This week, I’m glad I’m not Brian Wickstrom and the decision makers in the athletics department. Firing someone isn’t fun. Things get even hairier when that employee has been busting his butt for you for nearly 10 years. Relationships have developed and a championship or two has been won. It was time for Jeff Schexnaider to go nonetheless.
The correlation between the manager and wins in baseball can be minimal. Managers adjust lineups and decide who plays where and when they play there. It’s not like football where a play is called every 30 seconds. Success in baseball relies heavily on what the players do on the field. The tricky part for a manager is that if the players don’t produce, their jobs could be in jeopardy.
This is part of the case of what led the events at ULM this week.
The baseball team is recovering from a majorily dissapointing nine game losing streak that dropped them to a 1-5 Sun Belt Conference record. During that streak there was a span of four games that the Warhawks were outscored 57-6. Three of those games were during a conference opening series with UL-Lafayette (granted this is the best UL-L team in school history thusfar). Still, there is no excuse.
Anytime a manager is fired, the argument of “well he wasn’t the one swinging and missing” and “the ball didn’t go between his legs” comes up. Everything falls back on the manager. It’s a responsibility they accept.
Schexnaider had brushes with glory during his time at ULM. His team wont the Sun Belt Conference title in 2008 and 2012. They made a NCAA regional appearance for the first time in forever. He even won the Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year. This is a cutthroat time in collegiate sports. It’s rings or bust. Nothing in between.
But isnt that the way it should be? In any other profession if you don’t do what is asked of you in your jub description, you get cut loose. Schexnaider’s job was to win. His team hasn’t done much of that in the last year to year and a half.
This move is going to prove to be the right one for ULM baseball and most likely for Schexnaider as well.
Welcome to a new era of Warhawk baseball.
