July 7, 2008

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

Head Baseball Coach Ray Tanner
“It was exactly 12 years ago that I was hired as the new baseball coach for South Carolina. I was only expecting two or three people in the audience. I was little overwhelmed. I looked out into the audience and Chad (Holbrook) was sitting there. I wasn’t able to hire him at the time, but I vowed that one day I would.”

“We are delighted to announce Chad (Holbrook) as the new associate head coach and recruiting coordinator. He will be overseeing our offense. He’ll also be handling our hitters, base running, short game and coaching the outfielders.”

“He is one of the most experienced baseball coaches in the country. His recruiting expertise is second to none. It just wasn’t possible to hire anybody in this capacity better than Chad Holbrook.”

Associate Head Baseball Coach Chad Holbrook
“It is a great honor to be asked by Coach Tanner and the University of South Carolina to be apart of this baseball staff. I can’t tell you how excited I am to get started and how excited my family is to be here.”

“I would be remiss if I didn’t thank the people at the University of North Carolina. They gave me my start, I got to play there and they took care of our family during difficult times. I will always be grateful to the people at North Carolina.”

“Now I’m here, I’m excited, I’m ready to get going. I’m ready to meet the players and I’m ready to get on the road and recruit. South Carolina is a great place. I’ve always admired the program that coach Tanner has put together and I’ve always wanted to work under him and be apart of it. The passion, the fan base, the excitement that surrounds this baseball program is second to none. It’s exciting for me to be a part of that.”

“I’ve yearned to learn under Coach Tanner. I think he’s the best in the business, I’ve always thought that. The respect I have for him is like no other in the country. The opportunity to learn under him is something I couldn’t pass up. It would take an opportunity of a lifetime to leave North Carolina. I have an opportunity of a lifetime here at South Carolina.”

“I am so excited about seeing 8,000 people in that new stadium cheering on our team. I don’t think it gets any better than that. I know that kids will want to and yearn to play in that type of environment and learn to play for one of the top coaches in college baseball.”

“The SEC has always been, we think, the most competitive league in the country. Top to bottom, there is not a better league in the country. The fan bases that are apparent in all twelve schools in the league, from a baseball standpoint, is unmatched here at South Carolina. The excitement that is going to be here in our home park, we think is unmatched. It is a great situation for a coach to work in. I think it’s a great situation for players to play in.”

On Tanner’s Program
“They always play the game I thought the right way. Their kids always acted in a first class way, they treated their opponents with respect. When I played at North Carolina and he was the coach at NC State, he always treated me with respect.

“They’ve always played the game the right way. I’ve always been so impressed with the way their kids handle themselves – in success or failure, in wins and in losses. [Coach Tanner] is a great leader. I am excited to learn from him. That’s why I’m here. We are going to try like crazy to recruit the best kids that we can to South Carolina. We’re always going to be as good as the type of kids that we get here. “

On why he didn’t take the job before
“When taking a job, timing is everything. It just wasn’t the right time. As many of you know, my son is facing medical issues. He wasn’t quite done with that at that time. I felt it was important to keep him under the care that he needed to be under, that we could be to his doctor in three or four minutes. I am a dad first. I told coach Tanner that when he hired me, he’s hiring a family, he is not just hiring a coach. I will always be a dad first.”

On recruiting
“We’re going to try to dominate the state of South Carolina first. At North Carolina, we try to take care of our house first, and that’s what we’re going to do here. If we can get the best players in the state of South Carolina, it would give us a great start. “