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2009-2010 Hurricane Men's Baseball Coaches
Head Coach John Thomas:
John Thomas enters his second season as head baseball coach at Louisburg College. The Canes finished the 08-09 season with an overall record of 28-22. Victories included upsetting nationally ranked #3 USC-Sumter in the second round of the conference tournament. The Canes finished in thrid place and were the last DI team in the state to play a game.
Coach Thomas arrived at Louisburg after coaching high school baseball for 18 years at powerhouse Programs such as Greenville Rose, Athens Drive and New Hanover. Prior to his coaching career, Thomas played right field at Louisburg in 1986 for the legendary Russ Frazier. During his one year stint with the Canes, Thomas started in right field, hit .346, had 9 home runs, 23 stolen bases, and was part of one of the best teams in the history of Louisburg College as the Canes went 40-8.
Thomas then transferred to East Carolina University where he started in centerfield for three years. As a Pirate, Thomas is 7th all time in stolen bases, as he swiped 49 bases in three seasons and participated in two NCAA Regional’s. Thomas hit a walk off home run in 1987 during the CAA tournament championship game to propel the Pirates into the NCAA Regional’s played at Florida State. During game one at FSU, Thomas hit a two run blast against host Florida State as Deion Sanders played centerfield for the Noles. Thomas remains close friends with former Hurricane coaches Billy Godwin and Tommy Atkinson who now serve as coaches for the diamond Bucs.
Thomas earned Regional Coach of the Year honors as a Head Coach during the years of 1995 and 1998. Thomas coached the famous Josh Hamilton at Athens Drive High School as the Jaguars posted a 24-5 record, participated in the state championship series, and had a final ranking in USA Today of #14. While at New Hanover, Thomas guided the Wildcats to the 3 rd round of the state playoffs and a Conference Championship in 2006.
Thomas went to CB Aycock High School and starred as a two sport athlete in football and baseball. He received all-conference honors in both his junior and senior years as the Golden Falcons won three consecutive league titles in Baseball. As a pitcher, Thomas once went thirty innings without allowing a walk but decided to be a position player at the collegiate level. Thomas was also the quarterback, free safety and kicker for the Falcons football team.
His parents, Dave and Pat Thomas, reside in Goldsboro. Dave was recently inducted into the ECU Hall of Fame and the Wingate College Hall of Fame. Thomas has three brothers and one sister. Brothers’, Dave and Greg, both played football for the Pirates in the early 1980’s under Coach Ed Emory. Thomas’ sister Sherrie was a swimmer at ECU and his brother Paul is serving our country in the US Army.
Coach Thomas has been part of championship teams throughout his life and plans to continue that tradition with the Hurricanes. Thomas says “Louisburg College has and always will have a winning tradition and I am honored to be a part of it. Go Canes!”
Head Coach John Thomas
919-497-3328
jcthomas@louisburg.edu
Assistant Coach Tony Guzzo:
Coach Guzzo, a former football and baseball player at East Carolina University. He has over 30 years of college baseball coaching experience and over 700 career wins . During his coaching career Guzzo took North Carolina Wesleyan, a Div. III school in Rocky Mount, NC, to a #1 team in 1982 in just 4 years.
From 1983-1994 Guzzo was head coach at Virginia Commonwealth University where he posted a 329-300 career record after building the program almost from scratch to put it on the national college baseball map. In 1994-2004 he was head coach at Old Dominion University in Virginia. Guzzo posted a 300-252 career record there and coached 2004 #2 pick in the MLB Draft Justin Verlander, as well as numerous All-Americans and draft picks.
Coach Guzzo also coached at North Carolina State University in 2005, and 2006. He spent one year in the Boston Red Sox organization as a pro scout before retiring back to Wilson, NC and coaching at Louisburg College.
Assistant Coach Tony Guzzo
tlguzzo@louisburg.edu
Assistant Coach Blake Herring:
Coach Herring enters his 2nd year at Louisburg College. Herring looks forward to working with his returning sophomores and new incoming freshmen from his first recruiting class at Louisburg college. He spent his first year of coaching with 4a Millbrook High School in Raleigh, NC where his team shared the Cap-7 Baseball Conference Title. He also was the head coach of North Raleigh Post 297’s senior legion team. Herring played his first two years at Lenoir Community College in Kinston, NC. During his freshman year he helped his team to the NJCAA Div. II World Series and finished #5 in the nation.
Following LCC, Herring pitched at Campbell University for two years. During those two years he led his pitching staff in Games Started, Games Won, Innings Pitched, Strikeouts, and led the Atlantic Sun Conference in Complete Games his Sr. season. He won the Robert Taylor Award, and the Male Strength and Conditioning Award while at Campbell
Assistant Coach Blake Herring
bherring@louisburg.edu
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Russ Frazier (Head Coach 1959-1999)
Only one word can describe Louisburg College Baseball over the last 40 years and that is EXCELLENCE. Russ Frazier became the Hurricanes baseball coach in 1959 and led the Hurricanes to national prominence during his tenure of 40 years. Coach Frazier directed the Hurricanes to 22 conference titles, nine district championships and nine trips to the National Junior College World Series in Grand Junction, Colorado, while compiling a record of 1034- 390. Russ Frazier built a program rich in baseball talent with a firm commitment to academics. Over 70 percent of his players have gone on to graduate from four-year schools.
Twelve former Hurricanes have made it to the Major Leagues, including Otis Nixon, Greg Briley, and Chad Fonville. Over 75 Louisburg College players signed and played professional baseball. Very few junior college programs parallel Louisburg College’s baseball tradition. The dedication of Coach Frazier and all the players that donned the navy and red have made the program one of the finest junior college baseball programs in the nation.
In the spring of 1999, Russ Frazier retired as the Hurricanes’ baseball coach. In June, while serving as Athletic Director, he named Billy Godwin as his successor. On October 2, 1999, in ceremony at Frazier Field, Coach Frazier’s jersey number 18 was retired and a sign to signify his place in Louisburg College baseball history is now hanging underneath the scoreboard in left field.
On January 7, 2005, Coach Frazier received college baseball’s most prestigious honor when he was inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Hall of Fame.
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For more information, contact:
Head Coach John Thomas at
919-497-3328
jcthomas@louisburg.edu
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