July 31, 2009

Lineup Card

Lineup Card is a new feature on CollegeBaseballInsider.com, highlighting notes from around college baseball.

July 27-31, 2009

Former Charlotte catcher Kris Rochelle (left) has been hired at his alma mater as an assistant coach. Rochelle will be hitting instructor and work with the catchers and infielders. He graduated from Charlotte in 2007 and played three seasons of professional baseball after being drafted by the Detroit Tigers.

Jon Strauss is the new pitching coach at Pepperdine. He joins the Waves from Long Beach State. He also worked at San Jose State and Loyola Marymount. Strauss compiled a record of 66-25 with two league titles as head coach at Glendale Community College in 2001 and 2002. He was twice named Western State Conference Coach of the Year. Strauss graduated from LBSU in 1996 with a degree in psychology.

Joe Wilkins will be the volunteer assistant at Pepperdine. He will work with the catchers, help with the offense and coach first base. Wilkins was the volunteer assistant at Wake Forest this past season. He was a four-year letterman at Ohio State and played three years of professional baseball. Wilkins graduated from OSU in 2005 with a degree in human ecology and a specialization in consumer affairs. He earned his M.B.A. from Tiffin in 2007.

Josh Hopper is a new assistant at UAB after spending the past five seasons as an assistant at Berry College in Georgia. The Vikings were 46-16 in 2009 and made the program’s first NAIA World Series appearance. Hopper was an assistant for two seasons at Georgia State in 2003 and 2004. He graduated from Berry in 1999 with a degree in health and physical education. Hopper earned a Master’s degree in exercise science from Georgia State in 2004.

USF and Bright House Field in Clearwater will host the Big East Championship in 2010 and 2011. The Big East Tournament was also held at Bright House Field in 2006, 2008 and 2009. It is the spring training facility of the Philadelphia Phillies and is the home field for the Clearwater Threshers of the Florida State League.

Travis Jewett has left Washington State to become assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Arizona State. Jewett was associate head coach and recruiting coordinator for the past five years with the Cougars. Prior to that, he spent three seasons at Washington. Jewett is a 1993 graduate of Washington State.

Former Washington head coach Ken Knutson has joined the staff at Arizona State as a volunteer assistant. He spent 17 seasons as head coach of the Huskies, compiling an overall record of 584-399-2 and a Pac-10 mark of 240-189.

Former Georgia State pitcher Robinson Polanco has signed a free-agent contract with the South Louisiana Pipeliners of the independent Continental Baseball League. Polanco had a 12-6 career record for the Panthers with a 4.74 ERA

Purdue assistant Spencer Allen has been added to the Washington State staff. He will coach first, work with the outfielders and coordinate the team’s short game. Allen also coached at Iowa and Creighton. He played for three seasons at Iowa State, graduating in 2001. Cougar head coach Donnie Marbut also announced that pitching coach Gregg Swenson has been promoted to head assistant coach.

Tom Myers has been promoted to Associate Head Coach at his alma mater, UC Santa Barbara. Myers has worked with the Gauchos for nine seasons and is the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator. He will also now work with alumni development. Myers also coached for three years at Santa Clara. He was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in 1991 and spent five years in the minor leagues.

Texas A&M assistant Jeremy Talbot has resigned to accept a coaching position at Hahnville High School outside New Orleans. A native of Labadieville, La., Talbot wanted to work closer to home. He was hitting coach and recruiting coordinator with the Aggies for the past four seasons. Before coming to College Station, Talbot coached five of the previous eight seasons in the state of Louisiana.

Liberty has hired Jason Murray as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. He will work with the infielders and assist with the hitters. Murray, 34, was head coach at Charleston Southern for four years. This past season, Murray was an assistant at Winthrop. He played at Ball State and also coached at Florida and Michigan.

(photo courtesy of Charlotte Media Relations Office)