After a resignation, hiring, resignation and a second hiring, High Point has Craig Cozart leading the baseball program.
“I’m excited about the opportunity to take over the program here at High Point University,” Cozart said of his first shot at his own program.
Cozart was interim head coach of University of Central Florida following an in-season firing of the head coach. After a national search UCF passed on him to hire outside of the program. After 16 years at UCF as a player and coach, Cozart was looking elsewhere.
HPU was going through tremendous changes in the baseball program at the same time. On May 21 Sal Bando Jr. resigned. Butch Thompson from Auburn was hired for nine days in June before he resigned to take a position at Mississippi State University.
Athletic director Craig Keilitz then turned to Cozart. High Point felt right to Cozart, “The feeling of community when you step on campus is unlike anywhere else I have been.”
Cozart brought with him two coaches from the UCF staff to help him out. Bryan Peters, with 13 years of coaching experience, was hired with vast experience in hitting and working with infielders along with success recruiting players. The second coach, Rich Wallace, had experience coaching first and third base along with helping the catchers and hitting at UCF.
Daniel Latham was hired as a volunteer assistant. Previously he was a closer for Tulane before playing a year in the Minnesota Twin organization.
The faces will not be the only things different for the Panthers in 2009. “There is going to be a definite change in energy. We are going to play a throwback style of baseball,” Cozart said of his program.
Cozart said of throwback baseball, “We are going to throw strikes, field the ball cleanly and we’ll advance runners offensively. [Fans will] see the rapid development of skills as our players complete their athletic eligibility here.”
The Cozart era begins with hopes of a brighter future. Since 1990 High Point has not had a winning season. Since 1993, when Cozart began at UCF, the program endured only three losing seasons. His record can excite fans of HPU baseball. Cozart says of the fan involvement, “We are going to put a product out on the field that the student body can embrace. We need support to take this program to the next level.”
Cozart has also added a student program called the “Pride” to encourage students to help High Point baseball. Students involved in the Pride will help with day to day operations such as charting practices and games, laundry and other assistance the coaching staff needs. The opportunity is for students not on the team who still want to be part of baseball.
