College of Charleston Head Coach Matt Heath hired former CofC standout Austin Morgan (Class of ’10) as his first coaching hire on July 10, 2015.
A former catcher and student assistant coach at CofC, Morgan serves in a versitle role for the Cougars. Morgan works all over the field developing players with his main focus being on the defensive side by working with infielders and catchers as well as assisting with the ourtfielders. On the offensive side, Morgan assists with hitting and baserunning; he will also be a major factor in recruiting for the Cougars.
“Austin is one of the top up-and-coming coaches,” Heath said. “He can wear many different hats for us whether it is defense, offense or pitching. He also has a great eye for evaluating and recruiting, so we are real lucky to have him on our staff.”
Morgan spent the 2014-15 season serving as a volunteer assistant coach at Texas A&M, where he helped the Aggies to the Fort Worth Super Regional and a program-best tying No. 1 national ranking. A&M compiled a 50-14 record and was ranked in the Top 10 in 12 NCAA statistical categories including nine on the offensive side and three on the mound.
“I am very excited about the opportunity to coach at the College of Charleston and be back at my alma mater,” Morgan said. “This is a special place that has a great baseball tradition. I look forward to continuing that success by bringing in the best players in the country and getting this program to Omaha. I can’t wait to get started.”
Prior to A&M, Morgan spent two seasons as a volunteer assistant at East Carolina. During his two seasons at ECU, he worked directly with the catchers and assisted Ben Sanderson as a hitting instructor. He also mentored Pirates’ catcher Travis Watkins to Conference USA All-Freshman Team recognition.
Morgan joined the Pirates’ staff after spending two years as the head coach of the Diamond Devils Baseball Summer Program located in Mt. Pleasant, S.C.
His coaching career began as a student assistant coach for one season under former CofC Head Coach Monte Lee in 2009-10. The Cougars received an at-large bid and No. 2 NCAA Tournament seed advancing to the 2010 Myrtle Beach Regional championship game, before falling to No. 4 national seed Coastal Carolina. CofC ended the season ranked No. 27 in the final National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association poll.
As a member of Lee’s staff, Morgan worked with the Cougars’ catchers and assisted with hitting instruction. His 2010 squad led the Southern Conference in 10 offensive categories and ranked among the national leaders in home runs (5th/105), scoring (7th/9.1), runs (8th/576), doubles (9th/160), walks (14th/298), slugging percentage (15th/.539) and hits (21st/732).
A two-year CofC letterman, Morgan helped the Cougars to 74 wins and a pair of SoCon Tournament appearances from 2008-09. He appeared in 114 games (112 starts) over two seasons batting .297 (110-for-372) with eight home runs, 32 doubles and 82 RBIs.
As a senior, he helped Charleston to a 35-22 record making 56 starts behind the plate. Morgan batted .292 with five homers and 45 RBIs during the year. He also helped the Cougars to a 39-20 ledger batting .301 with 43 runs, 14 doubles, three home runs and 37 RBIs in 2008, his junior year.
A former two-year standout under Head Coach Brian Roper at Blinn College in Brenham, Texas, Morgan earned ABCA Gold Glove honors in 2007. He helped the Buccaneers to a 36-21 mark as a freshman and 37-19 record as a sophomore.
Originally from Houston, Texas, Morgan was a standout at Cinco Ranch High School in Katy, Texas, where he earned all-district honors and team MVP recognition as a senior. He also garnered all-state honors as Cinco Ranch’s quarterback in 2005.
A 2010 graduate of The College with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, Morgan is married to the former Allisyn Miller, a Charleston native. They were wed in fall of 2014.
