Assistant to be interim head coach for ODU baseball

NORFOLK

Old Dominion will wait until the conclusion of the next season to replace departing head baseball coach Jerry Meyers, who resigned over the weekend to become the pitching coach at South Carolina.

Until then, Nate Goulet will serve as ODU's interim head coach. Goulet spent the last two days assuring the Monarchs' incoming recruiting class that the ship would continue to sail.

As recruiting coordinator under Meyers, Goulet played a major role in landing the 11 players coming into the program this fall.

"It would be awkward to ramp up a search right as school is about to start," athletic director Wood Selig said. "We just felt it would limit our selection. Plus, having Nate run the program gives us some continuity. We're just asking our returning and incoming student/athletes to have some patience with this process."

Still somewhat shocked that Meyers is leaving, Goulet said Monday he intends to perform well enough to become a candidate for the job.

"I really thought Jerry was leaning towards staying, so I was a little stunned by the decision," said Goulet, an assistant for Meyers in each of his six years at ODU. "I think a lot of good things are about to happen concerning ODU baseball, and I really like the incoming class.

"I plan to take this opportunity and run with it. I know they are going to open this up to a national search. But this is what I've always wanted to do."

Two of ODU's top incoming players - Indian River High's Dean Ali and Grassfield's Cody Cox - said they intend to honor their commitments to ODU.

"I'm disappointed that coach Meyers is going to South Carolina because he's one of the top pitching coaches in the nation," said Ali, a first-team All-Tidewater selection.

"I was really looking forward to working with him. Still, ODU is the place I wanted to go."

Cox, also a first-team All-Tidewater pick, was drafted by the Chicago Cubs and toyed with the idea of signing straight out of high school.

"I understand coach Meyers has a great opportunity," Cox said. "But his going to South Carolina isn't changing my decision. I'm going to ODU."

Before taking over at ODU, Meyers was the pitching coach at South Carolina, which reached the College World Series from 2002 to 2004. Now, he returns to a program with a College World Series title.

Meyers was 167-158 in six years at the helm at ODU, including 24-30 this past spring.

Rich Radford, (757) 446-2463 rich.radford@pilotonline.com