HBCU Baseball continues coverage of the Savannah State Tigers baseball program and its top candidates to replace Carlton Hardy as the head baseball coach.
The Tigers came up short in its quest for an NCAA Division II World Series run in 2024, falling in the DII Regional in Tampa, FL. The baseball program requires a new coach as Hardy left to take the same role at Alcorn State University, returning to coach Division I baseball. With his departure, the administration will fill the vacancy quickly to keep the roster intact. Athletic director Opio Mashariki has plenty of resources to work with, making Savannah State a signature job for potential candidates.
The Tigers baseball team is coming off one of its best seasons in school history. The new coach will take over a program with momentum. As interviews commence (previously delayed by the devastating Hurricane Helene), top candidates include the following.
One name identified as a potential target is former Florida Memorial University head coach Florentino Tino Burgos. Burgos arrived as FMU head coach in 2016, building the Lions into a force. They have made the Sun Conference tournament, won a national title during the 2023 Black College World Series, and participated four times in a row. Burgos won the HBCU Small School Coach of the Year during the 2018 season.
Burgos coached teams ranked in Black College Nines HBCU baseball small school Top 10 polls. Many view Burgos as a high-level talent developer highly respected in the profession. He has made postseason play the past four years. His reputation is better than his results due to the resources he must work with. His roster includes individuals selected for HBCU All-America and national awards that include academic honor excellence.
Former Xavier University of Louisiana head coach Andrian Holloway coached Selma University before the school shut down the baseball program after the conclusion of the 2019 season. Holloway was the head coach for six seasons (2014-19). During that time, the Bulldogs program accomplishments included a 117-59 (.665) record, six consecutive national tournament appearances, World Series appearances in the United States Collegiate Athletic Association in 2019, 2018, and 2014, plus Xavier made it to the championship game in the 2021 inaugural Black College World Series. Holloway expects his players to compete on the field and in the classroom.
Former Lane College head coach Patrick Barbour was an assistant coach at Albany State University in 2015-2016 and became the head coach at Lane College in 2019. Barbour was the pitching coach on the staff in 2015 as Albany State captured the SIAC championship and made its second-ever appearance in the NCAA South Regional. Five Golden Rams received all-conference accolades, with two ASU players receiving All-South Regional team recognition.
He has experience serving as assistant coach/recruiting coordinator at the NCAA Division II level and head coaching experience at the NCAA Division II, NAIA, and high school levels. His success has carried over to winning a national HBCU baseball title in 2020. Currently, Barbour is the Jackson State Community College pitching coach.
Former Winston Salem State University head coach Kevin Ritsche was hired in 2010 to revive the baseball program at Winston-Salem State. In nine seasons, Ritsche turned WSSU into a Top 25 program and a national championship contender ranked nationally each year and guided the Rams to four HBCU Baseball National Championships. Ritsches teams won six conference championships and six NCAA Division II Tournament appearances. In 2017, the team was runner-up in the NCAA Atlantic Regional, just missing a trip to the NCAA Division II World Series. He was a five-time Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Coach of the Year.
He guided the Rams to 319 victories in nine seasons, 30 plus wins every season, and 35 or more wins in five of the last seven seasons with six Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) championships, six NCAA Division II playoff appearances (2011-2015, 2017) and top the 40-win mark in 2015 going 42-15. The 2019 season record was 35-16, and Winston-Salem State claimed its fourth HBCU Baseball National Title. Ritsche helmed the program until the athletic department cut baseball for financial reasons and replaced it with golf for the 2019-2020 school year.
Savannah State assistant coach Bailey Ayers is running fall baseball practices and scrimmages. Ayers became Savannah State Assistant Baseball Coach/Recruiting Coordinator/Hitting Coach in August 2023. He recruited the current player roster. His recruiting brought in current stellar student-athletes who helped win ball games. Before joining the Tigers, Ayers was the Head Coach/Director of Baseball Operations for the Southeastern Baseball Summer League from May 2023 – July 2023 in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Last year, the team finished with a 31-17 overall record and a 21-12 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) mark and made the NCAA Division II South Baseball Regional. The team returns with last season’s roster as they prepare for their upcoming 2025 season schedule. He seems to have the support of those within the baseball program locker room.