Coastal Plain League Coach of the Year, Matt Hayes (photo courtesy of Pat Grecinger) has signed on to coach the Forest City Owls in 2011.
In 2010, Coach Hayes led the Owls to their second straight Petitt Cup championship. The Owls finished with a 43-21 record, including a 6-2 mark in the Petitt Cup Playoffs.
For the third straight year, Hayes guided Forest City to the West Division first half championship with a 19-9 record. The Owls tied Gastonia with an 18-10 record in the West Division second half, but due to the Grizzlies holding the tie-breaker, Forest City finished second.
The Owls finished the 2010 season ranked 4th in the country by PG Crosschecker. The 2009 Owls finished the season as the top-ranked team in the country after compiling a 51-9 record.
“We couldn’t be more excited to have Matt back in 2011″, said Forest City Owls Managing Partner, Jesse Cole. “He has proved to be one of the best coaches in all of college summer baseball and continues to bring in not only great players but great people into the Forest City community”.
Said Hayes, “I’m happy to be back and look forward to a great summer in 2011″.
Hayes was named the head coach for the 2010 National CPL All-Stars and had seven Owls players (Danny Canela, Reid Harper, Will Skinner, Tarran Senay, Konstatine Diamaduros, Nate Hyatt and Chase Boruff) join him as All-Stars as well.
There were several key returners for Hayes in 2010, but perhaps none as noteworthy as Skinner, who set the single-season record for the doubles in 2009 with 21. In 2010, he broke that record with 23. Furthermore, Skinner, who spent thee years with Forest City, went on to become the career CPL leader in hits (158), doubles (56), and total bases (256).
As a team, the Forest City Owls was third in the league with a .255 batting average, while leading the CPL with a team ERA of 2.56. And as no surprise, the Owls were at the top or among the top leaders in almost every meaningful offensive and pitching category.
Hayes, who spent the 2009-10 season as an assistant coach at Limestone, has served five years as a head coach in the Coastal Plain League, including the last three with the Forest City Owls. He led the Owls to a 28-26 league record in 2008, and won the West Division First Half title. He went on to be named the associate head coach of the American All-Star team. The 2009 season, Hayes captained the Owls juggernaut that went 51-9. Overall, Hayes sports a 174-111 (.611) record as a head coach in the CPL, including four straight trips to the postseason.
In addition to being an assistant coach for Limestone, Hayes is also the assistant compliance officer. During the 2008-09 season, Hayes coached first base and worked with the hitters, infielders and outfielders at Indiana University. Prior to his time with the Hoosiers, Hayes spent six years as an assistant coach at Limestone College. He had the same responsibilities at Limestone, and also oversaw the Saints junior varsity program.
Hayes attended the Danville Area Community College in Illinois before transferring to Mars Hill College, where he was a standout on the Lions baseball team. He graduated with a degree in Sports Management in 2002. Furethermore, Hayes was the head coach for the American Legion Post 23 team in Gastonia for three seasons and served as volunteer assistant coach for the CPL’s Gastonia Grizzlies in 2005.
The Coastal Plain League is the nation’s hottest summer collegiate baseball league. Celebrating its 14th season, the Coastal Plain League features 15 teams playing in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. The CPL gives college players the chance to refine their skills with the use of wooden bats. Players are housed with local host families for the summer and past experiences have been very positive for both players and hosts. Furthermore, the CPL has had over 800 alumni drafted and 38 alums make their Major League debut thus far. For more information on the Coastal Plain League, please visit the league website at http:www.coastaplain.com.
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