Wingate Names Jeff Gregory As Head Baseball Coach

WINGATE, N.C. -- Wingate University vice-president and director of athletics Steve Poston announces the appointment of Jeff Gregory as head baseball coach. Gregory replaces Allen Osborne, who resigned to accept an assistant coaching position at another institution.

A 2000 graduate of Wingate University, 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.

The month of June will always hold special meaning for Gregory. On Saturday, he will wed Jessica Murphy of Suffolk, Va. Murphy is a 1999 graduate of Virginia Tech.

What They Are Saying
Wingate University vice-president and director of athletics Steve Poston

"I believe Jeff Gregory possesses the integrity, the character, the commitment and the knowledge (of the game) we value at Wingate University. Jeff holds the same values we hold dear. We want the young men who play baseball at Wingate to have the full student-athlete experience."

"I am very excited Jeff Gregory has this opportunity. We know Jeff fully understands the traditions of Wingate University baseball. He has been a student-athlete, a graduate assistant coach, an assistant coach and now, a head coach (at Wingate). Jeff's chance to be the head coach…speaks well for him and for the University."

"Jeff was actively involved in recruiting the current student-athletes at Wingate. His familiarity with the players and the program will serve him well as he works to continue our baseball success. Anything we have asked Jeff to do, he has always done very well. We look for the same type of commitment as Jeff transitions into his new role."

Wingate University head baseball coach Jeff Gregory

"I am excited and honored to accept this position. The coaches before me have won championships. I look forward to continuing the tradition. This is a huge honor for me. I am very excited. I can't wait to get started."

Former Wingate University head baseball coach Allen Osborne

"There is no doubt in my mind Jeff Gregory is ready for this opportunity. I know Coach Gregory, Coach (Ben) Hall, Coach (Rick) Hurni and the entire staff will carry on the tradition of Wingate University baseball. They will not skip a beat."