Todd Butler is beginning his second season as the head coach at Wichita State. He came to the Shockers after spending the previous eight seasons as the hitting instructor, outfield coach and recruiting coordinator at Arkansas.
Butler spent 16 seasons as an assistant coach in the Southeastern Conference under legendary Alabama coach Jim Wells and Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn. He also spent three years as the head coach at McNeese State from 2001-03.
He is known around the country for his ability to attract the best talent and develop strong hitters. During Butler’s 22-year career as a NCAA Division I assistant or head coach, he has helped his teams to five College World Series appearances, 17 NCAA regionals, four NCAA super regionals, six conference tournament championships and his teams have been ranked No. 1 five times in his career. In addition, Butler has coached 32 All-Americans and Freshman All-Americans, 145 players drafted in the MLB Draft and 26 Major League players.
WICHITA STATE (2014-present)
Butler was hired as the head coach at Wichita State in June of 2013 and he led the Shockers to a 31-28 overall record in 2014 and a 13-8 record in the Missouri Valley Conference.
First baseman Casey Gillaspie became the 55th Shocker to be named an All-American and the fifth to be named a consensus first team All-American. Gillaspie was the 14th Shocker player to be drafted in the first round as he was the 20th overall pick to the Tampa Bay Rays. Gillaspie finished his junior season hitting .389 with 32 hits, 15 doubles, 15 home runs, 50 RBI and 58 walks.
Three other Shockers were also drafted including A.J. Ladwig in the 11th round to the Detroit Tigers, Chase Simpson in the 14th round to the Pittsburgh Pirates and Tyler Baker in the 15th round to the Arizona Diamondbacks.
In the fall of 2014, Butler and his staff landed the No. 2 recruiting class in the nation according to Collegiate Baseball.
ARKANSAS (2006-13)
In his eight seasons at Arkansas, Butler helped the Razorbacks to two College World Series appearances (2009 Final Four, 2012 Final Four), eight NCAA regional berths, three NCAA super regional appearances and two SEC Western Division titles. In addition, Butler constructed five top-10 recruiting classes and had 51 players taken in the MLB Draft including 12 players taken in the first two rounds.
In 2013, Butler helped the Razorbacks to a 12th-straight NCAA Tournament appearance and a preseason No. 1 ranking. The team finished 39-22 and second in the SEC Western Division. Arkansas had 10 MLB draft picks in the June draft, which was the most in college baseball in 2013. The Razorbacks also had six players that played with College Team USA (2006-2013).
For the second time in his tenure at Arkansas, Butler helped the Razorbacks to the College World Series in 2012. Timely hitting and strong defense helped the Razorbacks win their first two games in Omaha and ultimately finish in a tie for third. The Razorback offense finished near the top of the SEC in several offensive categories during league play. Against the rugged SEC schedule, Arkansas was second in on base percentage (.355), second in runs scored (158), second in RBI (141), tied for second in doubles (55) and third in walks (113). Arkansas finished the 2012 season with 46 victories, the most wins in a season since 1990 and the sixth-highest single-season total in school history. Arkansas won at least 40 games in a season for the 18th time in program history and for the fourth-consecutive year The Razorbacks finished the season ranked in the top six in all four of the major college baseball polls, including a final No. 3 national ranking in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches poll, the NCBWA poll and the Collegiate Baseball poll.
In 2011, Butler helped guide the Razorbacks to an SEC Western Division title, a 10th straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament and the 17th 40-win season in program history, including the third consecutive season of at least 40 wins. With power numbers down throughout college baseball, the Razorbacks found another way to produce runs, the stolen base. The Razorbacks led the SEC with 122 stolen bases, which were the sixth most in school history, and were only caught stealing 27 times, an 82 percent success rate.
The 2010 Arkansas offense was one of the most prolific in school history. The Razorbacks finished the season with a .306 team batting average, the first time since the 2005 season that the Razorbacks had closed a year with a better than .300 team batting average. Zack Cox set the single season record for batting average (.429) and hits (102) and was a first round draft pick. Arkansas also set a school record with 92 home runs hit during the 2010 season. This high-powered offense helped the team to a 43-21 record and a trip to the NCAA Super Regionals for the second-straight year, marking the first consecutive trips to a Super Regional in program history.
In 2009, the Razorbacks used a combination of power and team speed to advance to the College World Series for the sixth time in program history. The hot-swinging Razorbacks blasted their way through the Norman Regional, on their way to producing 38 runs in the three-game round. Arkansas went on to add 16 runs to its postseason total in a sweep of Florida State in the Tallahassee Super Regional. The hitting barrage carried over into the Razorbacks’ first game in Omaha with 10 runs against Cal State Fullerton.
In 2007, Arkansas hit .288 and finished second in the SEC with 75 home runs on its way to capturing the SEC Western Division title and advancing to the championship game of the SEC Tournament.
