Tom Austin probably can name every student-athlete he coached in his 46 years as head baseball coach at Methodist University.
He can see in his mind’s eye a Monarch pitcher hurling a fastball on a 3-2 count with the game on the line. A Monarch tagging up at third base on an opponent’s outfield fly ball, and then heading for home plate. A Monarch sending an opposing pitcher’s curveball over the fence at Armstrong-Shelly Field.
“As a coach, I am only as good as my players,” said Austin, 75, who is leaving his coaching career behind after 46 years as head coach. “My former players will always have a place in my heart.”
Austin leaves with a 1,318-632 coaching record at the Raleigh Road school for a .675 winning percentage, according to a news release. He holds the all-time record among USA South Athletic Conference coaches and is only one of six National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III coaches in history to win 1,300 games.
He coached the Monarchs to six NCAA Division III College World Series appearances (1986, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1995, 1996). Methodist never finished lower than fifth each time, including as runner-up in 1995.
Tom Austin in early coaching years at Methodist University. Credit: Courtesy of Methodist University
He coached 28 Division III All-Americans, 54 All-Region selections since 2003, 220 All-Conference athletes, five Division III Academic All-Americans, 21 Division III Academic All-District athletes and three Don Scalf USA South Student Athletes of the Year. Nine of his former players signed contracts to play professional baseball.
“One word comes to my mind when I think about summarizing Coach Austin’s career at Methodist University — legendary,” Methodist University Vice President and Director of Athletics Dave Eavenson said. “Tom’s tenure at MU has been filled with numerous championships, milestone wins, team and individual academic achievements, and most importantly, the tremendous positive impact he has had on the lives of thousands of baseball players.
“Tom Austin’s teams have competed with dignity, class and at a high level both on the field and in the classroom.
“Coach Austin has dedicated 46 years of his life to our institution, and his impact and legacy extend beyond the baseball diamond,” Eavenson said. “We are forever grateful for all he has done and accomplished, and we wish him the very best as he begins the next chapter of his life.”
‘Baseball lessons are life lessons.’
Keep in mind, if you will, Tom Austin’s humble words.
“As a coach,” he said, “I am only as good as my players.”
Austin remembers those more than 1,300 victories along his baseball coaching way, and the defeats, too.
“Yes, I would like to replay every loss,” he said. “There are always moments in those games that are game-changers, and you wish you had made a different move that would have had a different outcome.”
But it’s sports.
You win some.
You lose some.
“My last game was against Messiah University in the regional finals, which we lost,” Austin said of the 9-2 defeat. “However, we had a great year. We had won the conference championship and the conference tournament championship and finished 34-15.”
And his final coaching game at Armstrong-Shelley Field was a 10-5 victory against Greensboro College in the conference tournament finals.
“Our last home game was special,” he said. “We had quite a celebration on the field after the game. Players, coaches, parents, families and friends joined us on the field to celebrate the victory. The seniors also realized this would be their last game at Armstrong-Shelley. It was a very emotional night. We graduated 17 players this year, a great group of young men who will be great workers, parents and husbands.
Austin will remember those seniors: Caleb Greene, Tristen Melvin, Brice Herring, Banks Engle, Jackson Deal, Anthony Sarbanes, Caleb Rogers, Ian Bingham, Tanner Simpson, Justin Blunt, Austin Williams, Anthony Miale, Josh Plisko, Kyle Molivas, Chase Carroll, Brandon Humphreys and Andrew Baur.
“Maybe going out with them was the way to go,” he said.
He will remember his coaching philosophy that it is who you are beyond the game.
“We do set the standards high and expect our players to be good students, good sons and good people,” said Austin, who also served as athletic director from 1985-1992. “They should treat everyone with respect, which includes our opponents and the umpires. This is what we teach, and I think it is what helps them become better sons, fathers and workers.
“Baseball lessons are life lessons.
“We hold them accountable at practice, in the classroom and on the road, where we have a required dress,” he said. “At meals on the road, the team is not allowed to have cell phones out while we are eating. Our players must put the team first in order for us to be successful. We try hard to get them to understand that we are beating the game of baseball, not the opponent. We are not trying to surprise the opponent. We are trying to out-execute them. That is the goal we work towards. We are not perfect. I wish we could be. We put God first, the family second, school third and the baseball team fourth.”
Every baseball day of every baseball season
Retirement is something Tom Austin has been pondering.
“My retirement is a desire to be closer to my family in a way that is curtailed by a baseball season that starts January 10 and doesn’t end until May 10,” he said. “A coach’s family has to come second for five months of the year. They have sacrificed tremendously. I appreciate that, and while I have the ability to walk and bike, I want to spend some time with my wife, family and friends. I am healthy, and my wife wants to ride bikes and walk with me, and we want to visit our children, grandchildren and the beautiful places in this country.”
And, Austin says, perhaps take in a Major League baseball game at Citizens Bank Park to cheer on his beloved Philadelphia Phillies.
“They have had many bad years, so I have suffered some,” he said. “We have been pretty good lately.”
Tom Austin welcomes a sleep-in morning and a cup of coffee as he reflects on his coaching years, which he has described as “a pleasure” every baseball day of every baseball season.
“You know, I have had a lot of players who I call friends now,” he said. “They enriched my life. They made me a better person. They all touched me in a way that made me better. I can’t leave out my assistant coaches who have been amazing to work with — Stan Mozingo, Jim Peeples, Milan Rasic, Kevin Allingham, Ron Bean, Joe Becker, Frank Sessoms, Eric Sibrizzi and Spencer Martin.”
Martin, according to the school, has been named interim coach.
Tom Austin was a high school coach when what then was Methodist College, and late President Richard Pearce and Gene Clayton, the athletic director, saw a young Tom Austin with a dream to coach at the college level.
Methodist won more than 20 games in Austin’s first coaching season and his team won the Dixie Intercollegiate Athletic Conference regular-season title. Two years later, the Monarchs finished 34-12-1. Methodist in 1986 was 43-6-2 — the most victories in school history — and advanced to the NCAA Division III College World Series.
“When Methodist hired me, I had six years of high school coaching behind me,” he said, “and I will always appreciate Gene Clayton and Dr. Richard Pierce for taking a chance on me.”
Tom Austin, as the school baseball coach for 46 years, never disappointed them.
Epilogue
Tom Austin was their coach.
They were his student-athletes to mentor.
“As a coach, I am only as good as my players,” Tom Austin said as he reflected on those 46 years and the student-athletes he coached. “My former players will always have a place in my heart. I have heard from many of them, and it has been a great reuniting experience. I am there for them if they ever need me. We will always be a family. Go Monarchs!”
Bill Kirby Jr. can be reached at billkirby49@gmail.com or 910-624-1961.
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