Arkansas Associate Head Baseball Coach Todd Butler will be the next head coach at Wichita State, the Razorback Athletic Department confirmed on Sunday.
The first rumors came on Saturday with a report from the Wichita Eagle newspaper. An official press conference is expected for Monday.
Butler has been with the Hogs since 2005 as the hitting coach and was promoted to associate head coach last season.
Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn issued the following statement:
“I want to congratulate Todd Butler on becoming the head baseball coach at Wichita State. Todd was a valuable member of our coaching staff over the last eight years, helping to keep our program among the nation’s elite, and is deserving of this opportunity to advance his coaching career. There’s no doubt in my mind that Todd will be extremely successful as the head coach at Wichita State. I wish nothing but the best for Todd, Melissa and the entire Butler family.”
This will be Butler’s second stint as a college head coach. He spent three seasons as head coach at McNeese State from 2001-03.
He will replace Gene Stephenson at Wichita State. Stephenson was fired after the 2013 season-ending loss to Arkansas in the Manhattan Regional. He had college baseball’s second highest win total in his 36 years with the Shockers.