Butler has constructed 10 recruiting classes that ranked among the nation’s top 10 including five in his eight years with the Razorbacks. The 2010 recruiting class was ranked eighth by Baseball America, while his 2008 recruiting class was ranked fourth by Collegiate Baseball, the highest ranking in school history. Both the 2005 and 2006 classes were ranked 10th by Baseball America. In 2005, the publication tabbed Arkansas’ recruiting class as the nation’s top junior college collection of players and some of those players have already made their mark in professional baseball as right-handed pitchers Jess Todd and Duke Welker were both drafted in the second round of the 2007 MLB Draft. Todd ascended quickly through the St. Louis Cardinals’ organization and was called up to the big leagues in June 2009, while Welker made his Major League debut in 2013.
On the field, Butler also made a huge impact with the Razorbacks as his teams produced five of the top 10 home run hitting clubs in program history. In Butler’s first season, the Razorbacks belted 65 home runs which ranked sixth all-time. Since then, the 2007 team blasted 75 home runs in 64 games, the 2008 team hit 77 in 58 contests, the 2009 team hit 80 in 65 games, while the 2010 team belted 92 homers in 64 games, an average of 1.44 homers per game.
While his influence on the Razorbacks as a whole was profound, it’s the work he accomplished with several individuals that paints a much brighter picture. Danny Hamblin was a terror at the plate during the 2006 and 2007 seasons as he produced some of the biggest single-season home run totals ever. Hamblin connected for 17 home runs as a junior after hitting just 17 his first two seasons at Arkansas. Despite getting drafted by the Oakland A’s, Hamblin returned to Arkansas for his senior season and slammed another 22 home runs, the second-highest single-season total in school history. His 57 career home runs are the most by any individual in Razorback history.
Another Butler disciple was Logan Forsythe who went from a .189 hitter as a freshman to .347 as a sophomore and .351 as a junior. Forsythe flourished with Butler’s guidance and earned first-team All-SEC honors after his junior season and was drafted in the first round of the MLB Draft by the San Diego Padres thanks to his skills at the plate and defensive prowess. Forsythe made his Major League debut in 2011.
In Butler’s eight years at Arkansas, he coached six All-Americans including Nick Schmidt, Jess Todd, Zack Cox, Brett Eibner, Matt Reynolds and Ryne Stanek.
He also had 51 players drafted and seven have made it to the Major Leagues including Craig Gentry, Blake Parker, Duke Welker, Jess Todd, Logan Forsythe, Dallas Keuchel, and Drew Smyly.
ALABAMA (2004-05)Â Â Â
Butler returned to Alabama as an assistant baseball coach on June 26, 2003. He spent the 2004 and 2005 seasons on the Tide staff as the recruiting coordinator, hitting instructor and infield coach, while also coaching first base.
In 2004, he coached Collegiate Baseball National Freshman of the Year and SEC Freshman of the Year Wade LeBlanc who went 8-4 with a 2.08 ERA and eight complete games as a freshman. He earned third team All-America honors that season and was the only freshman named to the 2004 Baseball America All-America team.
In 2005, he helped guide the team to a 40-23 record and an NCAA Tournament appearance.
He continued to showcase his ability to sign some of the top recruiting classes in the country upon his return to the Alabama bench. Alabama’s 2005 freshman class was rated 10th in the fall of 2004 in Baseball America’s Dandy Dozen College recruiting classes.
In his two years at Alabama, he coached three All-Americans include LeBlanc, Emeel Salem and Gabe Scott and 14 players drafted including Major Leaguers Taylor Tankersley, David Robertson, Wade LeBlanc and Matt Downs. He also recruited Major Leaguers Tommy Hunter and Alex Avila.
Alabama won the 2006 SEC Championship with a 20-10 conference record. The Crimson Tide’s 24th conference championship featured five players that Butler coached or recruited whom have already made their Major League Baseball debuts. The list includes catcher Alex Avila (Detroit, 2009), third baseman Matt Downs (San Francisco, 2009), pitcher Tommy Hunter (Texas, 2008), pitcher Wade LeBlanc (San Diego, 2008) and pitcher David Robertson (NY Yankees, 2008).
MCNEESE STATE (2001-03)
In 2001, Butler took over as head coach at McNeese State in his hometown of Lake Charles, La., where he compiled a 90-83 (.520) overall record in three seasons. In his last season at McNeese, he guided the Cowboys to the 2003 Southland Conference Tournament championship, their first in 10 years.
The win at the conference tournament secured just the fourth NCAA Regional bid in McNeese State’s history and the Cowboys were sent to the Houston Regional at Rice’s Reckling Park. Butler’s team gave eventual national champion Rice all they could handle before falling to the Owls, 3-2, in 10 innings. Ole Miss eliminated the Cowboys from the 64-team field the following day.
