Gautreau joins baseball staff as assistant coach
Just the second Mississippi State baseball coach to win 40 games in his first season on the job, Andy Cannizaro is adding to his coaching staff with the hiring of Jake Gautreau as an assistant coach.
Gautreau replaces Will Coggin in the role and will serve as the Diamond Dawgs' recruiting coordinator, along with assisting Cannizaro in instructing MSU's hitters.
"I am extremely excited to add Jake to our coaching staff and welcome his family to Starkville," Cannizaro said. "The experience he earned at his most recent position at the Boras Corporation allows him to contribute skills as an evaluator of talent and become a great influence for the present and future student-athletes at Mississippi State. Having known Jake for nearly 20 years, I know that he will have an immediate impact on our program, not only in recruiting, but also in helping to continue to develop the young men that are currently on our team."
"My family and I are ecstatic to be a part of something so special," Gautreau said. "I feel extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to reenter the coaching profession here at Mississippi State -- a program with a rich tradition and commitment to excellence. I look forward to helping our players perform at an extremely high level in front of the greatest fans in college baseball. Our goal is to bring Mississippi State University its first ever national championship."
In August 2013, Gautreau was named an "Assistant Ready to Lead" by Perfect Game for his work with the Green Wave in his first four years on the staff. Midway through his fifth season in 2014, Tulane head coach Rick Jones stepped down, making way for Gautreau to serve as interim head coach for the remainder of the year.
During his tenure at Tulane from 2010-14, Gautreau served as the program's recruiting coordinator, hitting instructor and infielders coach. He tutored some of the finest hitters to come through Tulane. Four of his student-athletes -- Rob Segedin, Jeremy Schaffer, Garrett Cannizaro and Brennan Middleton -- were selected in the MLB First-Year Player Draft.
In 2010, Segedin boasted a .434 batting average, becoming just the fifth player in school history to top the .400 mark for an entire season.
Most recently, Gautreau served as Certified Player Agent for the Boras Corporation, where he identified and evaluated talent and recruited premier amateur baseball players from across the country, along with helping them prepare for the MLB Amateur Draft.
Cannizaro and Gautreau were teammates at Tulane as the duo helped lead the Green Wave to the first College World Series appearance in program history in 2001. Gautreau played third base from 1999-2001 and was named Conference USA Player of the Decade in 2005 in recognition of his career accomplishments at Tulane.
The three-year letterwinner boasted a .344 career batting average with 58 home runs, 103 walks, 200 runs scored, 233 RBI's and 275 hits. Gautreau ranks among the Conference USA leaders in RBI's, home runs, runs scored and total bases.
Gautreau also played for the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team in 2000. He hit .348 (32-for-92) with seven doubles and four home runs to go with 20 RBI and a .576 slugging percentage.
After being drafted by the San Diego Padres with the 14th overall pick in the first round of the 2001 MLB Draft, Gautreau played professional baseball for eight years before accepting an assistant coach position at his alma mater in 2009.
Gautreau is married to Erin Dobyanski Gautreau, a former Tulane volleyball player, and the couple have two sons, William, 4, and Weston, 2. The McAllen, Texas, native earned his Bachelor of Arts in media arts from Tulane in 2011.
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