Reports: Chad Holbrook to College of Charleston hits a snag

Former South Carolina baseball coach Chad Holbrook’s bid to become coach at College of Charleston has hit a snag, according to reports.

Kendall Rogers, a national baseball writer for D1baseball, tweeted that Holbrook was close to a deal before College of Charleston officials backed off.

Holbrook has close ties with Cougars athletic director Matt Roberts, who was a player at North Carolina in the mid-1990s when Holbrook was an assistant there.

N.C. State pitching coach Scott Foxhall is a candidate now being mentioned, according to The Charleston Post and Courier. The paper said former Cougar players are pushing Foxhall, a former College of Charleston player and assistant coach, to board members.

Holbrook, who departed USC following the 2017 season, was considered a strong candidate to replace Matt Heath, whose tumultuous tenure ended with allegations of abusive behavior. Heath took over for current Clemson coach Monte Lee.

At South Carolina, Holbrook took over a team that played in three consecutive College World Series finals and could never return to Omaha. He went 200-106, but his first three teams saw their seasons end earlier than the year before, and despite a 46–18 record and Super Regional trip in 2016, he missed the NCAA Tournament two of his final three seasons.

That snapped a run of 15 NCAA Tournament appearances.

C of C is coming off a 28-31 record and its first losing season since 2001. Under Lee, College of Charleston reached the NCAA Tournament four times in his final six seasons, with an regional win in 2014.

The College of Charleston president is former South Carolina Lieutenant Governor Glenn McConnell.

This story was originally published July 19, 2017 at 10:45 AM with the headline "Reports: Chad Holbrook to College of Charleston hits a snag."