While at McNeese State, Butler coached three MLB draft picks and signed Clay Buccholz (Boston Red Sox), Wade LeBlanc (Miami Marlins) and Jacob Marceaux (first rounder for the Miami Marlins).
ALABAMA (1995-2000)Â Â Â Â
Prior to assuming the head coaching duties at McNeese State, Butler served as the hitting instructor and outfielders coach during his first stint with the Crimson Tide from 1995-2000. He helped guide Alabama to six NCAA Regional appearances as well as three trips to the College World Series in 1996, 1997 (national runner-up) and 1999 (Final Four). The 1997 team was the national runner-up. The Tide advanced to the SEC Tournament in all six of those seasons, claiming the SEC Tournament title in 1995, 1996, 1997 and 1999.
Butler served as the hitting instructor and outfielders coach during those first six years, as well as being one of the chief recruiters. Butler earned his reputation as one of the country’s top recruiters during those first six years at Alabama. He helped the Crimson Tide land some of the nation’s top talent as Alabama recorded three-consecutive top-10 recruiting classes. The Tide’s 1999 freshman class was ranked as the fourth-best in the country and still ranks as the highest ranked class in school history.
Under Butler’s leadership, the Crimson Tide became one of the most feared offensive clubs in America. Alabama’s 1997 team led the NCAA in four offensive categories, including runs scored (679), total hits (860) and total bases (1,571) while finishing second in home runs (160). In addition, the Crimson Tide won the NCAA statistical championship for highest slugging percentage (.621), eclipsing the previous school record (.521 in 1983) by 100 points. The 1999 team also set a NCAA record with 13 home runs in a single game.
G.W. Keller, Roberto Vaz, Dustan Mohr and Robbie Tucker earned the distinction as the only foursome in NCAA history to each hit 20 or more home runs in a single season. The 1997 team hit a school-record 160 home runs that season.
Butler coached 11 All-Americans in his first stint at Alabama including Dax Norris, Roberto Vaz, G.W. Keller, Andy Phillips, Chris Moller, Joe Caruso, Matt Frick, Jarrod Kingrey, Manny Torres, Sam Bozanich and Jeremy Brown.
Phillips was a finalist for the 1999 Dick Howser Trophy and set the SEC record with a 36-game hitting streak in 1999. He is also the school’s all-time leader in home runs and is also second all-time at Alabama with 322 career hits.
Phillips and G.W. Keller combined for 111 home runs at Alabama. Keller ranks second to Phillips in career home runs and is the only player in SEC history with 50 career home runs and 50 career stolen bases.
Butler coached 31 MLB draft picks during those six years at Alabama including Major Leaguers Tim Young, Dustan Mohr, Paul Phillips, Andy Phillips, Jeremy Brown and Lance Cormier.
MCNEESE STATE (1993-94)Â Â Â
Before joining Alabama for the first time, Butler served as an assistant coach at McNeese State in 1993 and 1994 under Tony Robichaux, now the head coach at Louisiana-Lafayette. He helped guide the 1993 team to the Southland Conference Tournament championship and a berth in the NCAA Tournament. The team won a school-record 41 games in 1994.
He coached seven MLB draft picks and future Major Leaguer Bob Howry in his two seasons with the Cowboys.
BLINN JUNIOR COLLEGE (1992)
In 1992, Butler was an assistant coach at Blinn Junior College in Brenham, Texas, where he helped the Buccaneers to a third-place finish at the NJCAA World Series. He also helped guide the team to a Texas State Junior College championship.
SUMMER COACH (1991-93)
Butler spent two summers coaching in the Alaska Baseball League. His first stint in Alaska was as an assistant coaching job in 1991 with the Kenai Peninsula Oilers, helping them to the NBC World Series. He then coached for the Anchorage Glacier Pilots in 1992 and managed the Liberal Bee Jay’s in 1993. Â
THE PLAYERÂ Â Â
Butler played his college ball at McNeese State (1985-86) and Oklahoma (1987-88). A team captain for the Sooners in 1988, Butler still holds the OU single-season record for stolen bases with 46 steals in 1988, including 26 consecutive successful stolen base attempts. Butler was a third-team All-American in 1988 and also earned All-Big Eight Conference honors and all-region honors. He played on two NCAA Tournament teams for the Sooners for legendary coach Enos Semore. Butler also played for the Wareham Gatemen in the Cape Cod League.
In 1988, he signed with the Cleveland Indians and played for one season.
Butler’s coaching career began as a student-assistant coach at McNeese State, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in liberal studies in 1991.
Butler was born on July 23, 1966, in Alexandria, La., and is married to the former Melissa Borrel. The couple has two daughters, Caitlyn (16) and Kendyll (11).
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