Custom Search NORFOLK, Va. – Norfolk State head baseball coach Claudell Clark has announced the hiring of Keith Shumate as assistant coach and the promotion of Matt Mitchell from volunteer assistant to assistant coach and recruiting coordinator.
Shumate will serve as hitting instructor and coach the NSU infielders. He is no stranger to NSU or the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, after serving as head coach at North Carolina A&T from 1996-2011. Shumate won 304 games during his tenure leading the Aggies, including a MEAC title and NCAA re-gional berth in 2005 and a program-record 31 victories in 2010. He was MEAC Coach of the Year in 2002 and the MEAC Tournament Most Outstanding Coach in 2005. The Aggies reached the MEAC Tourna-ment championship round in four of his final seven seasons at the helm.
Following his stint at N.C. A&T, Shumate was head coach from 2013-15 at Louisburg College in North Carolina. He helped the Hurricanes to a first-place regular-season conference finish in 2013 and to a runner-up finish in the Region X Tournament in 2014. Shumate, a 1988 graduate and former baseball player at Western Carolina, has coached 16 players who were either drafted by or signed with a Major League Baseball organization.
"Keith has demonstrated the proven ability to recruit quality student-athletes, effectively develop players at all positions and has over a decade of successful Division I head coaching experience," Clark said. "We're very fortunate to add a coach of his caliber to our staff."
Mitchell has been elevated to assistant coach and recruiting coordinator after serving as a volunteer assistant last season. He will also oversee the Spartan pitchers and catchers. Last season, Mitchell helped the Spartans capture their third straight MEAC Northern Division regular-season title and reach the MEAC Tournament championship round for the second year in a row en route to a 26-22 record.
Prior to NSU, Mitchell was an assistant coach for four seasons at Averett University in Danville, where he worked with the pitchers and served as both recruiting coordinator and camp coordinator. He is a native of Hampton, Va., who starred at both Hampton High and Averett as an infielder and pitcher.
"We are fortunate to have Matt on the coaching staff because of his extensive knowledge of the game and his ability to relate well with the players," Clark said. "His recruiting ability will also be key to improving our overall program."
~ NSU Athletics Communication