruiting coordinator, was also in charge of Kentucky’s offense. The Wildcats finished third in the SEC in 2023 with a .290 team batting average and first in the conference with 94 stolen bases. 

A native of Mississippi, Coggin spent the 2016 season as a volunteer assistant coach at Mississippi State. Kentucky head coach Nick Mingione was the recruiting coordinator on that staff, but new Georgia head coach Wes Johnson served as the pitching coach. Coggin and Johnson remained close, and the two now will look to turn around a Georgia program that has not advanced to the NCAA Super Regionals since 2008. 

Kentucky targeting former Cat Austin Cousino

With Coggin gone, Mingione has turned his attention to finding his replacement. I’m told former Kentucky standout Austin Cousino is expected to be the next recruiting coordinator with an official announcement likely coming late next week. Cousino, who has assistant experience at Xavier and Mississippi State, is an area scout for the Tampa Bay Rays.

Cousino should be a familiar name for Kentucky fans. He starred for the Wildcats on two NCAA Tournament teams from 2012-14 and had one of the most decorated freshman seasons in school history. He was the 2012 SEC Freshman of the Year, a two-time Rawlings Gold Glove winner and played on the USA Collegiate National Team multiple times. Cousino is a native of Columbus, Ohio.

Cousino has been with the Rays since November of 2022 but spent nearly three years as a scout with the Detroit Tigers before that. He has deep connections in the travel ball industry and has a good reputation in scouting circles for evaluating talent.

Cousino also has some level of familiarity with the team already. He’s been a regular over the years scouting Kentucky’s talent, and he spoke to the team multiple times at the request of Mingione.

I’m told he’s expected to sign a two-year contract with the program. Speaking of new contracts…

Pitching coach Dan Roszel turns down head coaching opportunities, signs new contract

Roszel was in demand this coaching cycle. One program interested in Roszel was North Florida, where he played and also coached early in his career. However, he expressed interest in remaining in Lexington and now has a new two-year extension with a significant pay raise. According to the UK Office of Legal Counsel, Roszel’s most recent contract paid him $203,000 yearly and was set to expire at the end of June. His new contract has not yet been updated, but his base pay is expected to increase to over $250,000 yearly.

Roszel has been excellent in developing pitching staffs during his time with the program. He’s likely to have two potential high draft picks in next year’s rotation in Travis Smith and Mason Moore. This year’s pitching staff will likely have several draft picks, including Austin Strickland, Magdiel Cotto and possibly Logan Martin and Zack Lee.

The coaching staff next year will be rounded out with Nick Ammirati. The NCAA approved a third full-time assistant in college baseball starting in July, so Ammirati will move from his current role as a volunteer assistant into one that can recruit off-campus and perform on-field coaching. Ammirati is popular amongst players and was recently credited with helping former college teammate and current Orioles infielder Adam Frazier with a tweak in his swing.