NASHVILLE - Head Coach Jeff Forehand and Lipscomb Baseball announces the addition of Ross Steedley as an Assistant Coach. Steedley will replace Adam Wyse, who held the position for the past two seasons.
Forehand commented on the hire, saying, "Coach Steedley is an excellent addition to our coaching staff. So many other coaches reached out to say how good of a coach he is and that he was a no-doubt hire. They also said that he is a fabulous person, and that is easily recognized when you get to know him. Our players are going to have a great relationship with him & they will quickly realize what we all did when those relationships are established. I think Coach Steedley is the perfect fit for Lipscomb Baseball and the perfect fit for Lipscomb University."
Steedley makes the move to Nashville after a three-year stint as the head man at Queens University - Charlotte. While with the Royals, Steedley led the program in its transition to the D-I level last season after two seasons in the D-II ranks.
"I'm extremely grateful and thankful to Coach Forehand for giving me this opportunity to join Lipscomb Baseball and Lipscomb University. It's such a blessing getting the opportunity to work for a person like him and a championship-level program like Lipscomb. I've always felt called to coach, and I know it's the purpose and passion The Lord has placed on my life. I'm excited to meet our players and see many great things happen in Nashville." said Steedley.
In his third season with the Royals, and the first as a D-I program, Steedley guided the team to a 17-38 overall record. Queens navigated a difficult schedule that featured four nationally ranked opponents in #23 South Carolina, #12 East Carolina, #15 FGCU, and #13 North Carolina.
Steedley produced the ASUN Scholar-Athlete of the Year and Second Team All-Conference performer Riley Cheek who hit a team-high .324 with 31 extra-base hits, including 12 home runs.
During his second season with the Royals, Steedley led the team to new heights setting multiple records. The Royals tripled their win total from the previous season while making their first-ever postseason appearance as a No. 4 seed in the South Atlantic Conference tournament. Queens took down four nationally ranked opponents in a season in which the Royals boasted a top-40 strength of schedule.
Prior to Queens, Steedley spent seven years as an assistant coach in the college ranks, including six years at the D-I level coaching for Gardner-Webb University, UNC Charlotte, and Jacksonville. Steedley has also served as a recruiting coordinator at each stop of his coaching career, evaluating and recruiting potential student-athletes.
Steedley has coached eight players who played professional baseball, three of which were MLB draft picks in the last seven years.
Steedley played collegiately at UNC Charlotte from 2008-12, where he was an All-Atlantic 10 First Team catcher and guided the 49ers to a 43-win season in 2011, resulting in a conference championship and a berth in the Tempe, Arizona Regional. Steedley holds a bachelor's degree in communications from Charlotte.
