AUBURN AUTHORITY

Auburn prepared to offer Clint Myers contract extension

James Crepea
Montgomery Advertiser
Auburn is prepared to offer softball coach Clint Myers a new contract.

AUBURN -- After the best season in Auburn softball history, which ended in the national semifinals of the Women's College World Series Sunday afternoon, Auburn athletic director Jay Jacobs is prepared to sign Clint Myers to a contract extension through his retirement.

"I'd like to lock him up as long as he'd like to be locked up," Jacobs said.

Myers, 63, is in the second year of a five-year contract for $180,000 annually and is signed through July 31.

After capturing two national championships and making seven WCWS appearances in eight years at Arizona State, Myers led Auburn (56-11) to its first SEC Tournament Championship, first NCAA Super Regional and first Women's College World Series in just his second season. The No. 4 seed Tigers saw their season come to a close against top-seed Florida, 3-2 in nine innings, Sunday afternoon.

"Next year when we're at the College World Series we'll have that opportunity to say 'remember, this is what we did, this is how we did it and you should be a little bit more relaxed,'" Myers said before departing for Oklahoma City last week, "because they're not going to be running out on the field for the first time in front of 20,000 people."

Once the team returns to the Plains Jacobs meet with Myers to go over a new deal.

"As soon as we sit down and talk I want to find out what he wants and what he wants to do," Jacobs said. "What he's done for our softball program and for this athletic department has been a tremendous positive impact. The most important thing is those young ladies playing for him love him and he has a great healthy environment for them. They're living their dreams academically and athletically."