Lamar Taps LSU Assistant As Gilligan Heir

 

Lamar will hire Louisiana State assistant coach Will Davis as its next head coach following the 2016 season when longtime coach Jim Gilligan retires, the university announced Friday.

Davis, who caught for LSU from 2004-2007, has been a member of the Tigers coaching staff since 2008. He currently serves as third base coach and coaches the outfielders and catchers. Details of when he will join the Lamar program have not yet been determined.

Davis’ father, Randy, was the Louisiana Tech coach for three seasons. Will Davis said he is blessed to be able to follow his father into coaching.

“I am honored and thankful to be named the next head baseball coach at Lamar University,” Davis said. “Today is the day I have dreamed about ever since I was a young boy watching my dad impact young men’s lives in the dugout as a head coach at a Division I university.”

One of the players Davis coached at LSU was center fielder Mikie Mahtook, who was named an All-American in 2011. He took to Twitter on Friday to congratulate Davis.

Congrats @willd52 pic.twitter.com/dES79xfl6J

— Mikie Mahtook (@MikieMahtook8) January 15, 2016

Davis will become the third former LSU player and coach to become a head coach in the Southland Conference. He will join Justin Hill (McNeese State) and Blake Dean (New Orleans).

Louisiana State coach Paul Mainieri said Davis is ready for the opportunity to become a head coach.

“I am so happy for Will to have received this tremendous opportunity,” Mainieri said. “To have the challenge of following in the footsteps of one of the giants of college baseball, Jim Gilligan, is a great honor and responsibility that Will Davis will embrace.”

Gilligan, who has won 1,310 games in 38 years as the Cardinals coach, announced in September that this would be his final season. He is the 19th coach in NCAA history to win 1,300 games and has the most victories in both Lamar and Southland Conference history.

LSU will travel to Lamar for a nonconference game Feb. 24. At his retirement press conference in September, Gilligan thanked Mainieri for scheduling the game.

“Mainieri did me a favor – he’s coming to town – when I told him it was going to be my last year,” Gilligan said.

Now Lamar will be able to thank LSU for more than making the trip to Beaumont, Texas.