Former Players Returning to Coaching Staff of SwampDogs
Published on April 30, 2013 under Coastal Plain League (Coastal Plain)
Fayetteville SwampDogs News Release
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. - The Fayetteville SwampDogs are excited to announce the return of two former players to finalize the coaching roster. Tanner Biagini and Cory Kent will round out the coaching staff for the 2013 season.ÃâÃÂ
Biagini is currently an assistant coach with the Richmond Spiders where he works as the first base coach and hitters and catchers coach. His coaching career with the Spiders began following two years of playing professional baseball.
Coaching is a regular dinner table topic in the Biagini household considering his father Greg was both a Major League hitting coach and minor league manager.
The former third baseman played for Virginia Military Institute where he posted a career .303 batting average. He started all four years for the Keydets and finished ninth in school history with 39 doubles. Biagini has two years of Coastal Plain League experience under his belt. He spent his 2009 season in Fayetteville, finishing among the leaders on the team hitting .291 with five doubles and 18 RBIs. His 2007 summer was with the Wilson Tobs where he hit .221 with 17 RBIs.
The Greenville, NC native helped coach Richmond catcher Chris Cowell into one of the best hitters in the league. Cowell was selected on the First-Team All-Atlantic 10 after hitting .271 with a conference-leading 20 home runs. Not to mention the 20 round trippers put him second in the nation last season.
Biagini was drafted by the MLB twice and he eventually signed as a free agent with the Tampa Bay Rays following his injury-plagued senior season.
Leading the pitching staff this season will be Lehigh University graduate Cory Kent. His final two seasons for the Mountain Hawks he earned a 9-5 record with 81 strikeouts in 100 innings pitched. The right-hander's 17 saves as a junior and sophomore are the second-most over a two-year period in league history and he's currently third at 21 on the Patriot League's career list.
His 2010 summer was spent in the Dogs pinstripes. He threw in 40.2 innings, fanning 37 while walking only 13. His miniscule 1.99 ERA earned him a spot on the CPL All-Star Team. Kent's 6-1 was tied for second on the team in wins.
The Bethlehem, PA native will make his return to "The Swamp" with many fans anxiously awaiting his arrival. The crowd favorite is sure to instill his work ethic and positive attitude to each and every player he works with.
"We are really excited that Tanner and Cory have committed to come back and coach this summer," said SwampDogs head coach Darrell Handelsman. "They are both outstanding people who will bring a tremendous work ethic to the ballpark every day. Both of these guys were leaders as players and I expect the same as coaches."
The Fayetteville SwampDogs are a proud member of the Coastal Plain League, entering their 13th season in the nation's hottest summer collegiate baseball league. Celebrating its 17th season in 2013, the CPL features 14 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 1,000 alumni drafted and 62 alums - including 2011 AL MVP and Cy Young winner Justin Verlander - make their Major League debut thus far. For more information on the Coastal Plain League, please visit the league website at www.coastalplain.com, and be sure to friend us on Facebook (at www.facebook.com/coastalplainleague) and follow us via Twitter (as cpleague).
Coastal Plain League Stories from April 30, 2013
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