Roanoke College’s Matt McGuire, a William Byrd High School graduate, was recently named the 2017 NCAA Division III South Region Coach of the Year by the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA).
McGuire, who just completed his fifth year as skipper of the Maroons, led Roanoke to its most successful season in the program’s short history in 2017. RC won its first ever Old Dominion Athletic Conference Championship in May and then went on to capture the NCAA South Region Championship, punching its ticket to the Division III College World Series in Appleton, Wisconsin.
Roanoke won a pair of games at the CWS to finish as one of the final four teams remaining in the eight team field. RC won 35 games this season, which is tied for third most in the 40 year history of the ODAC. For their efforts, the Maroons were ranked No. 3 in the nation in the final D3baseball.com Top-25 Poll.
The Regional Coaches of the Year are eligible for ABCA/Diamond National Coach of the Year honors in their respective divisions, which were scheduled to be announced on Wednesday, July 5. The Coaches of the Year will be honored during the ABCA/Diamond Hall of Fame/Coach of the Year Banquet at the 74th annual ABCA Convention, which will be held Jan. 4-7, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. The banquet is set for Jan. 5, 2017 at the J.W. Marriott Hotel.
The ABCA, founded in 1945, is the primary professional organization for baseball coaches at the amateur level. Its over 8,000 members represent all 50 states and 25 countries. Since its initial meeting of 27 college baseball coaches on June 29, 1945, Association membership has broadened to include eight divisions: NCAA Division I, II and III, NAIA, NJCAA, Pacific Association Division, High School and Youth.