Rob Vaughn's Reunion Weekend

Emotions will run high before the Maryland Terrapin baseball team takes the field against the Northwestern Wildcats. Not just because of a tough Big Ten conference series, but because of who’s involved in it. 

After the 2021 season, the Wildcats named Josh Reynolds as their interim head coach, and Reynolds brought along one of his former mentors and coaching peers, Brad Hill. 

From 2004-18, Hill was the head coach of the Kansas State Wildcats, with Reynolds serving as a graduate assistant from 2004-06. Together, the pair groomed a generation of baseball players to become the best versions of themselves that they could be. 

One of those players was a fiery catcher from Texas who was brimming with moxie, the man who would go on to become the head coach of Maryland Baseball, Rob Vaughn. 

Hill and Reynolds were instrumental in the development as both a player and person for Vaughn, making this weekend’s matchup that much more meaningful.

For the first time in their respective careers, Vaughn and Reynolds will exchange lineup cards at home plate and be on the opposite after spending years together in the same dugout.

“It’s really just special,” Vaughn said. “I’ve known Coach Reynolds and Coach Hill for a long time, and I care a lot about them. I'm a blend of all the people I learned from over the years and none more, so obviously Coach Hill and Josh Reynolds.”

As Vaughn was a catcher in college, both Reynolds and Hill always believed that the future leader of Maryland baseball had the tools to become a successful coach. He possessed a sharp baseball mind combined with a hard-working disposition and unmatched people skills.

Despite being in his fifth season as the coach of the Terps, Vaughn is still the youngest coach in Power 5 NCAA baseball at 34 years old. Despite being over 10 years removed from playing, Vaughn is still who he always has been.   

“He's always been fiery, always been competitive,” Reynolds said. “But when you take that away, he’s just one of the better people I know as an individual.”

Reynolds left Kansas State around the same time Vaughn began his professional career, but their careers intersected once more when they both returned to Kansas State as coaches. 

The pair knew each other well up to that point, but Reynolds noticed a difference in Vaughn. He saw the future makings of the successful coach that Vaughn would become.

“When I came back as an assistant coach, and Rob was working as a volunteer, I think that's when you just saw his work ethic, how he related with players, and just what he was able to accomplish,” Reynolds said. “He just did a good job.”

Vaughn wasn’t always set on coaching, but when his professional career was winding down, Coach Hill knew that having Vaughn on his staff would be best for everyone involved.

“Coach Hill really welcomed me back with open arms,” Vaughn said. “[Coach Hill] is a loyal guy, and I knew I wanted to coach. You watch what guys do, and I think you learn from everybody, good or bad. You learn the things you like, and I use all of the pieces of advice that I got from those coaches.

After last season after Northwestern’s coach resigned, Vaughn hoped that Reynolds would be elevated to the head coaching job and talked to him on the phone about it. 

The two friends talked about the opportunity and its meaning and how Reynolds could best maximize the opportunity. It was there that Reynolds brought up Coach Hill and how much of an asset he could be to the Northwestern staff. 

Vaughn agreed as Hill later joined Reynold’s staff, getting back into the coaching game and joining his two former players as a coach in the Big Ten.

The Big Ten is a consistently strong baseball conference, and Vaughn is proud to share one of the most coveted jobs in the country with Reynolds. There are only 13 of them in the world, and it’s special for both of them that such a close friend occupies one with them.

“It's crazy that they're there together, and not only are they together, but they're together on a team that we're getting ready to play in two days. It's pretty wild,” Vaughn said. 

Reynolds is excited for his team to take on Vaughn’s, but the series represents more than just the game on the field. It’ll be a showcase of two baseball players who turned their passion and brought it all the way to the Big Ten. 

“Watching him go from a player to an assistant, to a head coach, and he’s doing a really good job,” Reynolds said. “Obviously, we want to win the series, but you’ve got a friend in the other dugout. After the series on Sunday, you're going to wish them good luck, and you’re going to mean it because I care about him as a person and not just as a baseball coach or an ex-player.”

As they are virtually every home series, Vaughn’s parents, as well as his wife, Kayleigh, and five-year-old son, Wyatt, will be in attendance and be able to join in the reunion. 

It’ll also mark the first time Coach Hill and Wyatt will meet, a relationship that Rob is happy to share with his son. 

Despite the love that the three coaches all share for each other, only one thing matters to them when it comes to this weekend, and that’s winning three baseball games.

“Sometimes it's hard competing against your friends because you do care about them,” Vaughn said. “I'll see them on Friday when they come in practice, and I'm going to give them a hug and do all that stuff. Then at 6:30, we're going to try to beat the brakes off of them, and they're going to try to do the same thing to us."