Chandler Rose Named Baseball Head Coach at Montevallo
5/25/2010 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 25, 2010
MONTEVALLO, Ala. - University of Montevallo Athletic Director Jim Herlihy announced Friday the hiring of Chandler Rose as the seventh head baseball coach in program history.
"I am confident that he will be successful here, given his many contacts in the southeast, and he will quickly return us to being competitive in recruiting and on the field," said Herlihy. "He is considered by many as an up and coming star in college baseball. We are excited to have him join our staff."
Rose comes to Montevallo after spending the previous four seasons as head assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at the Air Force Academy. Prior to his time at the Academy he spent one season as the assistant at Florida Gulf Coast University.
"I would first like to thank Dr. Stewart and Mr. Herlihy for this wonderful opportunity," said Rose. "I am very excited to be the head baseball coach at the University of Montevallo and for the future of the baseball program. Mr. Herlihy and the administration have a great vision and desire to win. That vision and passion is something that really attracted me to Montevallo. We will work extremely hard to bring Montevallo a baseball team that everyone will be proud of. The team we put on the field will be exciting to watch and a team the community will embrace. I look forward to starting immediately and working with the young men that are already in the baseball program. I could not be more excited to be a Falcon!"
Rose was responsible for the AFA infielders and hitters. He also handled the third base coaching duties, summer ball placement for returning players and was heavily involved in the nation-wide recruiting effort. With his Florida background, Rose was primarily responsible for recruiting the southeast region.
Since his arrival at the Academy the Falcons batting average went from .249 in 2007 to .309 in 2010. The .309 average is the highest it has been at the Academy since 2003. Air Force led the nation in triples per game in 2008 and currently leads the nation in triples and triples per game in 2010.
Air Force has also posted three of its best four fielding years in school history since Rose began working with the Falcon infield. The 2010 squad broke the school record with a .958 percentage, surpassing the .957 mark set by the 2008 and 1979 team. The 2009 team fielded .955.
In 2009, designated hitter Matt Alexander became Air Force's first All-American under Rose's guidance, earning first-team All-NCBWA honors. Freshman Garrett Custons, who Rose recruited out of Sarasota, Fla., currently holds five Air Force freshman records and ranks in the top three in nine freshman categories.
Rose is a 2004 graduate of the University of Central Florida, where he was a two-year letterwinner. Rose was an Atlantic Sun All-Conference selection his senior year as a shortstop and helped lead UCF to the Atlantic Sun Championship and played in the championship of the Tallahassee Regional.
Rose began his collegiate playing career at the University of New Orleans playing for the Privateers as a freshman and sophomore before transferring to UCF.
The Fort Myers, Fla., native got his coaching start as an assistant for the Winter Park Diamond Dogs of the Florida Collegiate League in 2005. Rose has also worked at the University of Florida, UCF and FGCU summer baseball camps.
In his first year as an assistant at Florida Gulf Coast, Rose helped lead FGCU to a 41-17 record and a trip to the NCAA Div. II South Regional in 2006.
Rose is married to his wife Sara and will begin his duties as head coach at Montevallo this week.
