Brosius steps away from Linfield
He returned the reins to the man he replaced nine years ago, Athletic Director Scott Carnahan. Carnahan served as head coach for 24 years before hiring Brosius and reducing his own role to pitching coach.
Brosius played at Linfield for three years. He went on to spend 11 years in the Major Leagues, seven with the Oakland Athletics and four with the New York Yankees.
With the Yankees, he earned a Golden Glove award, made the all-star team, helped win three World Series titles and earned Most Valuable Player honors in the 1998 series.
A native of Milwaukie, Brosius maintained a residence in McMinnville throughout his playing days and returned when he retired.
At Linfield, he turned an already well-regarded baseball program into a perennial powerhouse. During his tenure, the Wildcats won five Northwest Conference championships, four NCAA Division III regional championships and the 2013 national NCAA Division III title.
Brosius has a son, David, who will be joining the Oregon State University pitching roster in the fall. A powerhouse in its own right in NCAA Division I, recruited David on the basis of a stellar career at McMinnville High.
“It is with very mixed emotions that I step down, as I have a deep love for this school and the baseball program,” Brosius said in a prepared statement. “I’ve come to realize there is never a good time to step away, but only what I feel is the right time. With our three children now graduated, my wife Jennifer and I felt the timing is right to begin our next adventure.”
Brosius compiled a 270-96 win-loss record at his alma mater. He went 29-14 in six post-season runs and won conference coach of the year honors five times.
According to the Linfield website, he is planning to explore new coaching opportunities elsewhere. Speculation has it that he is considering a post at OSU, but he did not speak to that himself.
“By far the hardest part of this decision is saying goodbye to the players and coaches,” Brosius said. “Linfield is a special place, and the players in our program are special people, so I will greatly miss the time on and off the field with them.
“I will forever be grateful for the opportunities Scott Carnahan has given me as both a student-athlete and coach. Carney and I have a deep friendship and I will miss coaching with him.”
The Wildcats finished 33-15 overall and 16-8 in the NWC this year. They ended tied for second in conference standings.
They earned an at-large berth to the Division III tournament, but were eliminated by Texas-Tyler in regional play.
Comments
Don Dix
Odds are better than not that Scott will be named head coach @ Oregon State since his son will be a freshman @ OSU next fall. This has been in the works since last year when David (Brosius) signed with the Beavers.
Linfield's baseball program is one of the best in D3, and the tradition should carry on into the future.
As a Wildcat alum, I wish the best for Scott and his family going forward, and thank him for molding his players into not only baseball players, but more importantly, fine young men!