July 7, 2008

Photo Gallery | Quotes | Ray Tanner Audio (Free!) | Chad Holbrook Audio (Free!)

The University of South Carolina has announced the hiring of Chad Holbrook as Associate Head Coach/Recruiting Coordinator for the baseball team. Holbrook will coach third base, serve as hitting instructor and oversee the Gamecock offense, including base running and the short game. He will also work with the outfielders. Holbrook comes to the Gamecock program after serving 15 seasons as a member of the University of North Carolina coaching staff.

“I am very excited to have Coach Holbrook and his family become a part of Gamecock Nation,” said South Carolina head coach Ray Tanner. “He is truly one of the finest coaches and recruiters in all of college baseball. His experience and expertise will be an asset to our baseball program.”

As recruiting coordinator for the North Carolina program, Holbrook has put together consecutive top 10 recruiting classes in the nation the past two seasons that has helped the Tar Heels in making three consecutive College World Series appearances. From 2006-2008, North Carolina led the nation in wins with 54 in 2006, 57 in 2007 and 54 in 2008. PG Cross Checker ranked his latest recruiting class No. 3 in the nation. Holbrook’s 2007 class ranked fourth in the nation by Baseball America with his 2006 class selected eighth in the country. Baseball America also ranked his 2004 class 11th in the nation with the publication naming the Tar Heels recruiting class of 2003 as the No. 1 group in the country. That 2003 class also tied for first in Collegiate Baseball’s recruiting rankings with South Carolina.

In Holbrook’s 15 seasons on the UNC coaching staff, the Tar Heels have made 11 NCAA Tournament appearances including four NCAA Super Regionals and three trips to the College World Series. The 2007 squad also captured an ACC championship, the first in Chapel Hill since 1990 when Holbrook was a freshman player.

Holbrook has coached many top collegiate players including 2008 second-team All-America outfielder Tim Fedroff, third-team All-America first baseman Dustin Ackley and third-team All-America second baseman Kyle Seager. Ackley also earned third-team All-America honors in 2007 and was both Baseball America & Collegiate Baseball’s Freshman of the Year. In addition, Holbrook was instrumental in recruiting current Major League Baseball players Russ Adams, Andrew Miller and Kyle Snyder to campus at Chapel Hill.

“My family and I are so excited to be in Columbia and I am anxious to help Coach Tanner continue the winning tradition that he has created here at the University of South Carolina,” said associate head coach Chad Holbrook. “The energy and excitement in this baseball program is unsurpassed and I’m honored to be part of it. With our new stadium set to open in 2009 and the Dodie Anderson Academic Enrichment Center soon to follow, we will be able to attract the very best student-athletes in South Carolina and across the country.”

Under Holbrook’s eye, UNC batted .324 as a team this past year and has posted six of the top seven hitting seasons in Tar Heel history. The Tar Heels led the nation in hits in 2007 as well with 820 to finish the season. The school record for batting average in Chapel Hill was also set under Holbrook’s direction in 2002 when the Tar Heels finished with a .325 mark.

Holbrook served as undergraduate assistant coach in 1994 and was promoted to full-time assistant in the fall of 1994. Holbrook served as assistant coach up to 2007 when he earned a promotion to associate head coach. Holbrook also worked one summer in the Cape Cod League as head coach of the Harwich Mariners in 1997 where he led them to the league’s Eastern Division championship.

Before joining the North Carolina staff, Holbrook played for the Tar Heels from 1990-93. He was a second-team All-ACC selection as a senior when he .353 at the plate. He also earned all-tournament team honors in 1993 at the NCAA Central I Regional in College Station, Texas, where hit .565 (13-for-23) with three doubles and two triples in five games. Holbrook sits second all-time on the UNC list for triples with 14 in his career as well as 40 stolen bases. His stolen bases record was broke by Brian Roberts, who played for UNC from 97-98 before transferring to South Carolina.

Holbrook is a 1994 graduate of North Carolina with a degree in physical education. He is the son of Eddie Holbrook, former head men’s basketball coach for Gardner-Webb and Furman.

Holbrook and his wife, the former Jennifer Hilliard, were married in August of 2000. They have two sons, Reece, who was born on May 4, 2002, and Cooper, who was born on June 14, 2004.