Husker Corner
Fansided

Nebraska Cornhuskers officially open the doors for the return of Rob Childress

By Oliver Vandervoort

Jun 20, 2017; Omaha, NE, USA; Texas A&M Aggies head coach Rob Childress (29) watches batting practice before the game against the TCU Horned Frogs at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 20, 2017; Omaha, NE, USA; Texas A&M Aggies head coach Rob Childress (29) watches batting practice before the game against the TCU Horned Frogs at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

The move most Nebraska Cornhuskers baseball fans knew had to be made, was indeed made on Tuesday morning as Jeff Christy was let go.

The Nebraska baseball team is officially without a pitching coach. It also has a former pitching coach, who oversaw the Huskers staff to some of the best outings in school history, right there in the athletic department.

Is there a chance that the current director of player development could become an on-field coach again? It would seem as though Nebraska Cornhuskers fans are going to find out quickly whether Rob Childress will be offered the job he held so many years ago.

For those who might not remember, Childress was Nebraska’s pitching coach from 1998 to 2005 under Dave Van Horn. When Van Horn left and Mike Anderson was named as his replacement, former Huskers AD Bill Byrne hired Childress away to Texas A&M to be the Aggies’ head coach.

With A&M, Childress went on quite a run, posting a record of 622-236, and going to the postseason every season except for his first, and his last in College Station. It appears Aggie administrators and fans wanted more than just postseason appearances however and weren’t happy with not making the College World Series every year. So in 2021, after posting a 29-27 record and missing the regionals, Childress was fired.

It took no time at all for Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Will Bolt to reach out to Childress and offer him a position at the university. It’s long been thought that Childress was helping the coaches with his expertise. But now that Jeff Christy has been moved out the door, will he become a full-time coach again?

Nebraska Cornhuskers search already over?

The real question is whether or not Childress would be interested. The jettisoning of Christy was certainly a move that most people felt needed to happen after a couple of years in a row with a subpar pitching staff overall.

However, with Christy gone, Bolt is not going to have that scapegoat should he miss the regionals for a third straight year in 2024. The Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach isn’t on the hot seat yet, but the cushion is likely warming a bit.

Would Childress want to deal with whispers and grumblings if the Nebraska baseball team gets off to a rough start next season?

It seems like Nebraska Cornhuskers fans are about to find out the answer to that question. If Will Bolt is smart.

Home/Nebraska Baseball