Tom Slater Named Auburn Baseball Coach

June 29, 2004

Tom Slater

AUBURN – Auburn Interim President Ed Richardson announced Tuesday that Tom Slater has been named head baseball coach.  Slater, who was an assistant during one of the most successful six-year periods in Auburn history, spent last season as an assistant at Florida after serving three years as the head coach at Virginia Military Institute.

“I am extremely excited to be returning to Auburn,” said Slater.  “I am looking forward to coaching what I believe is one of the best baseball programs in the country.   I am confident of our ability to consistently achieve a high level of success.  I can’t wait to get started.”

While at Auburn from 1995-2000, Slater helped lead the Tigers to five NCAA Regional appearances including two Regional championships in 1997 and 1999, a Super Regional berth and one appearance in the College World Series in 1997.

Slater also helped guide the Tigers to a record of 265-111 for a winning percentage of .705.   The 265 wins ranked 11th in the nation during that six-year period.  Auburn posted the four highest win totals in the program’s history including 50-win campaigns in 1995 and 1997 and 46-win seasons in 1998 and 1999.  Auburn also captured an SEC Western Division championship in 1995 and claimed the 1998 SEC Tournament title.

"We are excited that Coach Slater has chosen to join us here at Auburn as head baseball coach," said AU Interim President Ed Richardson. "He has experience with the Auburn program and in the Southeastern Conference, both of which should serve him well in getting our baseball program where it needs to be."

Last season while at Florida, the Gators posted a 43-22 record and its first ever NCAA Super Regional appearance after winning the Oklahoma City Regional.   Slater, who was responsible for Florida’s offense, helped the team improve from a ninth-place ranking in batting average in SEC games to a second-place finish in 2004.  Florida also finished second in the conference in runs, third in home runs and fifth in stolen bases, all improvements from the previous season.

In 2001, Slater returned to his alma mater, VMI as head coach.   He turned around the VMI program, leading the Keydets to a school-record 24 victories and 16 league wins in 2003 while posting the first winning record in conference play since 1989.   In 2003, he was named the Southern Conference Coach of the Year.   His overall record at VMI was 49-101.

Slater also coached VMI’s first freshman All-America and had three players selected in the MLB amateur draft following the 2003 season, which was the most in a single draft in school history. 

“Tom Slater has established himself as one of the top assistants in the SEC and country,” said Athletic Assistant to the President, Hal Baird.  “As an assistant, he was a part of five championships at two SEC programs.  As a head coach, he took over a moribund program and within three years, established a school record for overall and conference wins as well as earning Coach of the Year honors.  He is a great addition to the Auburn athletic family.”

Slater began his coaching career in 1991 as an assistant coach at St. Christopher’s School in Richmond, Va.  He also served as an assistant at Marshall in 1992 and VMI in 1993-94.

A native of Richmond and a class of 1990 graduate of VMI, Slater was a four-year starter for the Keydets and ended his career ranked in the top five in RBI, total bases, runs scored and doubles.  He helped lead VMI to a 1988 Southern Conference Northern Division Championship.

Slater, 36, is married to the former Beth Tani of Fairfax, Va.  The couple have two children, Julia, 5, and Jack, 2.

Quoting Auburn Interim President Ed Richardson

"Obviously we're here to make another announcement. We're very pleased to make this announcement.  Hal and I have been working on this for sometime and we believe that you're going to see the Auburn baseball program in good hands and with a very bright future.  I would say out front what really impressed me is when I asked him something about the program, he broke down every player and showed where we clearly have some major gaps in our program that would present serious problems if not corrected. He saw it already. I believe that this is the person that will lead us in the right direction, and I'm quite confident of that."

Quoting Auburn Athletic Assistant to the President Hal Baird

"We're here today to welcome Tom Slater back to the Auburn athletic family.  Of course, Tom coached six years in our program, and, as a result of that, he knows Auburn very well.  He believes in Auburn and what can be accomplished here.  He knows what our athletic expectations are.  He's a very tough and tireless recruiter and worker, and those are great starting points from which to begin a head coaching experience here."

Quoting Auburn Baseball Coach Tom Slater

"I'm truly excited to be back on the Plains.  I'd really like to thank Dr. Richardson and Coach Baird for this wonderful opportunity to be the head baseball coach at Auburn.  We have one of the best baseball programs in the country, and we definitely have the best facility.  We're going to get after it from a recruiting standpoint and a player development standpoint to make sure that we have one of the best baseball teams in the country." 

On his mentors*
"I'd also like to thank briefly Coach Baird (at Auburn) and Coach Pat McMahon, who I worked under at Florida. They've been tremendous mentors.  I've learned an awful lot from both of them and I want to thank them for teaching me all that I have learned." 

On his family*
"As far as my family, many of you know Beth. She worked here in the Alumni Development Center during our six years here.  She and I are very excited to be returning to where our daughter Julia was born.  We now have a young son named Jack and we have a lot of friends still in town.  We are very excited to be back in this great town."

On Auburn*
"I'm looking forward to playing in that great facility.  This is one of the best universities in the country with the best fans in the SEC.  I'm excited to be back."

On his staff*
"We're going to keep Chris Finwood.  He's done a tremendous job of bridging the gap during the coaching change.  He's kept up with the recruited players here and a lot of players already in the program.  He's a great friend and a good coach.  As far as a pitching coach is concerned, I am looking at three or four guys that I will be speaking with in the coming week."   

On recruiting*
"July 1 starts the period of recruiting for rising high school seniors. At Florida, they already have five commitments for next year. We have got to get started on that. We have got to get some kids committed here. Right now, with July 1 two days away, we have to start with the phone calls. Our work is going to be cut out for us."

On state scholarships*
"Our facility is one that will be able to attract any recruit we want in the country. With Auburn University added to this facility we have, we will be able to attract whomever we want. I don't think the Hope Scholarship or the Florida Bright Future's program made those two programs (Georgia and Florida) the best in the conference. We were battling the same things when I was here the first time, and we had tremendous success here despite those kinds of programs."

On his coaching strategy*
"Winning starts from day one. You have to have a good plan implemented from the beginning to get the wins later. It starts immediately."

"I'm a very aggressive coach. I ran the offense at Florida last year. We will do a lot of hitting and running, stealing bases and moving the runners along. We also hit some home runs at Florida. We're going to be an aggressive offensive team. Our players will play with a lot of emotion and aggression."

On replacing Steve Renfroe*
"Steve and I are very good friends. We coached together for six years. It's never easy to replace someone you have tremendous respect for."