COACHING STAFF
Head Coach Jeff Gregory
Jeff Gregory ('00) will embark on his sixthyear as head baseball coach in 2016. Gregory replaced Allen Osborne, who resigned to accept an assistant coaching position at the University of Georgia. In his first three seasons at Wingate, Gregory has compiled an overall record of 94-67, with a 51-30 mark in SAC play.
Gregory led the Bulldogs to a second-place finish in the SAC in 2013, notching a 20-7 record in league play. The Bulldogs led the conference with a 3.58 ERA, with Olen Little registering a SAC-best 1.50 ERA and SAC Freshman of the Year TJ Rinoski ranking second with a 1.76 ERA. Little and outfielder Thomas Spitz earned first team All-SAC honors, while Rinoski was joined by Josh Clark and Blake Prince on the All-SAC second team. Little, Spitz and Rinoski each earned All-Region recognition.
During his first two years as head coach at Wingate, Gregory has had the Bulldogs playing on championship Sunday in the Food Lion SAC Tournament both seasons. The team won the title in 2011, going undefeated in the SAC Tournament and earning a bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Gregory led a potent offensive attack during the 2012 season. The Bulldogs led the nation with 95 homers, ranking second nationally in doubles, sixth in scoring, eighth in runs and 11th in hits.
Gregory has had three players earn All-American honors in his three seasons. In 2011, outfielder Dodson McPherson earned first team All-American honors from the NCBWA and the ABCA, while earning second team accolades from Daktronics. One of eight semi-finalists for the Tino Martinez Award, McPherson earned SAC and Region Player of the Year honors, while also being named the SAC Male Athlete of the Year. First baseman Brian Yeung earned second team All-American honors from the ABCA and third team accolades from Daktronics. He led the nation in doubles during his sophomore year. In 2012, outfielder Casey Allison earned first team All-American honors from Daktronics and the NCBWA, and second team accolades from the ABCA. He was a semi-finalist for the Tino Martinez Award, leading the nation with 22 homers.
During the 2011 season, the Bulldogs finished second in the SAC during the regular season, after winning the regular season title in 2010. Wingate was dominant during the SAC Tournament, winning all four contests. The Bulldogs got overpowering pitching performances from Chris Nelson and Justin Somers in the first two contests, outscoring opponents 7-2 in the two contests. The Bulldogs won a 12-inning thriller to advance to championship Sunday, where they knocked off regular season champion Catawba 7-1 to claim their first title since 1998 and first NCAA Tournament bid since 2001.
A 2000 graduate of Wingate University, the 35-year-old Gregory has spent nine seasons on the Bulldog baseball coaching staff. He was promoted to full-time assistant baseball coach during the summer of 2005. The 2010 spring season was his fifth campaign as a full-time assistant coach.
Most recently, Gregory was responsible for working with the Bulldog hitters and outfielders. In addition, he coordinated Wingate’s recruiting efforts. His endeavors gave the Bulldogs several top classes, including recent South Atlantic Conference Freshman of the Year and Player of the Year award winners. Outfielder Mark Letchworth (Greenville, N.C.) was the 2009 SAC Player of the Year, while outfielder Casey Allison (Horse Shoe, N.C.) was the 2009 SAC Freshman of the Year.
Gregory’s tutelage helped Letchworth gain many honors. The American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) voted Letchworth to the 2009 NCAA Division II All-America third team. In addition, he received All-Region honors from the ABCA, the College Sports Information Directors of America (Daktronics) and the NCBWA. Letchworth was also named to the NCCSIA All-State college division team.
Under his supervision, the Bulldog outfield has been a steady source of strong defense and powerful offense. Gregory’s outfielders fielded .965 in 2010 and powered the offense with a unit batting average of .335. The group also stole 15 bases.
The Bulldogs finished the 2010 season 29-19 overall and 19-5 in the SAC. Wingate won its first regular season title since 2000. The 19 conference regular season victories are the second most in the team’s NCAA history (1990-present). The Bulldogs were the number one seed in the 2010 Food Lion SAC tournament.
The Scotland County native earned four letters for the Bulldog baseball team from 1997-2000. Gregory has won a conference regular season championship as a player (2000) and a coach (2010) at Wingate. Gregory and his teammates captured the Food Lion SAC tournament title in 1998.
Gregory’s baseball coaching experience is not limited to the collegiate game. In the summer of 2005, he was an assistant coach for the Harrisonburg (Va.) Turks in the prestigious Valley Baseball League (VBL). During the summer of 2004, Gregory served as the head coach for the Rowan Pirates in the Southern Conference Baseball League (SCBL). He had previous experience in the SCBL, as he was the assistant coach for the Monroe Bulldogs in 2000.
In addition to his undergraduate degree in Sport Management, Gregory earned his Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree at Wingate in May, 2004. Prior to joining the Wingate baseball staff, Gregory was the assistant golf professional at nearby Eagle Chase Golf Club from 1999-2001.
June 2010 will always hold special meaning for Gregory. In addition to his promotion to head coach, Gregory tied the knot with Jessica Murphy of Suffolk, Va. on Saturday, June 26. Murphy is a 1999 graduate of Virginia Tech. Their son Reid is two years old.
Billy Funk - Outfielders Coach
Jacob Rand - Catchers Coach
Dusty White - Pitching Coach
Nicholas Roy - Director of Baseball Operations
