When Mitch Hannahs outlined his program-building plans after being introduced Friday as the new University of South Florida baseball coach, the pattern quickly took shape. Everything he does has a purpose. And that purpose revolves around winning — on and off the field.
He spoke about "unwavering expectations.''
"I think if you don't have the expectation of getting to Omaha (for the College World Series) and playing well in Omaha, you probably shouldn't be coaching Division I baseball,'' Hannahs said.
Hannahs said he's seeking to develop "confident, independent, stubborn players'' to fill out South Florida's roster.
With USF's location in a premier baseball state, Hannahs said he expects to recruit prime talent. But even more importantly, the Bulls must attract players with a winning mindset.
"There are a lot of good players all over the country, but there aren't a lot of players who are just tough, who want to win, who want to fight and (will do anything) to be successful," Hannahs said. "We want to find those guys that put everything in front of themselves. That's a harder task. But those are the guys that you need in order to survive.
"In the past, I've told my staff to let's go get 20 really good players, maybe 25. But let's make damn sure we get 10 to 15 guys who come out there every day and just grind because I want that to rub off on the good players. It's a mixture of all of that.''
Hannahs' formula worked well at his previous stop, Indiana State University, his alma mater. He led the Sycamores to five NCAA Regionals — including four in the past five seasons — and six Missouri Valley Conference titles. His 2024 team reached No. 10 in the NCAA RPI while being ranked in the top 25 for six straight weeks in all five national baseball polls. The Sycamores hosted an NCAA Regional and reached a Super Regional in 2023.
Overall, he has 620 wins as a head coach (with a .608 winning percentage), including a 355-214-1 (.624) mark in 11 seasons at Indiana State.
As a product of a small town in Southeastern Ohio's coal-mining country who brought successful college baseball to Terre Haute, Indiana, he wasn't necessarily looking to leave the Midwest. Hannahs' connection to Indiana State goes as far back to his playing days when he was an All-American for the Sycamores on a team that reached the College World Series in Omaha.
But he was attracted by USF's baseball potential, along with the upward trajectory of its athletic and academic programs.
When the Bulls initially sought a new coach, Hannahs said he was primarily approached by Michael Kelly, USF's vice president of athletics, along with deputy athletics directors Lelo Prado (USF's former baseball coach) and Kris Pierce.
"Those conversations were very comfortable,'' Hannahs said. "They were conversations that made you feel like you were connecting with long-lost friends.''
Initially, Hannahs said he wrestled with conflicting emotions. Indiana State was home and his family was happy there. But he couldn't ignore USF, either.
"Change is hard,'' Hannahs said. "We had a very good program going at Indiana State. But the more I talked to Michael and Kris and Coach Prado in particular, I would tell my wife Amy, 'Hey, I want to work for those folks.'
"When it got to the point that Michael offered the job, I realized the culture and vision and how quickly USF is moving in the college athletic space. By the time we got on campus and started to meet everyone, I went from wanting to work for these folks to telling my wife, 'I really want to win for these folks.' That's the conviction I had.''
Amy Hannahs, his wife, said "it took a lot of conversations'' before she was convinced that the move was right, but now she's excited over the future at USF.
"I think Mitch was ready to start over at a new place and build a program,'' she said. "He's really excited to be a part of this and see how far we can take it.
"He has always loved baseball and competition. But shaping the lives of his players, taking these young men to contributing citizens, that kind of influence and motivation has really been his fuel. He wants to keep pushing to new heights and I think he's so excited over where this USF baseball program can go.''
When the news broke that USF had hired Hannahs, he said one of his first calls came from former Bulls coach Billy Mohl.
"What a first-class person,'' Hannahs said. "His exact comments were, 'Coach, congratulations. You're going to do great down here. You're going to love the people. There are great people here.' I really appreciate Billy. There aren't a lot of guys in this profession who would be one of the first to reach out to you.''
Mohl helped USF to its pinnacle in 2021, when the Bulls captured the American Athletic Conference Tournament title, along with winning the NCAA Regional in Gainesville and reaching the program's first NCAA Super Regional.
Those are the level of accomplishments that Hannahs wants for the Bulls on a regular basis.
At Indiana State, Hannahs said the players were "the finest young men that any coach could ask for. They committed to winning. I say that to people and those words go out there, but most don't understand the price. It's an unbelievable price to pay if you want to win and be successful.''
To win at Indiana State, Hannahs said the program was "hell-bent on developing an RPI.'' That meant beating programs at the level of Vanderbilt and Tennessee. That meant staying on a bus through the first two months of the season, chasing victories against top-level competition, and not just "scheduling W's'' because that would jeopardize the RPI.
"We had to play good people and we had to beat good people,'' Hannahs said.
Hannahs said he will work to establish a standard at USF — and that bar will remain at a high level. He compared it to players in a slump, who often settle and are reduced to hoping that they make contact and don't strike out instead of aggressively pursuing a goal. That mentality can't be allowed to happen.
The Bulls will be coached hard — "that's not yelling … that's honesty,'' he said. Win or lose, USF players will be respected for their effort and approach.
And as USF baseball enters its 60th anniversary season, Hannahs said the players will be instructed, educated and coached to respect the program's tradition.
"You have to understand those who came before you and those who put the foundation in place,'' Hannahs said. "You can't just play for me. We play for something much larger than that. We're going to know and understand the history of our university, of our athletics program and in particular, the baseball program.
"I want our players to understand what it was like before the time we're in today. That helps develop an appreciation for what they're a part of. We want to build those relationships. We want to make the university extremely proud of what we're doing. We want to make the alumni and the city of Tampa proud.''
Hannahs said he doesn't shy away from the reality that USF's program must build up its strength, especially in a highly competitive state of Florida landscape. Ultimately, winning will become the separator — and Hannahs expects to win.
"We have work to do,'' Hannahs said. "But win or lose, that opponent in the other dugout is going to respect the hell out of us. They're going to respect us every time they see us. That's what you establish and build on. That's the type of program we want to establish.''
