Furman Promotes Harker To Head Coach
Brett Harker, Furman’s pitching coach the past two season, has been named head coach, replacing Ron Smith, who last month resigned after 23 years.
Harker, who’s from Greenville, S.C., where Furman is located, was also the Paladins’ recruiting coordinator. He’s just the fourth head coach Furman’s had in the past 50 years.
“After an exhilarating three week search, we are proud to announce Brett Harker as our new head baseball coach,” director of athletics Mike Buddie, the former major league pitcher, said in a statement. “The deeper into the search I moved, the more clarity I gained that Brett had all of the intangibles I believe will make him the perfect fit for Furman Baseball. His background as a collegiate All-American and professional player, coupled with his great passion for Furman, gave him a leg up on the competition. I have supreme confidence we will see great things from this rising star in the collegiate baseball world.”
Harker was hired at Furman in 2014 after serving as pitching coach at Newberry (S.C.) College. Prior to Newberry, Harker, who turns 32 on Saturday, was the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator at North Greenville (S.C.) University in 2013.
“This is an exciting time for my family and for me, and I am very thankful for the opportunity to lead the Furman University baseball program,” Harker said in a news release. “We often tell recruits, ‘There is no better time to be a Paladin,’ and I am thrilled to experience that first-hand today. I am excited to make this transition and build on the foundation left by our amazing alumni and the strong nucleus of returning players. I look forward to continuing the tradition of helping produce and recruit some of the top student-athletes in the country and am ready to lead Furman Baseball to new heights.”
Harker pitched for the College of Charleston from 2003-05, compiling a 14-6, 4.08 mark with 29 saves, a program record. He was drafted by the Phillies in fifth round in 2005 and was the Phillies’ No. 24 prospect after that season. He spent four years in the Phillies organization before he was taken in the Rule 5 Draft by the Marlins and got to Triple-A. He played independent ball in 2010 before retiring.
“Brett Harker is a man of high character and possesses leadership that you want in a head coach,” said Clemson coach Monte Lee, who played at CofC and was the head coach there from 2009-15. “I have known him for many years and believe he is a rising star in the coaching profession. I am extremely excited to see him accomplish great things at Furman University.”
| 2016 COACHING CHANGES | ||
| School | Departures | Arrivals |
| Alabama | Mitch Gaspard | Greg Goff |
| Alabama State | Mervyl Melendez | |
| Appalachian State | Billy Jones | |
| Army | Matt Reid | Jim Foster |
| Butler | Steve Farley | Dave Schrage |
| Central Florida | Terry Rooney | |
| Florida International | Turtle Thomas | Mervyl Melendez |
| Furman | Ron Smith | Brett Harker |
| Jacksonville | Tim Montez | Chris Hayes |
| Kentucky | Gary Henderson | Nick Mingione |
| Lamar | Jim Gilligan (ret.) | Will Davis |
| Liberty | Jim Toman | |
| Louisiana Tech | Greg Goff | Lane Burroughs |
| Missouri | Tim Jamieson | Steve Bieser |
| Northwestern State | Lane Burroughs | Bobby Barbier |
| Purdue | Doug Schreiber | Mark Wasikowski |
| San Jose State | Dave Nakama | |
| SIU-Edwardsville | Tony Stoecklin | Sean Lyons |
| Texas | Augie Garrido | David Pierce |
| Tulane | David Pierce | |
| Villanova | Joe Godri | |
| Youngstown State | Steve Gillispie | Dan Bertolini |
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