RICE: BASEBALL COACH THRILLED TO BE HERE.
New coach’s hopes sky-high for what he calls an elite program
Fifteen years ago, Matt Bragga sat in front of a hiring committee in Cookeville, Tenn., hoping to become Tennessee Tech’s next baseball coach.
As the 12 committee members flipped to the final page of his presentation booklet, they were greeted by a picture of Rosenblatt Stadium, the site of the College World Series until 2010. Bragga declared that, if hired, he would take the Golden Eagles to Omaha, Neb.
Two people in the room laughed at the prediction. But Thursday, as Bragga was formally introduced as Rice’s new baseball coach at Reckling Park, that same optimism was met with a more adoring response.
“When you look at Rice, you think about baseball,” Bragga said. “This is a job that’s an elite program in college baseball and my expectations for what is going to happen here are high.”
Bragga, 45, hurdled lower expectations on the way to developing Tennessee Tech into one of the surprise programs in college baseball. His Golden Eagles won back-to-back Ohio Valley Conference regular-season titles the past two seasons and narrowly missed a shot at Omaha when they fell to Texas in Game 3 of the Austin super regional this month.
The Friday prior to the super regional, Rice athletic director Joe Karlgaard reached out to gauge Bragga’s interest in the job, which was vacant for the first time in nearly three decades after Wayne Graham’s contract wasn’t renewed.
“The Rice baseball family hasn’t been through this in a while,” Karlgaard said. “Twenty-seven years ago, Bobby May introduced Wayne Graham as the 20th head coach in Rice history. Coach Graham took over a program without a compelling story.”
Outpouring of support
Bragga is hoping to write his own legacy at Rice and he has been humbled by Graham’s openness to assist.
“I called coach Graham on Monday,” he said. “It was a phenomenal phone call. I had a great conversation with him, and it kind of set the tone for yesterday when I got to meet him for the first time in my life. He took a minute to walk my entire family around the facility. I got to shake his hand and meet him, and I’ll continue to pick his brain on the game of baseball.”
Bragga also has heard from many alumni, including those who were vying for the job. Since being named the new coach on June 15, he has heard from Astros manager A. J. Hinch and former Owls such as Lance Berkman and Jose Cruz Jr.
“You also think of all the guys that have come through this program — the alumni, the players, the guys that have played before that led to all those College World Series appearances,” Bragga said. “It’s been really exciting.”
‘It’s only going to get better’
As Bragga looks to make the program his own, he’s preparing to develop relationships with high school coaches in Texas as well as those of travel ball and junior college programs. He already has talked to all of his new players either by phone or in person. Creating offseason throwing and lifting programs is another priority.
“We have got to get on the road and start working,” Bragga said. “But at the same time we have got to make sure we have the right pieces to the puzzle to get out there and start doing our work, so I’m going to take my time to make sure we have those pieces.”
He is hoping to replicate the offensive success that helped Tennessee Tech this season produce a nation-best 53 wins — a school and conference record.
The four-time Ohio Valley Conference Coach of the Year has posted 446 wins, the second most in Tennessee Tech history. This year’s postseason excursion represented the program’s first trip to the super regionals.
“Five of the last six years we’ve been in the top 10 in runs scored and home runs and so it’s kind of been our M.O.,” he said. “But I’m also smart enough to know that if you’re going to win championships — and we won six in 10 years at Tennessee Tech — it’s got to start on the mound.”
As he transitions to Rice, Bragga is confident his success at Tennessee Tech can translate to the small private school.
“If you can do it at Tennessee Tech — because the resources aren’t bad but not great, I was very well-supported — you can do it big time at Rice,” he said. “It’s only going to get better.”