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Baseball Head Coach Rob Childress, who is starting his 18th season as a collegiate baseball coach, says he is exactly where he wants to be.

Childress sets goal to build on improvements, get to Omaha

By: Brad Cox

Posted: 2/21/08

Rosenblatt Stadium, home of the College World Series in Omaha, Neb., sits 830 miles away from College Station.

Following a rocky 25-30-1 season in 2006 under new Head Coach Rob Childress, Omaha could not have seemed further away. But Childress was the comeback kid in 2007, leading the Aggie baseball team to a 48-19 record, a Big 12 Tournament championship and a regional championship inside the concrete walls of Olsen Field.

Turns out, Omaha was far closer than anyone had expected. After taking the trophy at the College Station Regional, the Aggies faced in-state baseball rival Rice in a Super Regional in Houston, their first appearance in a Super Regional since 2004.

A&M went down in two narrow losses at Reckling Park, failing to advance to Omaha. It would have been the Aggies' first trip to Omaha since 1999.

"If you played Rice at Olsen Field in a Super Regional, what happens?" Childress asked about the possibilities of the 2007 season. "Maybe the same outcome, maybe not. But we have to put ourselves in the situation to play at home throughout the postseason, and we didn't do that."

Childress said that not putting themselves in the position to host a Super Regional during the season was a factor in the final outcome.

"We didn't take care of business in conference," he said about the Aggies' fifth place 13-13 conference finish. "We were seeded where we deserved to be seeded."

Even with the tough finish, the Gilmer, Texas, native is where he wants to be.

"I always knew I wanted to be a coach," said Childress, who is starting his 18th season as a collegiate baseball coach. "From the time I was in high school, I was blessed because two of my best friends were my high school coach and my college coach. Those guys helped shape my life in a very impressionable time and I knew that's what I wanted to do with kids."

After completing a stint at Northwood University in Cedar Hill, Texas, as a two-time all-conference pitcher, Childress was ready to begin his new career. After graduating in 1990, he began immediate work at Texarkana College under Dave Van Horn, head coach of the Arkansas baseball team.

"Two things that he is great at are recruiting and being an extreme motivator," Childress said about Van Horn. "He was an overachiever as a player and he's dealing with players that were more talented than him. If he can instill that same mentality in players more talented than him, he has got a chance to do something special."

After working coaching jobs at other colleges, Childress took a job as a pitching coach under Van Horn at Nebraska in 1998. During his time there, Childress coached New York Yankee Joba Chamberlain.

Chamberlain's father, who was stricken with polio at an early age, was divorced from Chamberlain's mother when Joba was only 3. Chamberlain was raised by his father in a poor home.

"Knowing where he comes from, knowing what he's had to do to get to the position he's in, I'm proud for him and his family," Childress said. "Sometimes people go through adversity for a reason and he went through a lot of it. It's just a tribute to him, his character and his work ethic."

Childress loved being in Nebraska. At the time before his departure, he felt that he could have been there forever. In fact, one of the things he misses most about Nebraska is the pheasant hunting.

"Being an assistant at Nebraska was better than 75 percent of head coaching jobs in the country," Childress said. "I wasn't going to leave except for a job that was close to my family [in Gilmer] and gave me a shot at getting to Omaha every year."

Before Childress began his third season at A&M, Athletic Director Bill Byrne offered him a contract extension and a raise.

Childress, who had originally signed a five-year contract for $225,000 before the 2005 season, received an extension through 2012 for $215,000 annually with a $75,000 signing bonus. He will receive $80,000 supplemental pay for the next three years and $75,000 for the final two.

"I'm excited about it," Childress said about the extension. "This is the place that we all want to be. We're proud here. I appreciate everything Bill Byrne has done for our baseball program and for me personally."