Quality Candidates Emerging for NMSU Baseball HC Job

Mario Moccia stopped by the 600 ESPN El Paso Lube 'N Go Studios yesterday and addressed the media regarding the coaching search for his NMSU baseball program. Despite losing Brian Green to Washington State earlier this week, Moccia has received a ton of interest in the position from baseball coaches all over the country. The Aggies made an effort to keep Green and donors stepped up to offer him a more lucrative package than his annual salary of $125,000. However, he decided that returning to the Pac 12 and coaching in Pullman was in his best interest. Green will also be making more than two-and-a-half times his salary at NMSU.

Moccia does not want to wait long before he makes his hire. He knows that Toledo, Rutgers, and Oregon also have job openings for their next head coach, along with another half dozen smaller college programs. Moccia was a former standout baseball player at NMSU in the late 1980s and this will be his first baseball head coaching hire.

As for the team on the field, they will need to replace a key member of the roster. Joey Ortiz, who led the nation in multiple offensive categories was drafted with the first pick of the fourth round by the Baltimore Orioles. The New York Mets selected NMSU left handed relief pitcher Andrew Edwards in the 31st round of the MLB Amateur Draft.