FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE
Columbia, S.C. – South Carolina associate head baseball coach Chad Holbrook received a multi-year contract approved by the University’s Board of Trustees on Friday afternoon. Holbrook, who has been with the Gamecocks for two years, was granted a three-year contract, taking him through the 2013 season. Holbrook’s contract is worth $160,000 annually.
"It’s an honor to be a part of the baseball program at South Carolina," said associate head coach Chad Holbrook. "I’m so thankful to Ray Tanner, athletics director Eric Hyman and President Pastides for allowing me to coach at such a proud university and baseball program. We will continue to do all we can to ensure that our program competes at the highest level. It is my goal to be a coach at South Carolina a very long time. My family loves Columbia and we love calling South Carolina home."
Holbrook, serves as hitting instructor, oversees the Gamecock offense, including base running and the short game and is the third base coach. He also works with the outfielders and is the team’s recruiting coordinator. Holbrook came to the Gamecock program in July of 2008 after serving 15 seasons as a member of the University of North Carolina coaching staff.
"We are fortunate to have Coach Holbrook as an integral part of our program," said head coach Ray Tanner. "He is an exceptional coach, recruiter and mentor for our players. The job he has done and continues to do is exemplary. He is one of the top coaches in the country and he is an outstanding ambassador for the University of South Carolina."
Holbrook’s offensive prowess has made an immediate impact on the South Carolina baseball program in his first two seasons. His guidance was instrumental in helping the Gamecocks to the 2010 national championship and helping in the development of 2010 All-SEC selection and College World Series Most Outstanding Player, Jackie Bradley Jr., as well as Freshman All-America Christian Walker and SEC All-Freshman Evan Marzilli. Holbrook helped to oversee an offense that peaked in the postseason with a .309 batting average in 12 postseason contests. Marzilli, was the team’s top postseason hitter with a .419 average (18-for-43) with Walker right behind him at .389 (21-for-54) and Bradley hitting .348 with four HR and 17 RBI. Carolina finished the season with a .300 team batting average as well as a .392 on-base percentage. The squad’s 734 hits was second highest in the conference with the team also tallying 298 walks, 14th highest in the country. In 2009, Holbrook’s first season, the Gamecocks finished with a team batting average of .310 on the year, the highest average in the last eight seasons, along with an improved on-base percentage of .394 and a .528 slugging percentage. Carolina was fifth in the nation with 109 home runs. Among the players he tutored that first year was Freshman All-America Jackie Bradley Jr. and 2009 All-SEC selections, Justin Dalles, Nick Ebert, Bobby Haney and DeAngelo Mack.
Prior to joining the Gamecock program, Holbrook worked for 15 seasons on the North Carolina coaching staff. While at UNC, the Tar Heels made 11 NCAA Tournament appearances including four NCAA Super Regionals and three trips to the CWS. The 2007 squad also captured an ACC championship, the first in Chapel Hill since 1990 when Holbrook was a freshman player.
At UNC, Holbrook mentored several top players including 2008 second-team All-America outfielder Tim Fedroff, third-team All-America first baseman Dustin Ackley and third-team All-America second baseman Kyle Seager. Ackley also earned third-team All-America honors in 2007 and was both Baseball America & Collegiate Baseball’s Freshman of the Year. Ackley was recently drafted No. 2 overall in the 2009 MLB Draft by the Seattle Mariners.
In addition, Holbrook was instrumental in recruiting current Major League Baseball players Daniel Bard, Chris Iannetta, Andrew Miller and Kyle Snyder to UNC.
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South Carolina is the defending national champion in college baseball after winning the title at the 2010 College World Series. South Carolina has nine College World Series appearances including four in the last 11 years under head coach Ray Tanner. Under Tanner’s leadership South Carolina owns the fourth highest win total in the last 11 years in the nation with a 522-217 record. South Carolina is one of eight schools to appear in the NCAA Regional every season in the last 11 years including eight NCAA Super Regional appearances in that span, one of only six schools to accomplish the feat.
Carolina owns more overall wins than any SEC team in the last 11 years and more conference wins than any SEC team in the last 11 years with a 200-129 conference record. South Carolina is the only SEC school to record 40 or more wins each season from 2000-present and the only SEC school to reach the NCAA Regional every season in the last 11 years. The Gamecocks also have the most NCAA Super Regional appearances of the 12 SEC schools in the last 11 years.
Head coach Ray Tanner is the second winningest coach in Southeastern Conference history with a .692 winning percentage in 14 seasons at the helm of the Garnet & Black.
