Baseball • 2006 Universit University of South Carolina Upstate y of ...

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Head Coach Matt FincherMatt FincherHead Coach9th SeasonMatt Fincher is in his ninth season as head baseball coach at theUSC Upstate. Prior to taking the baseball coaching position at USCUpstate, he served one season as the interim baseball coach at AndrewCollege in Cuthbert, GA.Fincher’s efforts to rebuild the program have begun to pay off. The2005 Spartans finished with a 33-21 overall record, its best recordsince joining the Peach Belt Conference and NCAA Division II. Their14-16 mark in league play broke the mark for most conference winsset by the 2004 squad. In 2005, second baseman Matt Goyea wonthe conference batting title and made the Peach Belt All-ConferenceTeam while thirdbaseman/pitcher Kyle Bowley earned Freshman-ofthe-Yearhonors.In 2004, the Spartans recorded a then school-record 11 conferencewins. In 2003, the Spartans finished with a 28-26 record, the first timesince 1991 that the Spartans have had a .500 or better record. It alsomarks the best record in the program since 1991.From 1994-96, Fincher served three years as an assistant coachunder former University of Georgia baseball coach Steve Webber. In1994 and 1995, Fincher served as a volunteer assistant coach. In1996 he was promoted to top assistant and served as the team’srecruiting coordinator, hitting instructor, and coordinator of team travel.While at Georgia, Fincher earned his doctorate in Curriculum andInstruction in Physical Education and taught activity courses in thebasic physical education program.During the summers of 1994 and 1995, Fincher coached the Athens(GA) Post 20 American Legion baseball team. The 1994 teamwon the state championship and advanced to the finals of the SoutheastRegional before falling to eventual national champion Miami(FL) Post 346. The 1995 team finished second in the state tournament,losing in the state championship game in the bottom of theninth inning.Fincher began his coaching career at Eastern Illinois University,where he served as a graduate assistant coach with the baseball teamand earned his M.S. in physical education. Following the completionof his master’s, he accepted a position at Georgia College &State University where he assisted John Kurtz for five years. While atGC&SU, Fincher’sprimary duties includedhitting instruction,coachingcatchers and outfielders,and fieldmaintenance. Healso taught in thephyscial educationdepartment andcoached cross countryfor one year.Fincher has extensive experience in college summer leagues aswell. He managed the Cortland (NY) Apples of the Northeast CollegiateBaseball League during the summrs of 1986 and 1987, and in1988 he managed the Nevada (MO) Griffons of the Jayhawk League.In 1989, Fincher returned to the Northeast Collegiate League wherehe managed the Syracuse (NY) Braves. The summer of 1990 sawFincher assisting with the Kenai Peninsula Oilers in the Alaska CentralBaseball League. The past eight summers he has served as thirdbase coach for the Chatham (MA) A’s in the Cape Cod BaseballLeague. The 1998 team defeated Wareham to win the Cape LeagueChampionship while the 1999 and 2001 teams finished second.Chatham advanced to the Cape League playoffs this past summer.2
Assistant Coaches Tom Fleenor and Garrett HolmesTom FleenorAssistant CoachTom Fleenor is in his sixth year as the assistant baseball coach atUSC Upstate. His primary duties include coaching the infielders andhitters and serving as the recruiting coordinator. However, he assistsin all phases of the program and will serve as the third base coach.During his time at USC Upstate, the Spartan hitters have experiencedmarked progress. USC Upstate has three times finished in thetop five in the Peach Belt in hitting, ascending from last before hisarrival. In 2005, the Spartans hitters led the conference in fourcategories including runs scored (413), triples (27), and walks (294).Fleenor also had his first All-American in second baseman Matt Goyeawho led the league in batting average at .425. The 2005 Spartansfinished with their best record as a member of the Peach Belt Conferenceand NCAA Division II, tallying a 33-21 overall mark and a 14-16league record. In 2003, the Spartans recorded their first winningseason since joining the Peach Belt in 1992.Fleenor came to USC Upstate after two years at Rollins College inWinter Park, FL. While an assistant at Rollins, Fleenor was in chargeof coaching the infielders. The Tars finished third in the highlycompetitive Division II Sunshine State Conference in 1999 afterrecording a seventh-place finish the previous year. The defensiveplay over that two-year period was also greatly improved, decreasingteam errors by 40.Before his stint at Rollins, Fleenor served as the volunteer assistantat the