NEW ORLEANS – After 11 seasons including nine as a head coach with the University of New Orleans baseball team,
Blake Dean has resigned from his position to take a job outside of baseball.
Dax Norris will be elevated to head coach ahead of the 2025 season.
Dean has engineered a consistent program that started with his first year as head coach of the program in 2016. That season saw a 17-win improvement from the year before, which was in the top ten nationally that year.
From there, Dean has coached 41 All-Southland selections, 13 All-LSWA players, 10 Southland All-Tournament picks, eight ABCA All-Region selections and five Southland All-Defensive Team members.
He also coached several student-athletes to superlatives. That includes an active three-year streak of Southland Hitters of the Year, which started in 2022 with
Tristan Moore and continued to Pearce Howard (2023) and
Mitchell Sanford (2024). In 2022, Amani Larry was named Southland Newcomer of the Year.
In his tenure, Dean also coached a Gold Glove winner in Salo Iza (2019) and an All-American in three different publications in Reeves Martin.
Several of Dean's student-athletes have also set program records. Martin owns the career saves mark. Howard has the most hits and RBI in program history. And just last season,
Miguel Useche tied the program career doubles record.
Norris was brought on in August 2021 as pitching coach after previous stops at FIU and Alabama. He was instrumental in the development of the most recent draft pick,
Nathan Blasick. In the summer of 2024, Blasick was drafted by the Colorado Rockies after transitioning to being a pitcher last season and earning two wins and two saves.
Norris has also coached three All-Southland selections on the mound:
Tyler LeBlanc (2022), Brandon Mitchell (2023) and
Colton Mercer (2024).
"I am honored to accept this role and extend my gratitude to
Blake Dean,
Vince Granito and Dr. Kathy Johnson," said Norris. "Our goal is to build on the program's strong foundation by recruiting talent, supporting players and fostering development through collaboration with coaches, fans, alumni, donors, staff, athletic trainers and strength coaches. We will continue to compete for conference titles and postseason play. Meeting high expectations is a privilege and we will achieve this by holding to daily standards of hard work in the classroom and on the field."
"Ultimately, our job is to develop players who achieve their goals through team success. I look forward to seeing this team execute our plan this spring!"
His pitching staffs have turned in the eighth most strikeouts in a single season (2022) and the ninth most strikeouts in a single season (2023). The 15 saves from the 2023 staff were tied for fourth most in program history.
The 2025 regular season begins on Feb. 14 when the Privateers open with a road series against West Georgia.
STATEMENT FROM COACH DEAN:
I want to thank the University of New Orleans for 11 years of great memories. Today marks the hardest decision I've ever had to make in my life. Baseball has been my life for over 30 years. It has taught me much about the ups and downs of life. Having a family of my own now I feel this opportunity that presented itself gives me a chance to spend more time with them and be a part of their life more regularly. I can't begin to name all the people I'm thankful for since being here but one I must name is Ron Maestri. Coach Maestri is the true definition of a gentleman and someone I required a blessing from before making this decision.
To the fans and donors, thank you! You are the true pulse and heart of this program! I presented many with a ton of asks and you never once told me no but instead figured out a way to make it happen!
To my staff and all the coaches I've had over the years I just wanted to thank you as well. I had some of the greatest people there is work for me and help me build this program to success. Many have moved on to other positions but without them I would've never made it this long.
To my current and former players thank you for believing in me over the years. Coaches don't win games it has always been the players who drive the program. I wish nothing more than a Southland Conference championship for the team this season.
Lastly, to my family, thank you all for the sacrifices of time alone and time spent at the baseball field to let me live my childhood dream. I'm excited to spend more time with you all and explore this next chapter of life.
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