The Northwestern athletic department and PR team has had a dreadful couple of weeks. Pat Fitzgerald was fired on Monday amid hazing allegations within the football team and on Thursday Northwestern fired head baseball coach Jim Foster after the university’s investigation on the first-year coach found “sufficient evidence” that Foster “engaged in bullying and abusive behavior,” according to an internal HR document obtained by the Chicago Tribune.

Ex-White Sox player, Brian Anderson, will now take over as Northwestern’s head baseball coach.

Northwestern has removed Jim Foster as baseball coach days after news surfaced of controversy surrounding him.

Assistant Brian Anderson, who was part of the White Sox's 2005 World Series team, will lead the program “during this time of transition.”https://t.co/wTjw7Supdy
— Chicago Tribune Sports (@ChicagoSports) July 14, 2023

Via the Chicago Tribune.

Current and former players, alumni and people close to the baseball program previously told the Chicago Tribune that they alerted university administration — including President Michael Schill and athletic director Derrick Gragg — of problematic behavior from Foster starting last fall before the team kicked off its 2023 season. At least some of those complaints spurred a human resources investigation.

Foster was hired as Northwestern’s head baseball coach on June 28, 2022. after coaching Army from 2017-22. Complaints about Foster at Northwestern included expletive-laced tirades directed at staff, discouraging players from seeing the training staff and pressuring injured players to speed up their timeline for returning from injury, among other issues that were brought to the university’s attention.

My report on the toxic culture at Northwestern baseball under Jim Foster with quotes from Foster and nine sources. Allegations of racism, sexism, bullying, punishment runs, and more.

Awaiting comment from Northwestern.

Read it: https://t.co/1I0kV8uo6I
— Danny Parkins (@DannyParkins) July 10, 2023

Before Northwestern’s season even began back in February, Dusty Napoleon, who was the team’s hitting coach and recruiting coordinator, left the team before the first game. Napoleon had been with the baseball program since 2015. Pitching coach Jon Strauss and operations director Chris Beacom also left the team by the end of February.

New Northwestern Head Baseball Coach

Brian Anderson was hired as an assistant coach at Northwestern on March 28, 2023. Anderson, 41, played at the University of Arizona during his college career and was then picked with the 15th overall pick in the first round of the 2003 MLB Draft by the White Sox.

Heading into the 2005 season, Anderson was ranked as the 37th best prospect in baseball according to Baseball America.

Anderson made his MLB debut with the White Sox on Aug. 16. 2005. Overall, the right-handed hitting outfielder played in 355 games with the White Sox from 2005-09, including 109 games during the 2008 season, when the White Sox won the AL Central.

On July 28, 2009, Anderson was traded by the White Sox to the Boston Red Sox for veteran outfielder Mark Kotsay. Anderson ended up playing 21 games with the Red Sox to finish the 2009 season.

Following the 2009 season, Anderson signed with the Kansas City Royals and transitioned into being a pitcher. He spent two years in the minors, first with the Royals and then with the New York Yankees, attempting to make it as a pitcher. Anderson put up good numbers in limited time on the mound, but after an injury in May 2011, he wasn’t able to make a full comeback.

After signing minor league deals with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Colorado Rockies in 2012, Anderson tried a comeback in 2015 as a position player with the White Sox. Anderson was later released on April 2, 2015.

Anderson returned to Arizona as an undergraduate assistant coach in 2021 while finishing his degree. In 2022, he served as first base coach and worked with the team’s outfielders.