Nathan Meade announced Monday his resignation as head coach of Milligan College’s baseball program. Meade played for Milligan and graduated in 2005 before becoming head coach in 2007. He last spring completed his 12th season at the helm of the baseball program.
“I am sad to say that Nathan Meade, head baseball coach, has decided to leave Milligan College and the coaching profession,” said Mark Fox, vice president for athletics and student development. “Coach Meade has served the college and our student-athletes for the past 12 years in a tremendous fashion. His commitment to his profession, Milligan and our players was a real bright spot.
“I truly enjoyed working with Nathan on a daily basis. He will be sorely missed within our athletic department and by the campus community as a whole. I am confident Milligan’s loss will be a tremendous gain for his future employer.”
“I want to thank my wife, Amanda, and kids, Colton and Sawyer, who have made a lot of sacrifices for me to do what I’ve done over the last 12 years,” Meade said. “This job would have been impossible without their support. I’m definitely looking forward to being able to spend more time with them.”
In his 12 seasons as Milligan’s head coach, Meade coached 16 AAC All-Conference first team selections, 14 AAC gold glove winners, two AAC freshmen of the year (Luke Kirk and Garrett Hartley), one NAIA All-American honorable mention (Jason Trivett) and one NAIA national gold glove winner (Todd Caldwell). Meade also guided two players to the professional ranks. Nathan Fritz went to the Minnesota Twins in 2008, and Mike Gallo went to the Washington Nationals in 2010.
The most recent season saw Meade record his 300th coaching victory with a win over No. 9 Bryan College on March 31. Meade finished his Milligan coaching career with 307 coaching wins. In 2009, the Buffaloes finished with a program-best 40-19 record.
Meade’s program was one win shy of an appearance at the NAIA Baseball National Championship in the 2014 season. With a run in the Appalachian Athletic Conference postseason tournament, Meade helped lead the Buffaloes to the semifinals where they lost narrowly to Point University, one victory away from an automatic berth to the national tournament.
A 2005 graduate of Milligan, Meade played four years as a middle infielder for the Buffaloes, competing under former head coach Danny Clark. Clark is the current minor league pitching coordinator for the Texas Rangers. During Meade’s time in the orange and black, Milligan made two NAIA Region XII tournament appearances, finishing second in 2005.
“Mark Fox, Ray Smith, and (former Milligan president) Dr. Jeanes gave me an opportunity at 23 years old, and I’ll forever be thankful for the trust they put in me,” Meade said. “I’m very blessed to have worked with some great coaches over the last 12 years and will cherish the memories with them. I’ve also been blessed to be around some of the best kids you could ever imagine, and I will never forget those times with them.
“The most rewarding part of the job for me has been the relationships I’ve developed with players and seeing how successful many have become in both their careers and with their families. I’ve been at Milligan in some capacity for 17 years so it will remain a special place for me and my family.”
Milligan now will begin the process of searching for its next head baseball coach. For consideration, please contact Mark Fox at [email protected] or (423) 461-8784.
