Aaron Swick, a 15-year NCAA Div. III head coach who achieved great success at Willamette University (Oregon), has been hired as The College of Wooster’s head baseball coach. Swick officially begins his duties at the College on August 21.
“This summer we navigated a robust and competitive national search to secure our next head baseball coach” shared Libby Ladrach, Wooster’s acting athletic director. “It is with great enthusiasm that we welcome Coach Aaron Swick to the Fighting Scots’ Athletics and Physical Education Department. Aaron offers a holistic and collaborative approach to his people-centered mentorship that values both academic and athletic achievement. We are confident in his leadership as he continues the success of our acclaimed baseball program.”
“I would like to thank Libby Ladrach and the entire search committee for selecting me to be the next head baseball coach at The College of Wooster,” said Swick, who is the fourth person to lead the Fighting Scots’ historic program since 1976. “Throughout the process I was incredibly impressed by the passion of the student-athletes, the collaboration of the people on campus, and the engagement from the baseball community. With a legacy of excellence already in place, I am honored to join a program that has consistently exemplified the highest standards of success on the field and in the classroom. Our goal will be to empower each player to reach their full potential, fostering an environment where they can thrive as people, students, and athletes. I am looking forward to getting to campus and building a program with our players and staff that will not only compete for North Coast Athletic Conference championships, but also continue to be a national contender at the NCAA Div. III level.”
Swick’s Willamette program, which competes in a region that has produced five national champions and one national runner-up since 2013, has been among the most consistent west coast teams in that timespan. Eleven straight Bearcat teams achieved a .500 or better record under Swick’s guidance, headlined by his 2018 squad advancing to the regional championship round following a Northwest Conference Tournament championship. Success in the national tournament, plus tying the program record with 31 wins, resulted in D3baseball.com West Region Coach of the Year laurels.