Mention Methodist University baseball and the consistent success it has enjoyed through the years, and one has to look no further than the man behind that quarter century of success - Tom Austin. 
 
Completing his 29th year as head baseball coach at Methodist, Austin sports a 902-371-9 career record and became only the eighth coach in the history of NCAA Division III baseball to reach the 900-victory plateau. In his 29 seasons at Methodist, Austin's teams have never won fewer than 22 games in a season. Included in that are 17 30-win seasons and two 40-win seasons.

A true mark of consistent excellence is the fact that the Monarchs have posted 27 straight seasons of 25 victories or better under Austin. He has moved up to fourth all-time amongst active Division III head coaches in victories, and eighth all-time amongst Division III coaches.

Austin has elevated the Monarch baseball program to one of the best in Division III. During his tenure at Methodist, he has guided the Monarchs to six NCAA Division III College World Series (1986, '88, '91, '92, '95, '96), finishing no lower than fifth. Their best finish occurred in the 1995 season, when the Monarchs finished as the national runners-up.

Under Austin's guidance, Methodist has tallied 13 Dixie Intercollegiate/USA South Athletic Conference and six NCAA Division III South Regional titles, and advanced to the NCAA Division III National Tournament 20 times. Methodist has also earned recognition as the country's top ranked NCAA Division III team on three different occasions including the 2002 season. Throughout Austin's tenure, the Monarchs have averaged an impressive 32 victories a season, a true model of consistency and success.

The Monarchs had molded that success playing baseball the Tom Austin way - pure fundamentals and playing smart. Austin always prides his teams with strong pitching, sharp defense, consistent hitting and getting the most out of every player.

In addition, Methodist wins by getting the little things done like running the bases and moving runners into scoring position. Austin's teams have always been the best in the USA South in stolen bases, and his 1986 Methodist team set an NCAA Division III single-season record for stolen bases with 334. That teams also set the Division III single-season record for walks with 440.

Austin's accomplishments have earned him numerous coaching honors during his career. he has been named Conference Coach of the Year nine times, the NCAA Division III South Region Coach of the Year seven times in 11 years and the North Carolina College Coach of the Year twice.

In addition to producing championship teams, Austin has also molded many a dynamic player at Methodist. A total of 27 players under Austin have garnered NCAA Division III All-American honors, while 116 have been selected first team All-USA South.

The influence of Austin can be felt on a national level as he has created a coaching tree of former assistant coaches and players who are now head coaches at the collegiate level. The most notables include former assistant coaches Jim Peeples (head coach at Piedmont) and Milan Rasic (head coach at Ohio Northern), and former player Paul Knight (head coach at Florida Tech) and Tim Epling (West Virginia Tech).

A native of Philadelphia, Pa., Austin attended Seminole Community college in Sanford, Fla., where he was an All-Florida Conference outfielder and set the state junior college stolen base record. While at Seminole, Austin played for current Central Florida head coach Jay Bergman. From Seminole, Austin transferred to Rollins College in Winter Park, Fla., where he played outfield for the Tars for two seasons. Austin received his bachelor's degree in history from Rollins in 1972, and then received his master's degree in education.

 

Prior to his position at Methodist, Austin served as football and baseball coach at Bishop Moore High School (Orlando, Fla.) from 1973-79. Austin is the father of three sons - Doug, Christian, and Jacob - and is married to the former Jill Ferree.

 

 

Kevin Allingham, Assistant Coach
kallingham@methodist.edu
(910) 630-7186

 
Kevin Allingham recently finished his sixth year as the assistant coach for the Monarchs. His duties include serving as the pitching coach, first base coach and head coach of the Developmental team. In addition, Allingham helps coordinate recruiting for Methodist Baseball.

Allingham's hard work has paid dividends for the Monarchs, especially for the pitching staff. Over the last two seasons, Methodist has ranked amongst the best the USA South Athletic Conference in both earned-run average and strikeouts. In addition, Methodist ranked 18th in the nation in earned-run average.

A native of Marlborough, Conn., Allingham attended Catawba, where he served as a student assistant for four years and received his bachelor’s degree in physical education. Allingham then joined the staff at Virginia Commonwealth, serving as the baseball administrative assistant. He also earned his master’s degree from VCU in Sports Leadership. His resume also includes two stints as an assistant coach in the Coastal Plain League.