By JT Farabow

“When snow is on the ground, that means that baseball season is just around the corner,” said Joey Hammond, High Point University’s new head baseball coach.

Hammond, who’s hiring was announced on June 17, 2021, is a huge reason why there’s a lot of excitement around the HPU baseball organization this season. 

Coach Hammond, who played Division I baseball at UNC Charlotte, is now stepping into his first head coaching job in the college baseball world. Though it’s his first time at the helm of a college program, it’s no surprise why HPU Athletic Director Dan Hauser has chosen Hammond to be the team’s fourth head coach in its Division I era. 

After playing shortstop at UNC Charlotte from 1996-1998, Hammond was drafted in the 25 round of the MLB draft by the Baltimore Orioles. He played 11 years professionally before becoming a coach. 

Hammond spent five years as the head coach of Westchester Country Day School. In those five years, he led the Wildcats to the NCISAA 2A Final Four all five seasons and won a state title in three of them. There, he developed numerous athletes that would go on to play collegiate baseball and compiled an overall record of 104-31-1.

Before taking the job as HPU’s main man, Hammond spent seven years as a volunteer assistant coach at Wake Forest University. There, he developed hitters and outfielders and helped the Demon Deacons come within one game of advancing to the College World Series. 

“We are thrilled to announce Joey Hammond as the new baseball coach at High Point University,” said Hauser on June 17. “Joey has experienced and created success at every level of baseball. He is a coach with an extensive track record in player development.

“Joey has both regional and national recruiting connections that will elevate our HPU program to championship success,” Hauser said. 

Coming in as a first-time head coach, Hammond knows that it will be a process.

“Me and my staff knew it was going to be a big transition and we were sensitive to that,” said Hammond. “Credit to all these players – young and old – across the board they’ve been phenomenal with all we’ve asked of them to do. We’re all excited.”

Another reason the HPU baseball organization is excited for the 2022 season is because of a brand-new artificial turf field.

“It’s been a phenomenal resource for our guys,” Hammond said. “We spend significantly less time fixing up the field and having to do maintenance. It allows us to spend much more time in other areas such as student-athlete welfare and their overall development.”

Hammond’s team has been working hard in preparation for their opening series against Jacksonville University on February 18. The first game played on the new turf field at Williard Stadium will be against the University of Toledo on February 25 at 4 p.m. 

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For more information on HPU Baseball, please visit their HPU Athletics page.

JT Farabow is a senior at High Point University majoring in Sports Media with a minor in Journalism. For contact inquiries, please email jfarabow@highpoint.edu.