FWST: Rising college baseball salaries show game’s growth, coaches say

Louisville’s 10-year contract extension worth $1 million per year for head coach Dan McDonnell is a sign of a growing market for college baseball, the coaches at the Fort Worth Regional said.

“I think it’s about time,” Arizona State coach Tracy Smith said. “College baseball has changed drastically in the last 10 years. I’m 20 years in as a head coach. If I told you what I said yes to as a salary my first year, you’d probably laugh.”

Baseball salaries are among the lowest in college athletics. But all-time wins leader Augie Garrido was being paid $1.2 million at Texas before his reassignment this week. At TCU, coach Jim Schlossnagle’s pay more than doubled to $764,000 two years ago after his second College World Series appearance with the Horned Frogs. …