Rob Vaughn is entering his first season as Maryland’s head coach after being named to the post in June of 2017. Vaughn, the eighth head coach in school history, is in his sixth season overall at Maryland after five years as an assistant, most recently as associate head coach.

Including 2017 draftees Kevin Smith and Marty Costes, Vaughn has coached 26 players who have been drafted or signed professional contracts in his seven years as a coach.

Maryland has won 30 games in each five of Vaughn’s seasons, a school-record streak. The Terps won a program-record 42 games in 2015, and the top three winningest seasons in Maryland history (2015, 2014, 2017) have all come with Vaughn on staff. The Terps have won eight NCAA Tournament games with Vaughn in College Park after winning just one in the entirety of the program’s history.

Vaughn’s player development ability has paid dividends for Maryland’s position players over his five years in College Park. He has helped produce two All-Americans (Brandon Lowe, Kevin Martir), four freshman All-Americans, 10 all-conference selections and eight draft picks. He helped Lowe become Maryland’s highest drafted position player in 13 years when he was taken 87^th overall in 2015.

As the leader of Maryland’s offense, Vaughn has promoted an exciting offensive style that has utilized both speed and power. In 2017, the Terps hit 67 home runs and stole 101 bases, both marks that ranked in the top-35 in the nation.

After serving as assistant head coach for two seasons, Vaughn was promoted to associate head coach in July of 2016.

As the head of Maryland’s recruiting efforts, Vaughn helped orchestrate the highest ranked class in Maryland history in 2015. D1Baseball.com gave the Terps their best rating in history (17), while Baseball America (22) and Collegiate Baseball Newspaper (27) also gave the class stellar marks.

Maryland’s freshmen did not wait to make an impact in 2016, with second baseman Nick Dunn earning Big Ten All-Freshman and All-Big Ten third team honors. Under Vaughn’s tutelage, Dunn emerged as one of the best freshman hitters in the conference, leading Maryland with a .300 average and 16 doubles. Dunn also earned Big Ten Player and Freshman of the Week honors in single week, becoming the first double player/freshman of the week in the Big Ten since Kyle Johnson did it for Purdue in 2013.

Fellow freshman Marty Costes earned Big Ten All-Freshman honors after leading the Terps in home runs (9) and slugging (.479). Costes was also a two-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week. That helped Maryland to a school record seven conference player of the week honors during the 2016 season. Vaughn also oversaw the transformation of Kevin Biondic, who raised his average from his freshman year mark of .183 to .278.

Vaughn’s development of Anthony Papio paid dividends for the Terps as the Maryland native finished his career with the second most triples in Maryland history (9) and the third most in a single season in 2016 (4).

The 2015 season saw Vaughn’s offense put up huge power numbers. Maryland slugged 52 home runs, a 33 home run jump from 2014. Six Terps notched five home runs or more with Cuas leading the charge with 11. The Terps also put up more doubles (114) and triples (19) than in 2014. Maryland’s slugging percentage jumped from .359 to .405. This offensive helped the Terps win a school record 42 games and capture their second straight NCAA Regional title.

Lowe staked his claim as one of the best hitters in the nation under Vaughn. The second baseman was named a second team All-American by D1Baseball.com and earned First Team All-Big Ten honors after a season that saw him bat .331 with a team-high 58 runs and 53 RBIs. Lowe also hit nine home runs, notched a team-high 18 doubles and four triples. Lowe ranked in the top-15 of the Big Ten in all major offensive categories and earned Big Ten Player of the Week on one occasion. Lowe was also named to the midseason USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award watch list. The award is given to the best amateur baseball player in the country.

Martir became one of the best offensive catchers in the country in 2015, earning third team All-American honors. Martir ranked seventh in the Big Ten with a .342 average, eighth in doubles (17), eighth in slugging (.502) and second in OBP (.441). Martir also notched 45 RBIs and hit seven home runs. Cuas earned second team All-Big Ten honors after another season under Vaughn’s tutelage. His 11 home runs and 53 RBIs ranked third in the Big Ten.

Vaughn also helped Kevin Smith become Maryland’s third Freshman All-American in the last two seasons. Smith notched a .273 average with 55 runs scored and 35 RBIs. He recorded 14 doubles and hit seven home runs. Smith was named a Freshman All-American by Perfect Game and D1Baseball.com and also was a member of the 2015 Big Ten All-Tournament Team. He was also Big Ten Freshman of the Week on one occasion.

