Douglas spent the past three seasons as an assistant for Steve Anson while also working as a special education teacher at Rossville Junior/Senior High School. Anson, Washburn's head coach since 1980, was recently killed in a tree-trimming accident on his property outside Topeka.
Douglas graduated in 2002 from Washburn with an exercise physiology degree and in '04 with an education degree. He earned a master's degree in adaptive special education in 2010.
Douglas was a high school head coach for eight years before returning to Washburn, acquiring a 124-58 record. He started at St. Marys High School in St. Marys, Kansas, and went 67-28 in four years. He went to Lansing High School in Lansing, Kansas, in 2007 and went 57-30 there. He led his team to top-three finishes at state in five of his eight years as a head coach.
Douglas played at Washburn from 1997-00 and was an all-MIAA second-team selection his senior year. He finished with a .363 career batting average, the 13th highest in school history. He's second in school history with 11 triples and eighth with 136 runs scored. He's third with 75 career stolen bases. Douglas hit .417 in 2000 with 88 hits and he set the single-season record with 48 stolen bases.
A national search for a head coach will begin soon.
Related:
⢠Longtime Washburn coach Anson killed in accident
