UTB-TSC names Aughney baseball coach

When Bryan Aughney came to the realization his playing career wouldn't extend beyond the collegiate ranks, he started working toward a job as a head coach.

He has now achieved that goal.

Former assistant and interim coach Bryan Aughney was introduced Wednesday as coach at the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College, taking over for mentor Joel Barta after he resigned in August to be head coach at Ridgewater College in Willmar, Minn.

"We're excited as a team, and I'm excited to reach one level of my personal goals," said Aughney, whose hiring still must be approved by the University of Texas system. "But the journey is just beginning, and I can't wait to get started.

Aughney has been an assistant at UTB-TSC since Sept. 2007, and he previously has been an assistant at Bellevue University (2006-07) and Northlands College (2004-06).

He also served as hitting coach under Barta with the Wisconsin Woodchucks of the Northwoods League, a summer league for college players, and was a head coach in the Big Sky Baseball League, for players age 18 and under.

"I believe I'm ready, and the university believes I'm ready," Aughney said. "But that's something that shows in time. I'm going to work as hard as I can to continue the success we had on the field last year and help the players achieve success in the classroom come graduation time."

Last season, the Scorpions went 24-32 and were seeded sixth in the Red River Athletic Conference tournament. They finished third and hope to improve this season.

"Obviously we want to build on the strong finish last year," he said." Third place was good, but it's not where we want to be.

"I believe (the players') goal needs to be to win the conference tournament."

To get there, Aughney expects his players to work hard. He called his players "a great group of guys, a mature group," and said they understand the demands on them and that they believe in the program and its philosophy.

Associate vice president for student affairs Vince Soils said Aughney has an extremely strong following among the players, who liked the choice.

"It's pretty exciting," said Tony Lerma Jr., a left-handed pitcher and PSJA North product. "He knows who we are and what we're capable of. That's one of the big things for me. If we bring in somebody else, that affects team chemistry."

Lerma, a junior, said Aughney is an active coach who makes baseball fun, which helped during last season's tournament run. Teammate Evan Hardman, a senior first baseman/pitcher, said Aughney is good with players and especially has helped with hitting.

"He's got a real high baseball IQ, and nothing he says is wrong," Hardman said. "His hiring shows a bright future for our program."

Bryan Read is the East Valley Sports Editor for Valley Freedom Newspapers. You can reach him at (956) 982-6621 or via e-mail at bread@brownsvilleherald.com.