HUNTER MORRIS JOINS UT MARTIN BASEBALL COACHING STAFF
7/3/2018 10:48:00 AM | Baseball
MARTIN, Tenn. – University of Tennessee at Martin head baseball coach Ryan Jenkins has announced the hiring of Hunter Morris as the program's hitting coach. At UT Martin, Morris will work primarily with hitters and infielders.
Morris spent the 2018 season with Samford University, where he served as a volunteer assistant under head coach Casey Dunn. Morris was a member of the Samford staff that saw the Bulldogs travel to the NCAA Tallahassee Regional before Mississippi State defeated the squad and ended the year with a 37-26 mark. He oversaw the production of a trio of 2018 Major League Baseball Draft selections and a pair of 2018 All-Southern Conference players.
"I am looking forward to the addition of Hunter to our staff," Jenkins said. "He was a tremendous player in college and has had success at every level of his baseball career. I know that his wealth of baseball knowledge will have a great impact on our program and our student athletes."
A Huntsville, Ala. native, Morris graduated from Grissom High School in 2007 and was selected in the second round of the MLB Draft by the Boston Red Sox, but chose to attend Auburn University. While at Auburn, he played alongside Jenkins from 2008-10. He was named 2008 Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year and 2010 SEC Player of the Year before being selected in the fourth round of the 2010 Major League Baseball draft by the Milwaukee Brewers. Morris spent the 2010-14 seasons with the Brewers' orginization before being traded to and finishing his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2015.
Morris ranks in the top-10 in seven single season categories during his time with the Auburn baseball program including sitting in first in home runs (23) and total bases (202). He also ranks in the top-10 in five career categories at Auburn. He earned a Freshman All-American nod in 2008 while also garnering a spot on the USA National Team his freshman year. Morris then picked up an All-American award in 2010 following a stellar junior season. He also excelled in the classroom as he earned a spot on the All-SEC Academic list in 2010.
During the 2017 season, Morris worked as a student assistant coach at Auburn University to finish his degree. He and his wife, Macie, have a son Tripp (7) and a daughter, Charlotte (2).
"I would like to thank Coach Jenkins for this opportunity to join the baseball program at UT Martin," Morris said. "The Ohio Valley Conference is a very competitive league and I am looking forward to working with this program's talented young players."
UT Martin is coming off of the first season under Jenkins, who coached an All-OVC first team outfielder (Jordan Stoner) and a pair of All-Freshmen players (Blake Davis and Ethan Whitley) while Whitley also garnered a Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Freshman All-American selection in 2018.
Morris spent the 2018 season with Samford University, where he served as a volunteer assistant under head coach Casey Dunn. Morris was a member of the Samford staff that saw the Bulldogs travel to the NCAA Tallahassee Regional before Mississippi State defeated the squad and ended the year with a 37-26 mark. He oversaw the production of a trio of 2018 Major League Baseball Draft selections and a pair of 2018 All-Southern Conference players.
"I am looking forward to the addition of Hunter to our staff," Jenkins said. "He was a tremendous player in college and has had success at every level of his baseball career. I know that his wealth of baseball knowledge will have a great impact on our program and our student athletes."
A Huntsville, Ala. native, Morris graduated from Grissom High School in 2007 and was selected in the second round of the MLB Draft by the Boston Red Sox, but chose to attend Auburn University. While at Auburn, he played alongside Jenkins from 2008-10. He was named 2008 Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year and 2010 SEC Player of the Year before being selected in the fourth round of the 2010 Major League Baseball draft by the Milwaukee Brewers. Morris spent the 2010-14 seasons with the Brewers' orginization before being traded to and finishing his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2015.
Morris ranks in the top-10 in seven single season categories during his time with the Auburn baseball program including sitting in first in home runs (23) and total bases (202). He also ranks in the top-10 in five career categories at Auburn. He earned a Freshman All-American nod in 2008 while also garnering a spot on the USA National Team his freshman year. Morris then picked up an All-American award in 2010 following a stellar junior season. He also excelled in the classroom as he earned a spot on the All-SEC Academic list in 2010.
During the 2017 season, Morris worked as a student assistant coach at Auburn University to finish his degree. He and his wife, Macie, have a son Tripp (7) and a daughter, Charlotte (2).
"I would like to thank Coach Jenkins for this opportunity to join the baseball program at UT Martin," Morris said. "The Ohio Valley Conference is a very competitive league and I am looking forward to working with this program's talented young players."
UT Martin is coming off of the first season under Jenkins, who coached an All-OVC first team outfielder (Jordan Stoner) and a pair of All-Freshmen players (Blake Davis and Ethan Whitley) while Whitley also garnered a Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Freshman All-American selection in 2018.
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