Vaughn also oversaw the late season offensive explosion of junior LaMonte Wade, who was named the most outstanding player of the Los Angeles Regional after hitting two home runs to help the Terps overcome top overall seed UCLA. Wade finished his injury impacted season with a .335 average and a .468 slugging percentage.

In 2014, Vaughn helped the Terps become one of the most dangerous offensive teams in the country over the final two months. Beginning in May, Maryland hit .294 as a team with a .399 slugging percentage en route to a NCAA Super Regional berth and the first 40-win season in school history. During that span, the Terps belted out 47 extra-base hits in 19 games including eight home runs.

Vaughn oversaw the development and emergence of second baseman Brandon Lowe. After missing the 2013 season with a knee injury, Lowe finished second in the ACC in hitting (.348) and on-base percentage (.464), led the team in slugging (.464) and tied for the team lead in RBI (42). Lowe earned freshman All-American honors from Baseball America, Louisville Slugger, NCBWA and Perfect Game becoming the first Maryland player, along with pitcher Mike Shawaryn, to earn All-American status since 2002 as well as earning third team All-ACC honors.

The native of Humble, Texas, believes in an aggressive offensive approach built around speed and applying pressure to opposing defenses. After totaling 94 stolen bases in 2013; a mark that ranked second in the Atlantic Coast Conference and 30th nationally, Maryland totaled 85 stolen bases in 2014, which ranked second in the ACC and 32nd nationally.

Over the two seasons, Maryland’s aggressive offensive approach on the base paths was spearheaded by White. During the 2014 season, White swiped a team-high 25 stolen bases after stealing a Maryland single-season record with 39 in 2013, which led the ACC and tied for fourth nationally. For his career, White totaled 86 stolen bases to set a Maryland record.

Under Vaughn’s tutelage, White also earned All-ACC honors in his final two seasons in College Park. As Maryland’s table setter, White hit .290 in 2014 with a .400 OBP and scored a team-high 49 runs en route to being selected in the 21st round of the 2014 MLB Draft by the Chicago Cubs.

In addition, Schmit had a career year in 2014 finishing second on the team in batting average (.309), OBP (.413) and slugging (.420), and led the club in doubles (18). Schmit was drafted in the 26th round of the 2014 MLB Draft by the Minnesota Twins.

In 2013, his first season in College Park, the Terps saw their batting average jump 11 points in 2013 from the 2012 season along with increases in several other offensive categories. Along with the jump in batting average, the Terps saw an increase in slugging percentage, and an 18-point increase in on-base percentage (.358 to .376). The Terps also recorded 118 doubles, an increase of 20 from the season before, 11 shy of the program record.

Before coming to Maryland, Vaughn spent the 2011-2012 seasons as a volunteer assistant coach at Kansas State, where he coached the catchers, hitters and was in charge of base-running instruction.

A native of Humble, Texas, Vaughn began his coaching career in 2010 after spending two seasons in the Chicago White Sox organization. Vaughn served as student assistant coach before being elevated to a volunteer assistant coach prior to the 2011 season. In that capacity, Vaughn worked with the catchers, served as the first base coach, assisted with hitting and pitching instruction, and oversaw all on-campus recruiting activities.

Vaughn is no stranger to building tradition as he helped Kansas State reach the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history in 2009 as a player, then saw it reach the post season for the third straight year in 2011 as a coach. While at K-State, he helped tutor three top-10 round picks in the MLB Draft in Jason King, Nick Martini and Jared King, while helping three other hitters achieve draft status that were previously undrafted. As a player at Kansas State, Vaughn caught the Big 12 Pitcher of the Year, All-American and fourth round pick, AJ Morris. In addition, Vaughn also caught Brad Hutt, the career wins leader at K-State, as well as James Allen, who is the all-time leader in saves for the Wildcats.

Vaughn was drafted in the 30th round in the 2009 MLB Draft and was fortunate to play and work with some of the best guys in the business. While in the White Sox organization with Bristol (Rookie), Great Falls (Rookie) and Kannapolis (Low A), Vaughn hit .228 with two doubles, five home runs and 13 RBI in 29 games between Bristol and Kannapolis in 2009. He followed that up by hitting .277 with five RBI in 19 games with Great Falls.

OFFENSIVE IDENTITY

Vaughn utilizes the offense identity that he refers to as “The Pack.” Every single hitter in “The Pack” has a role. Some run, some drive in runs, some are masters of execution and some do all three, but they all know their role. They function together as a unit and all play with the three Pillars of the Pack: Approach, Toughness and Intensity.

THE STRENGTH OF THE PACK IS THE WOLF; THE STRENGTH OF THE WOLF IS THE PACK.