PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Grant Achilles, current assistant coach of the Brown University baseball team, has been named head coach of the program in an announcement made by Brown Director of Athletics Jack Hayes on Monday.
Achilles spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach for the Bears before taking over the head coaching duties midway through the 2014 season. Achilles becomes Brown’s 17th head coach since 1900, while the program was founded in 1863.
“We’re excited to have Grant Achilles lead our baseball program,” said Hayes. “Grant has been an important part of the program since coming to Brown and has earned the respect of the team members over the past two seasons. He brings both passion and knowledge to the position and will be an excellent leader for the program.”
“I’m humbled and excited to become the head coach at Brown, one of the most renowned universities in the country,” said Achilles. “I would like to thank Jack Hayes, Bob Kenneally and the rest of the search committee for giving me this opportunity. I look forward to working with the student-athletes, alumni and the entire Brown community to build on Brown’s traditions and lead the program to a new level of success.”
As an assistant with the Bears, Achilles managed the hitters and directed the development of infield defense, as well as team defense. Under his tutelage, the Bears improved in several offensive categories down the stretch of the 2014 campaign, including batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and runs per game. Achilles developed outfielders Will Marcal and Daniel Massey to earn All-Ivy honors in 2013 and 2014, respectively. Additionally, Achilles helped develop infielder J.J. Franco, who was recently selected by the Atlanta Braves in the annual Major League Baseball Amateur Draft.
Before Brown, Achilles spent a year as an assistant coach at Georgetown University, where he worked primarily with the hitters. While coaching with the Hoyas, Achilles helped develop an offense that had a team batting average of .274 in Big East play, an improvement of .033 from the previous year. He also guided two players to the All-Big East team for the 2012 season, as infielder Mike Garza earned first team honors and outfielder Justin Leeson was named to the third team.
Prior to his year at Georgetown, Achilles spent two seasons as a volunteer assistant on the staff at Wake Forest, working primarily with hitters and outfielders. At the conclusion of the 2010 season, the Kansas City Royals signed outfielder Steven Brooks to a minor league contract, and in 2011, the Demon Deacons returned to the ACC tournament for the first time since 2008.
Achilles also served on the staff at Western Carolina for two years, earning a promotion to assistant head coach after his first season. While at WCU, Achilles helped guide the Catamounts to two winning seasons, including a 35-22 mark in 2009.
Achilles spent a season with the Charlotte 49ers baseball program before joining the staff at Western Carolina, working with the catchers, assisting with the defense and hitters and also serving as the first base coach. The 49ers completed one of the most successful seasons in program history under his guidance, earning 49 wins and advancing to the Columbia, South Carolina, regional in the NCAA tournament. While in Charlotte, Achilles worked with Kris Rochelle, an All-Atlantic 10 catcher and a 2007 Detroit Tigers draft pick.
A member of the team at Wake Forest from 2002 to 2006, Achilles was a four-year letterwinner for the Demon Deacons. He appeared in 56 games, making 19 starts, while playing a variety of positions, including first base, second base, right field and catcher.
Originally from Lynchburg, Virginia, Achilles graduated from Wake Forest in 2006 with a degree in communication. He has two brothers, Chad and Todd, both of whom attended Wake Forest. Todd also played baseball for the Demon Deacons, serving as an infielder from 1997 to 2001.
