Marshall University Athletics
Marshall Names Two Assistant Baseball Coaches
9/12/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Sept. 12, 2006
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - Marshall head baseball coach Jeff Waggoner has announced the addition of Tim Adkins and Tim Donnelly as assistant coaches to round out his coaching staff for the 2006-07 school year.
"I am very excited to announce Tim Adkins and Tim Donnelly as our assistant coaches," Waggoner said. "They are great communicators and have an intense passion and knowledge of the game. They are extremely hard workers and will get the most out of our players. I feel we have assembled one of the best coaching staffs in the country."
Adkins, a native of Wayne, W.Va., will serve as the Thundering Herd pitching coach. He pitched in over 400 games and tossed over 1,000 innings at the minor league level. He finished his career in 2004 with a 57-50 record and 3.85 earned run average while pitching in the minor league systems of the Blue Jays, Yankees, Tigers and Reds. He reached the triple-A level four times and played for 11 coaches or managers who have coached in the major leagues.
He was a ninth-round selection (No. 261 overall) of the Toronto Blue Jays in the 1992 Major League Baseball Entry Draft after an illustrious high school career. Adkins was the 1992 West Virginia Player of the Year and TOPPS' West Virginia Golden Diamond Player of the Year and also made the 1992 Mizuno All-American Team and Collegiate Baseball First Team All-American squad. He led his Wayne High School team to the 1991 state championship and also played on the U.S. National Junior Team which captured the silver medal at the 1991 Junior Olympics.
Adkins founded the Tri-State Baseball Association, Inc., in 1998 to sponsor the Huntington Hounds summer traveling baseball teams. The program has helped place 117 of its alumni into college programs and had 15 of its players drafted by professional teams.
Adkins resides in Huntington with his wife Nanette.
Donnelly, who will work primarily with the infielders, comes to Marshall after spending a year at Kent State as an assistant coach. He helped lead the Golden Flashes to the Mid-American Conference Regular-Season championship last season. Donnelly was responsible for the infielders, assisted in hitting and was the first base coach. He also handled field maintenance and camp duties.
In 2005, he was an assistant coach at Malone College, where he handled the infielders, hitting and recruiting. He also served as an assistant coach with the Stark County Terriers summer league baseball team (Great Lakes Summer League) in 2005 and helped lead the team to a league title. He has experience working baseball camps at Texas A&M, Texas Christian, Kent State, Malone College and Northeast Texas Community College.
Donnelly earned a bachelor's degree in sports fitness and leisure studies in 2004 from Hardin Simmons University in Abilene, Texas, and an associate's degree in arts and science from Northeast Texas Community College in 2001. His father, Rich Donnelly, currently is the third base coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Tim served as a bat boy under his father for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1992-96), Florida Marlins (1997-98) and Colorado Rockies (1999-2002). He was with the Marlins during their World Championship season in 1997.
