Obviously there are no guarantees no matter which route we choose to go (HC at D2, D1 asst, etc.), BUT I believe there are a couple of very successful Division II coaches' that need to be considered.
The first is Lander's Kermit Smith. Smith, who has 15 years of head coaching experience despite being just 38 or 39 years old,has taken 2 program to 3 Division 2 World Series in the past eight years and his team is currently playing in Cary as they're in the semifinals against Millersville (PA) tonight at 7pm.
Smith, is well-known for being a tremendous hitting coach, has had this success at 2 programs--Belmont Abbey and Lander--that had very little tradition when he took over. In seven seasons in Greenwood, he has compiled a 244-133 record and is 44-15 this season. His teams have lit up the scoreboard (think about what his teams could potentially do at Smith Stadium) and the Lander program has had 7 players sign pro contracts.
Additionally, he played for Pollard at Pfeiffer so that's another connection to keep in mind.
I think it would be very unwise to not at least gauge Smith's interest, as he likely has aspirations to try his hand at the Division I level with all the success he's had in Division 2.
Another quality Division 2 coach that we should reach out to is Catawba's Jim Gantt. Gantt consistently has that program in the Top 20-25 and they have been to multiple World Series. He has been there for 20 years so he may have strong ties to the area and not want to uproot his family, but he's worth a look.
Some other candidates that have probably already been thrown out is former ASU assistant and current Duke associate HC Josh Jordan. Jordan was an integral part of one of the most successful eras in our program's history under Pollard and has continued to impress on the recruiting trail, etc. in Durham.
We obviously need to be very open-minded and explore other options as well, but these are three that I'd certainly have high on my list of people to discuss the job with.
The more I read about Kermit Smith and talk to people in baseball circles, the more I think he might just be the man for the job.....significant head coaching experience and tremendously successful track record, but at the same time still a relatively young man at 38 or 39 years old.
Hopefully Doug Gillin and the search committee will share these thoughts....
Here's a video of Smith from 2012