University of Mississippi from 1995-98. While at Ole Miss,the Rebels set the school record for wins with 40 in 1995. As a result,Ole Miss earned an invitation to the Atlantic I Regionals in Tallahassee,FL, where the team fell in the championship game to FloridaState. Fleenor served as the team’s third base coach his final twoseasons.Fleenor’s coaching experience also includes stints as head coachof the Schenectady (NY) Mohawks of the Northeastern CollegiateLeague and the Rochester (MN) Honkers of the Northwoods League.In 1997, Fleenor took the Mohawks to the playoffs with a 24-18record. The Honkers claimed the 1999 Northwoods League Championshipand the 1998 South Division Champioship. In 2000, theHonkers finished with the best regular season record in the Southregion, but were bested in the playoffs. Under Fleenor’s guidance,the 1998 and 2001 Honkers led the league in team defense. Theyled the league in hitting in both 1999 and 2000. In 2001, his finalseason in Rochester, Fleenor recorded his 150th victory with theHonkers. This mark established him as the winningest manager inthe organization’s history. During the summers of 2003 and 2004, hewas the field manager of theSt. Cloud River Bats of theNorthwoods League. Underhis direction, the River Batswono the North Division inboth halves of the season andfinished second in the playoffsin 2003 while winning thefirst half championship in2004. His team again led theleague in batting average in2004. Fleenor currenlty rankssecond in Northwood Leaguehistory for career wins with228.Fleenor graduated cumlaude from TennesseeWesleyan in 1993. He was athree-time All-Conference andtwo-time All-District performer.In 1992 and 1993, he helpedhis team win back-to-backleague championships.Upon graduation, Fleenor served as an assistant coach responsiblefor instructing hitters and infielders at Cleveland State CommunityCollege in Cleveland, TN.Fleenor and his wife, Laura, live in Boiling Springs, SC, with theirchildren, Bradley, 4 and Anna Grace, 2.Garrett HolmesAssistant CoachGarrett Holmes is in his first year as an assistant baseball coach atUSC Upsate and his fifth overall. He played for the Spartans the pastfour seasons as a relief pitcher.During his senior year at USC Upstate, Holmes led the team inearned run average (2.51), strikeouts (79), and opponents battingaverage (.193) while also posting a 3-1 record with five saves. Heranked third in the nation in strikeouts per nine innings pitched (11.7)in 2005.Holmes name is prevalent in the record books at USC Upstate.His 2.51 ERA was the second lowest single-season mark in schoolhistory and his 79 strikeouts was the third-highest single-season total.His eight career saves ranks third all-time at USC Upstate. In additionto his time at USC Upstate, he pitched two summers for the SpartanburgCrickets of the Southern Collegiate Baseball Leauge.A native of Woodruff, SC, Holmes graduated from Woodruff HighSchool and was an All-Conference selection in 2001. He is currentlyfinishing his requirements for a bachelor’s degree in Physical Educationand will graduate in May.3
Page 2 and 3: USC Upstate Quick Facts/University
Page 6 and 7: Cleveland S. Harley Baseball ParkUp
Page 8 and 9: 2006 Positional BreakdownCatchers#
Page 10 and 11: 2006 Season OutlookOverviewThe 2006
Page 12 and 13: Meet The SpartansBrandon Williams,
Page 14 and 15: Spartans Bios37 Derek ByarsRHP •
Page 16 and 17: Spartans Bios6 Eric GuillenINF •
Page 18 and 19: Spartans Bios35 Andrew RunionINF
Page 20 and 21: 2006 Opponents18
Page 22 and 23: 2006 OpponentsFrancis MarionMay 3-4
Page 24 and 25: 2006 OpponentsTusculumFeb. 28 Harle
Page 26 and 27: 2005 In ReviewKyle Bowley2005 PBC F
Page 28 and 29: 2005 Season Final NotesEckard Paces
Page 30 and 31: 2005 Results33-21 Overall, 14-16 PB
Page 32 and 33: 2005 Season ReviewThe 2005 USC Upst
Page 34 and 35: 2005 Senior Bios#34 Trevor Berryhil
Page 36 and 37: 2005 Alumni Weekendl-r Head Coach M
Page 38 and 39: 100 Inning DonorsOn November 5, 200
Page 40 and 41: 2005 PBC StatisticsIndividual Stati
Page 42 and 43: Team RecordsBattingAt BatsGame: 60
Page 44 and 45: Season BestsStolen Bases 1988 seaso
Page 46 and 47: Career LeadersPitchingAppearances76
Page 48 and 49: Yearly LeadersChris Leach Ken Penla
Page 50 and 51: Honors and AwardsNAIA All-Americans
Page 52 and 53: USC Upstate Hall of FameJohn Daurit
Page 54 and 55:
USC Upstate Baseball LettermenAAdam
Page 56 and 57:
All-Time Results1986 (33-16-1)Coach
Page 58 and 59:
All-Time Results2000 (13-40)Coach:
Page 60 and 61:
The Universiy of South Carolina Ups
Page 62 and 63:
USC Upstate Athletic Administration
Page 64:
2006 ScheduleKyle BowleySophomore 3
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Baseball • 2006 Universit University of South Carolina Upstate y of ...

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