Former Oklahoma head coach Pete Hughes was introduced as the newest Kansas State head baseball coach on Tuesday, June 12.
Hughes signed a five-year contract guaranteeing him $375,000 pay in his first year with a 10,000 dollar yearly increase for the remainder of the contract.
“He is an extremely hard worker,” Gene Taylor, director of K-State Athletics, said at a press conference. “He’s a tremendous family man. He is tremendous in the community. His teams are going to be some of the most fundamentally sound and competitive baseball programs in the country. Coaches said, ‘We don’t like playing against his teams.’”
Hughes said it’s an “absolute honor” to fill the position.
“June 12, today, is always going to be remembered as a great day in our household, because today, we instantly become members of a tremendous college community and are a part of that,” Hughes said in a press conference. “I am going to build this program like I have in past experiences. It is going to come from a strong foundation. Our foundation is going to be deeply rooted in our academic message, what we do in the community and how we prepare on the baseball field, in the weight room and all of our training.”Related:
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In 21 years as a head coach, divided between Trinity University (’97-’98), Boston College (’99-’06), Virginia Tech (’07-’13) and Oklahoma (’14-’17), Hughes has a career record of 652-492-3 (.570). His teams reached the NCAA Regionals three times. In 2018, Hughes served as an assistant coach at Georgia where the team earned a seed in the NCAA Tournament.
His reputation includes multiple coaching awards and program turnarounds. He was named the New England Coach of the Year and BIG EAST Coach of the Year twice.
Virginia Tech had not reached the postseason since 2000 when Hughes took over the program. He led the program to five consecutive 30-win seasons. In two of those seasons, the team reached tournament play.
K-State has not finished better than sixth in the Big 12 since the 2013 season when the Wildcats won the conference title and advanced to the College World Series Super Regional. During this postseason run, the Wildcats were ranked 13th in the nation.
Hughes is the 21st head baseball coach in K-State program history.
