THE FLATS – Georgia Tech baseball head coach Danny Hall has announced today that former ACC Player of the Year, All-American and MLB first-rounder James Ramsey will join the Yellow Jackets’ coaching staff as hitting coach.
Ramsey joins preseason 17th-ranked Georgia Tech after spending a year with his alma mater on the Florida State baseball coaching staff as an assistant.
“I’ve known James Ramsey and his family for a long time,” Hall said. “He went to Wesleyan and my kids went to Wesleyan; I got to sit in the other dugout and watch him play for Florida State and he was a great player there; he was a first-round pick and went on to pro baseball. He’s done everything that our players are trying to do.”
Hall continued, “I think he fits into our culture best in that he was a great student at Florida State, he understands the value of a Georgia Tech degree and his wife was a cheerleader at here so he’s definitely got a Tech connection. I’ve been around him a lot and I felt like for a transition of looking for a guy who’s going to fit our culture and is going to understand our brand from player development to education, I felt by far he was the best guy.”
Joining the Seminoles in August 2018, Ramsey coached the outfielders and assisted with individual and team hitting approaches. In addition to coaching first base, he also began the process of integrating technology into player evaluation and development. Off the field, Ramsey coordinated community service and character development efforts for the team, as the Noles accumulated 200 hours volunteering this fall.
“I’m thankful to those who have given me this opportunity, from the Athletic Association to the baseball staff. It is an honor to work alongside Danny Hall – I have tremendous respect for his incredible career,” Ramsey said. “Grace and I are very grateful to be back home in Atlanta and a part of the Georgia Tech family. I am excited to start working with our staff and players to achieve new heights on and off the field.”
Prior to beginning his coaching career, Ramsey was a standout outfielder at Florida State and was a first-round MLB draft pick in 2012 by the St. Louis Cardinals. In seven seasons playing with the minor league affiliates of the Cardinals, Cleveland Indians, Los Angeles Dodgers, Seattle Mariners and Minnesota Twins, Ramsey totaled 502 hits, 105 extra-base hits, 59 home runs and 219 RBI for his career.
In addition to making the All-Star MLB Futures Game in 2014, Ramsey then went on to help lead the Columbus Clippers to the 2015 AAA International League Championship.
Ramsey finished his collegiate career (2009-12) as one of the best to dawn the Garnet and Gold. He was the 2012 ABCA Player of the Year and the ninth consensus All-American in Florida State history, earning first-team recognition from the ABCA, Baseball America, NCBWA, Louisville Slugger and Perfect Game. A team captain in 2012, Ramsey be named the 2012 ACC Player of the Year en route to capping his college career with a fourth-consecutive ACC Atlantic Division title, a pair of victories at the College World Series and No. 4 national ranking.
For his collegiate career, Ramsey hit an impressive .339 with 48 doubles, 15 triples, 34 home runs and 202 RBI. He started the final 202 games of his college career, posting a .994 fielding percentage and committing just one error in 160 chances in 2012.
An all-around student-athlete, Ramsey was also a two-time first-team CoSIDA/Capital One Academic All-American (2011, 2012) and the 2012 Academic All-American of the Year. He was the ACC Student-Athlete of the Year in 2011 and 2012 and the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award winner – the first recipient of the award for any Seminole student-athlete.
Ramsey graduated with a degree in finance in 2012 after earning three Golden Torch Awards – given to the Florida State student-athlete with the highest GPA on their respective team.
Ramsey and his wife, Grace, were married in 2016. Grace was a cheerleading captain at Georgia Tech, graduating with a business degree in 2012.
Ramsey replaces assistant coach Mike Nickeas, who recently stepped down in order to divert his full attention to a family medical situation.
“Mike Nickeas was a great player here and has been a wonderful coach with us the last four-and-a-half years since retiring from Major League Baseball,” Hall said. “I thank him from the bottom of my heart for all that he has done for Georgia Tech and myself. I am forever grateful to him for his contributions as a player and as a coach.”
