Tom Austin

B.A., M.A., Rollins College

Bio:

After 35 years as head baseball coach at Methodist, Austin sports a 1,054-473-9 career record, and is only the sixth coach in the history of NCAA Division III baseball to reach the 1,000-win plateau. Austin’s teams have never won fewer than 22 games in a season. Included in that are 17 30-win seasons and two 40-win seasons. Currently, the Monarchs have enjoyed 33 straight 20-win seasons under Austin. He is currently sixth overall among all-time NCAA Division III head coaches and fourth among active Division III head coaches in victories.

During his tenure at Methodist, he has guided the Monarchs to six NCAA Division III College World Series (1986, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1995, 1996), finishing no lower than fifth. Their best finish occurred in the 1995 season, when the Monarchs wound up as the NCAA Division III runners-up.

Under Austin’s guidance, Methodist has tallied 20 Dixie Intercollegiate/USA South Athletic Conference (DIAC) championships, six NCAA Division III South Regional titles and 21 NCAA Division III National Tournament berths. Methodist has also earned recognition as the country’s top-ranked NCAA Division III team on three different occasions, including the 2002 season. Under Austin’s watch, the Monarchs have averaged an impressive 31 victories a season, a true model of consistency and success.

Austin’s accomplishments have earned him numerous coaching honors during his career. He has been selected the Dixie Intercollegiate/USA South Athletic Conference Coach of the Year ten times, the NCAA Division III South Region Coach of the Year seven times in 11 years and the North Carolina College Coach of the Year twice.

In addition to producing championship teams at Methodist, Austin has also molded many a dynamic player at Methodist. A total of 29 players under Austin have garnered NCAA Division III All-American honors, and 129 players have been selected first team All-Dixie Intercollegiate/USA South Athletic Conference.