UPDATE: Gaspard reflects on Alabama tenure after resignation

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The University of Alabama baseball team won under Mitch Gaspard. But it didn’t win enough for the university administration, or for fans.

It also didn’t win enough for Gaspard himself. He resigned as head coach on Friday, the school announced in a statement on Monday after the Crimson Tide missed the NCAA tournament for the second straight season.

“I want to make it clear, this was my decision,” Gaspard told The Tuscaloosa News on Monday. “I was not forced in any way.”

Alabama made the NCAA tournament in four of his first five seasons as head coach, and Gaspard’s team advanced to Super Regionals in his first season. But the program hadn’t achieved the same level of success since and never competed at the top levels of the SEC during his seven years as head coach. Alabama finished above .500 in regular season conference play just once in that time, going 15-14 in 2014.

“I know we wanted more success, but we had marginal success and we always ran a very clean, good program, always tried to make our fan base and our administration very proud of what was on the field and how we conducted ourselves,” Gaspard said.

UA director of athletics Bill Battle said in a statement that he accepted Gaspard’s resignation on Friday pending the end of the season. Gaspard said on Monday that making the NCAA tournament might not have made a difference in his decision; only a lengthy run in the postseason might have changed the outcome. Alabama players and assistant coaches were told of his resignation in a meeting on Monday after the NCAA tournament field was announced.

A late-season sweep at Arkansas put Alabama in position to make the field, but the Crimson Tide was swept on the final weekend in a home series against South Carolina that could have solidified its spot. There was late hope that Alabama's win over Kentucky on Tuesday in the SEC tournament would bolster its case to make an NCAA regional, but it wasn't enough. Alabama’s final RPI of 61 likely kept it out of the tournament.

“There are expectations here and I understand those expectations fully,” Gaspard said. “So it was definitely difficult, particularly the last week of the season and you know that every game is so critical and you’re trying to keep that from your team and you’re trying to keep them relaxed to get them to play at a high level.”

Gaspard finishes his tenure at Alabama 234-193, including a 94-114 mark in regular season SEC play. He was an assistant under Jim Wells from 1995-01 and again from 2008-09. He became head coach in fall 2009 following Wells’ resignation.

Combining his 16 seasons as assistant and head coach, Alabama went 627-379 with Gaspard on staff. That time includes three appearances in the College World Series under Wells and 12 of Alabama’s 23 appearances in the NCAA tournament.

"In seven seasons as our head coach, Mitch always represented us with class," Battle said. "He always fielded highly competitive teams and always conducted our program the right way. He has always been guided by the right principles, the kind of values you seek in a head coach and mentor of young people.

"Mitch leaves the program in good shape. He was a major factor in us being able to rebuild Sewell-Thomas Stadium into the nation's finest baseball facility and his players have competed hard and handled themselves well on and off the field. I am most appreciative of the leadership Mitch has provided and his effort and drive to prepare our team to compete at the highest levels on and off the field.”

Gaspard said he felt it was time for a change for the program. Alabama finished a $42 million rebuild on Sewell-Thomas Stadium in February, and he said a new coach would better be able to capitalize on the energy it creates.

"I do think the stadium really helps,” Gaspard said. “I think that’s going to attract kids. I think the University of Alabama and what’s in place from an athletic standpoint is a great structure. I think there are things in place that help us overcome some scholarship challenges that we have.”

Alabama, unlike many other SEC schools, lacks a state lottery system to fund academic scholarships for students. That puts baseball, which is allotted 11.7 scholarships per season under NCAA rules, at a disadvantage.

But Gaspard believes a resourceful coach can overcome that and build the depth needed to compete in the SEC.

“One thing with Alabama, you could get into any living room and you’re going to get a kid’s attention immediately when they hear it’s the University of Alabama,” he said. “I think there’s an allure there that’s very attractive for any coach … I think 100 percent, our program can certainly take steps forward and be much more competitive and we can take a step forward to the top of the league rather than the middle of the league.”

Sewell-Thomas Stadium, now among the topline facilities in college baseball, is itself a major step forward the program took during Gaspard’s tenure. But he pointed to less tangible accomplishments as what he’s most proud of during his tenure.

“One is that I think we did it right and we always tried to do it right,” he said. “What I mean by that is that we were always very respectful to all of our players that came through here. I think we were always respectful to the university itself and the mission that we stand by and I think that’s how you build a great reputation both as a program and as a person.”

Gaspard said he’d hoped to make at least one College World Series by this point in his tenure, but those plans never materialized.

"Are there some things you would do differently now looking back? Sure there are,” he said. “But it’s not something I would speak of now, and I don’t know that it would have worked. I just think when you don’t have the success, you always wish you would have done a few things differently.”

He believes Alabama can still compete on a national level with the right coach, though

“I think one thing I would say to our fan base, it’s really time for the entire Alabama baseball fan base and just the fan base in general to really get behind this program,” Gaspard said. “This is a critical time for our program, it’s an opportunity to really gain some energy and I think the next coach needs to have 100 percent support from our fan base and we’ve got to do everything we can do to put him in the best position for success. I think this is the time to do it.”

Reach Ben Jones at ben@tidesports.com or 205-722-0196.