FROM CBD NEWS SOURCE
BOONE, N.C. — Appalachian State University baseball head coach Billy Jones announced on Wednesday that he has retained assistant coach Chris Moore as a member of his coaching staff and promoted Moore to the role of recruiting coordinator.
Moore has been a member of Appalachian State’s coaching staff since July 29, 2010. In his second season at Appalachian this past spring, he helped lead the Mountaineers to a school-record 41 wins, the program’s first Southern Conference championship since 1987, its first NCAA regional berth since 1986 and its first NCAA postseason victories since 1973 while falling just three wins short of advancing to the College World Series for the first time in program history.
With Moore serving as the club’s primary hitting coach, Appalachian ranked among the nation’s top 40 in batting average (.306), scoring (7.1 runs per game), doubles (134), triples (20), home runs (43), on-base percentage (.386), slugging percentage (.454) and stolen bases (20) in 2012. He also worked with the Mountaineers’ infielders, which ranked 67th nationally in double plays turned (51) and 107th in fielding percentage (.968).
In Moore’s two seasons with the Mountaineers, Appalachian has 74 victories, good for the program’s winningest two-year span since it won 75 games in 1985-86.
Moore came to Appalachian after a one-year stint as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at West Georgia University, an NCAA Division II institution. In his only season at West Georgia, he led the efforts to receive commitments from over 20 student-athletes while coaching the team’s infielders, hitters and base-runners.
Prior to his stint at West Georgia, he spent four seasons at Lander University in Greenwood, S.C., including one year as recruiting coordinator and the final three as the program’s head coach. In 2009, his final season at Lander, he led the squad to as high as No. 17 in the NCAA Division II national rankings.
He began his coaching career with two seasons as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Davidson (2003-05).
Moore played collegiately at Western Carolina from 1996-99, where he was one of the most prolific performers in Catamount history. The two-time all-American and four-time all-Southern Conference honoree capped his outstanding career by being named the 1999 SoCon Player of the Year, while setting school records for hits, doubles, RBI and assists. He was the SoCon’s all-time hits leader at the conclusion of his career as well as a member of the league’s academic honor roll. He was inducted into WCU’s athletics Hall of Fame in 2011.
Following his collegiate career, Moore was drafted in the 11th round of the 1999 Major League Baseball Draft by the Colorado Rockies and spent four years in the Rockies’ system before joining the coaching ranks. As a pro, he was named the Rockies’ Minor League Player of the Month in April 2000 and a South Atlantic League all-star that same season.
“After meeting Chris, there was no question he was the perfect fit to help move our program forward and I feel fortunate that he wants to take on the challenge ahead of us,” Jones said. “He understands the grind and work it takes to recruit, mentor and develop our student-athletes. Furthermore, our staff is family to me and after meeting his wife, Aimee, and his young kids, Carter and Lillee, it just re-enforced for me what this journey is all about — family”
“It has been awesome being a part of the Appalachian baseball’s success the last two years,” Moore said. “With so many records broken last year, there are high expectations for the team in 2013 but we have a talented group of players returning for the spring and I am excited about working as the recruiting coordinator with Coach Jones to continue the success of App State Baseball moving forward.”
Moore and his wife, Aimee, reside in Boone with their children, Carter (10) and Lillee (6).
Jones is expected to round out his coaching staff this week.
