∙ Beddick was Hood College’s first-ever head baseball coach and was named 2016 MAC Commonwealth Coach of the Year.
∙ Beddick led Hood to a 20-20 record in its third season after having a 37-man roster in its inaugural season.
∙ Beddick is a 2010 graduate of Gettysburg College and served as assistant coach there and at Penn State Behrend.
∙ “This is a life-changing opportunity to be a part of such a storied program at such a distinguished institution in an unrivaled athletic conference.”
CHESTERTOWN, Md. — Washington College Director of Athletics Thad Moore has announced the hiring of Cory Beddick as the College’s new head baseball coach. Beddick, a graduate of fellow Centennial Conference school Gettysburg College, comes to Chestertown from Hood College, where he served as that institution’s first-ever head baseball coach and turned the Blazers into a competitive team in just three seasons. He was named the 2016 MAC Commonwealth Coach of the Year. Beddick replaces Matt Reynolds, who was named the head coach at his alma mater, Division I UMass, last month.
“After a highly competitive national search, we couldn’t be happier to name Cory as our next baseball coach,” remarked Moore. “Throughout the interview process, it became clear that Cory’s passion and knowledge of the game were the perfect fit for our department and baseball program. We look forward to watching him lead us into the next chapter of Shoremen Baseball.”
“I am extremely grateful to Mr. Thad Moore, [search committee chair] Mr. Jonnie Jenkins, and the search committee for the opportunity to lead the Washington College baseball program moving forward,” Beddick stated. “It is an honor that I do not take lightly. This is a life-changing opportunity to be a part of such a storied program at such a distinguished institution in an unrivaled athletic conference.”
Beddick was hired at Hood in the summer of 2013 to begin recruiting for the Blazers’ inaugural season of 2015. That initial season featured a roster of 37 student-athletes and posted a respectable first-year record of 14-25. One of his players was named the MAC Commonwealth and Mid-Atlantic Region Rookie of the Year and was chosen for the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) all-region team and the D3Baseball.com All-America team. The 2016 season saw the Blazers improve to 16-24 overall. Beddick was named the conference’s Coach of the Year as Hood won seven conference games and hit over .300 as a team. The 2017 Blazers reached the .500 mark overall at 20-20 and was in the hunt for a conference playoff berth heading into the final weekend of the season before finishing with a 9-12 league mark. A Hood player again won MAC Commonwealth and Mid-Atlantic Region Rookie of the Year.
In just three seasons under Beddick, Hood baseball student-athletes won a total of 13 All-MAC Commonwealth honors, including five first-team honors. In addition to his tremendous success recruiting to a new program, Beddick fundraised over $70,000 to support a program without an alumni base. While he started his time at Hood as a part-time head coach, his outstanding work led him to an additional position as an Admissions Counselor at the school for two years. In the summer of 2016, he moved into the athletic department in a full-time role, picking up duties as an Assistant Director of Athletics and NCAA Compliance Coordinator. He was awarded Hood’s Dr. Henry P. and Page Laughlin Administrative Achievement Award, given for “noteworthy service to staff members who have made significant contributions to the College” in April 2016. He also served as the Chair of the MAC Commonwealth Baseball Committee.
“Four years ago, I was tasked with building the program at Hood College from scratch,” Beddick reflected. “I am proud of what we have done there to set the program up for future success. I will sincerely miss the players and assistant coaches who sacrificed so much for our team. I am confident that these talented, high-[quality student-athletes will find success in all future endeavors. I would be remiss if I did not take this opportunity to thank the Hood College senior leadership, Mr. Tom Dickman, and the rest of the Hood community for our time together. It was truly a privilege to be the first head baseball coach in the history of Hood College.”
“At the same time, I couldn’t be more excited to be joining the Washington College family. Coach Matt Reynolds has laid a great foundation for future success that we will look to build upon. The current roster is full of talented student-athletes that I am confident can help us build a program that is competing for Centennial Conference Championships on a regular basis.”
Prior to his time at Hood, Beddick spent two seasons as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the Penn State Behrend baseball team, helping that program to a 59-27-1 record and an Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference Championship. His first assistant coaching position came at his alma mater, Gettysburg College, where he worked with hitters and position players for the 2011 season. While a student-athlete at Gettysburg, Beddick played in 50 games over four seasons, making 40 starts in the infield. He served as a team representative to Gettysburg’s Student Athletic Advisory Council.
Beddick, 29, can speak conversational Spanish and was a certified Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association basketball official for 10 years. He earned his B.A. in Political Science with a minor in History from Gettysburg in May 2010.
Baseball is Washington College’s oldest sport, with recorded results dating back to 1871. Ten players with Major League experience have played at the College, including Chestertown native Bill Nicholson ’36, a four-time All-Star and two-time National League home run champion whose statue stands downtown. The Shoremen are coming off a 15-23 record in 2017. That followed a 26-12-1 mark, the program’s second-highest win total in team history, in 2016. Beddick is already outlining a clear vision for taking the Washington College baseball program to the next level.
“It will be our coaching staff’s mission to develop high-quality student-athletes on the field, in the classroom, and within the campus community. We will expect these individuals to put the team above themselves in everything they do and reflect the values of the College: integrity, determination, curiosity, civility, leadership, and moral courage. We will carry on the tremendous traditions of the program while also working to raise the bar for future Shoremen teams. We are confident that with our current roster, the support of the College and alumni, the tremendous baseball and athletic facilities on campus, and the ability to recruit high-quality student-athletes both regionally and nationally, we can be a program that is set up for sustained future success within the Centennial Conference.”
“I look forward to getting to know the current players and working with them to build our 2017-18 team. I am also excited to connect with the alumni base who has been so supportive of the program. Our coaching staff will also focus on constructing our future recruiting classes by finding players who are ready to be competitive on the field, successful in the classroom, and active members of the campus community.”
Beddick’s first official day as Washington College head baseball coach is slated for July 17th.
