BREAKING: Northwestern baseball hires Jim Foster as head coach

After finishing 24-27 and missing the Big Ten Tournament yet again, Northwestern baseball elected to conduct a search for a new head coach, with interim lead man Josh Reynolds remaining an option to guide the program.

On Tuesday, the Wildcats got their guy.

Northwestern named Jim Foster head coach, formally moving on from Reynolds. Foster will be the 29th head coach in program history.

Foster, 50, served as Army’s head coach from 2017-22, where he collected a 162-140 record. The Black Knights won the Patriot League championship each of the last four complete seasons, earning NCAA Tournament appearances in all such years. In 2018, Foster and Army took down N.C. State to open Regionals play.

Before leading the Black Knights, Foster was the assistant head coach at Boston College from 2015-16, where the Eagles went a combined 62-49. BC defeated Tulane and Utah in the 2016 Regional round before losing to Miami in the Super Regionals.

From 2006-14, Foster was head coach at Rhode Island. The Rams went 268-230-3 under Foster and won two Atlantic 10 tournaments. Foster was named A10 Coach of the Year in 2011.

In his career, Foster has coached 19 MLB Draft picks, including five selections in 2016.

From Warwick, Rhode Island, Foster played four seasons at Providence, serving as the Friars’ catcher. He was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 22nd round of the 1993 MLB Draft. His minor league career included stints with the Angels, Diamondbacks and White Sox; Foster reached AAA with the Orioles in 1997 and 1998, Diamondbacks and Angels in 1999 and White Sox in 2000, but he never played in the big leagues.

Foster will be Northwestern’s third head coach in the last three years. On May 31, 2021, veteran Spencer Allen stepped down from his position, one which Reynolds assumed under an interim title.

With a promising core that includes All-Big Ten selections Ethan O’Donnell and Patrick Herrera, plus standouts Jay Beshears, Michael Farinelli and others, Northwestern hopes Foster can provide long-term stability and success to a program expected to lose premier first baseman Anthony Calarco and reeling from the transfer of All-Big Ten Freshman Team pitcher Sean Sullivan to Wake Forest.