Liberty quite clearly has money to spend on its athletics program, based on the move announced by the school on Monday, that it has poached VCU baseball coach Bradley LeCroy.
I mean, even the big boys don’t make money at baseball, and yet, you can guess that this hire didn’t come cheap, based on the out-of-whack marketplace.
LeCroy led the Rams to the 2024 NCAA Tournament in his second season with that program, guiding VCU to a 38-23 record that included a regular-season win over NC State, which went on to earn a berth in the 2024 College World Series, and a 1-0 win over #22 Wake Forest in the NCAA Regionals.
“Bradley is an outstanding baseball coach who thoroughly impressed us during the search process,” Liberty AD Ian McCaw said. “He has excelled as a top assistant in the SEC and ACC before leading a remarkable turnaround at VCU. He is very relational, positive and embraces Liberty’s Christian mission. We are excited to welcome Bradley, Meredith, Crew and Cooper to the Mountain.”
LeCroy replaces Scott Jackson, who stepped down last week, leaving the program after eight seasons to return to UNC, where he had been an assistant from 2009-2016 before taking the job at Liberty.
Jackson was 246-181 at Liberty, with three NCAA Tournament appearances, but his last two seasons saw the Flames stumble to under-.500 finishes, including a 24-34 mark in 2024.
LeCroy, prior to his brief tenure at VCU, was an assistant for more than two decades, including a 15-year stint at his alma mater, Clemson, and three years at Tennessee.
That’s a solid resume.
“I want to thank Ian McCaw and Mickey Guridy for making this such a seamless process,” LeCroy said. “While we will forever cherish our time at VCU, my family and I are looking forward to becoming a part of the Liberty family, and I am incredibly excited to be the next leader of the Liberty baseball program.”