BEAUMONT, Texas — Sean Allen was formally introduced Thursday afternoon during a press conference in the locker room of the newly opened Teri and Glen Morgan Baseball Complex.

Allen, who spent the past two seasons as Southern California's pitching coach, becomes the seventh head coach in program history.

"I have seen firsthand what it takes to win at the highest level, and I understand what it takes to succeed in this new era of college athletics," Allen said. "One common theme among the programs that are thriving is an administration that believes in and supports its student-athletes and coaches.

"It was clear to me from the beginning that with Dr. Jaime Taylor and Jeff O'Malley's leadership, Lamar University is committed to doing exactly that. Thank you for believing in me, believing in this program and giving us the opportunity to build something truly special."

A 2021 D1Baseball Assistant Coach of the Year, Allen has been part of 16 NCAA Regional appearances, six NCAA Super Regional berths and three College World Series trips throughout his coaching career.

A four-year letterman at Houston from 1998-2001, Allen has also coached at Houston, Florida International, Sam Houston, Texas and Ohio State.

This past season, Allen guided a USC pitching staff that led the nation with 10 shutouts and ranked second in hits allowed per nine innings (7.11), fourth in ERA (3.50) and sixth in WHIP (1.22).

The Trojans finished 48-18 overall, posting their first 40-win season since 2005. USC also captured the College Station Regional title and advanced to the Super Regionals for the first time since 2005.

LU is coming off a historic season, capturing its first Southland Conference tournament title since 2010 to land a berth in the College Station Regional.

"When we launched this search, we had outstanding interest from across the country and from every level of baseball," said LU Vice President and Director of Athletics Jeff O'Malley. "But as the process quickly moved forward, one thing became very clear — Sean Allen stood out.

"Yes, his resume stands out, but more importantly he builds culture, develops people and creates environments where winning becomes an expectation."