FROM CBD NEWS SOURCE
LAS CRUCES, N.M. – New Mexico State baseball head coach Rocky Ward announced that Mike Evans is the new assistant coach for the Aggie baseball team, Tuesday, June 21.
Before joining Ward’s staff as the new pitching coach, Evans was the head coach at Bellevue University for 22 seasons. While at Bellevue, he tallied a 928-457-1 record and led the Bruins to 12 NAIA World Series appearances while earning a NAIA National Championship in 1995.
“Mike Evan’s reputation as an outstanding pitching instructor as well as his outstanding record of success will be a great addition to our baseball program,” Ward said.
The Bruins were also NAIA World Series runners-up in 1997, while placing fourth in 1998, 2003 and 2007. Evans can definitely turn good players into great players as he coached 12 All-Americans and has been named his Conference’s Coach of the Year nine times in his first 20 years. He was named NAIA National Coach of the Year in 1995.
“Evans will bring a winning attitude to the yard everyday and his resume shows that he knows exactly what it takes to win and build a great program,” Ward said.
Evans helped his team to seven MCAC (Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference) regular-season titles, 11 MCAC Tournament titles and 18 district/regional championships. His team was continuously successful has his school made nine appearances in the NAIA College World Series in 10 years from 1998-2008.
An Omaha, Neb. native Evans started his career at Omaha Creighton Prep High School for eight years (1975-1982), winning seven state titles. He entered the collegiate coaching ranks as an assistant coach at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. The Huskers were ranked as high as No. 4 nationally during the 1985 season and his pitching staff finished second nationally in ERA.
He is a 1971 graduate of the University of Nebraska at Omaha and earned a bachelor’s degree in education, while earning a master’s degree in education administration from Creighton in 1979.
Evans replaces former assistant coach Chase Tidwell, who departed from NM State in June to pursue other coaching opportunities.
