Baseball Head Coach Rayner Noble Given Contract Extension
6/28/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
June 28, 2007
HOUSTON - University of Houston baseball head coach Rayner Noble received a contract extension, director of athletics Dave Maggard announced Thursday afternoon.
Noble had three years remaining on the contract that he signed two seasons ago, but Thursday's deal will extend him through the 2012 season. Terms of the extension were not disclosed.
"Rayner has done a great job with our baseball program, and it is our desire that he directs our team for many years to come," Maggard said. "With this long-term contract, we are expressing our full confidence in his ability to not only maintain the positive continuity in the program but also to bring the program to an even higher level."
"It's awfully nice of Dave to do that, especially after a disappointing season," Noble said. "It's nice to know that you have a boss that has a lot of faith in what you are doing. I have a lot of faith in what he is doing with this Athletics Department."
Although the Cougars struggled to a 28-28 record in 2007, the team showed glimpses of a promising future. Freshman southpaw Wes Musick was an All-Conference USA First-Team honoree during his first collegiate season and earned a place on a pair of Freshmen All-America teams.
Sophomore outfielder Jimmy Cesario emerged as one of C-USA's most consistent sluggers, rapping out a 20-game hitting streak - the fifth longest in UH history - and was named the league's Newcomer of the Year for his steady performance.
Junior righthander Aaron Brown was taken in the ninth round by the Seattle Mariners during the MLB annual amateur draft. This marked the 11th time in Noble's 13 seasons at the helm that at least one Cougar player was taken in the draft. It also was the 16th selection in the Top 10 rounds by a Noble-coached player.
Fifteen letterwinners return from the 2007 season and will be joined by a talented group of newcomers. The Cougars also will be bolstered by the return of righthanders Dereck Cloeren and Ricky Hargrove and outfielder Jake Stewart. That group was forced to miss most of the 2007 season with injuries.
With all of that in mind, there is little doubt why Noble is optimistic about the Cougars' chances in 2008 and the future.
"I feel good about the direction that our baseball program is headed. We have some outstanding young players coming, and they are going to continue to come (in the future)," Noble said. "If we can get some key pitchers healthy (in 2008), we can get back in the saddle and get moving in the right direction again."
Noble has posted a 457-333 all-time record in 13 seasons with the Cougars. He joins current volleyball head coach Bill Walton and legendary men's basketball coach Guy V. Lewis as the only coaches in UH history to record at least 400 victories as a Cougar.
During his tenure, he has led his teams to three appearances in NCAA Super Regional championship games, seven NCAA Regional berths, three Conference USA regular-season titles and a pair of C-USA Tournament championships.
The winningest coach in program history, Noble also has guided 26 All-Conference First-Team selections as well as Brad Lincoln, the 2006 National Player of the Year. He was named the 1999 and 2000 C-USA Coach of the Year and was recognized as the 2002 ABCA South Central Region Coach of the Year.
