Sources have confirmed to JWOS that James Madison head coach Mickey Dean will be named to the Tigers’ vacant head coaching position.
Dean had been head coach at James Madison for five seasons and elevated the program to become one of the nation’s elite. The Dukes received a national seed in the 2016 NCAA tournament and hosted a Super Regional in Harrisonburg that same year. In 2017, the Dukes set a program record for single-season victories with fifty-two on the year.
Four times the Colonial Athletic Association’s Coach of the Year, Dean collected 237 wins during his time at JMU, good enough for an .809 winning percentage in his quintet of seasons at the helm of the Dukes program.
At JMU, Dean leaves behind the twice-defending CAA conference champions, as well as reigning National Player of the Year Megan Good.
Prior to James Madison, Dean spent six seasons at Radford, where he collected a 241-116 record and shepherded the program to victory in 80% of its conference games during that time. Dean also spent a single season at Lake City Community College.
Assistant coaching stints at Longwood, Indiana, and Akron also dot Dean’s resume, as does lengthy tenures, as head coach of the Chicago Bandits in the National Pro Fastpitch league and pitching coach for the Venezuelan National Team.
At Auburn, Dean assumes the helm of a program in turmoil following the abrupt retirement of Clint Myers and an ongoing school investigation into the softball program under Myers’ reign. The Tigers finished the 2017 season with a 49-12 record and reached the Super Regional round of the NCAA tournament, but off-field newsmakers primarily revolving around the Myers family, including allegations of improper relationships with players levied against Corey Myers, Clint’s son and a former Auburn assistant coach, tainted the team’s on-field success.
