EMU baseball coach Adam Posey has announced his coaching staff. Posey was introduced as the new head coach in May after spending the previous five seasons as the assistant coach.
Posey adds assistant Jordan Miller, graduate assistant Eli Sumpter, and retains Ryan Tierney who is currently on staff, to help lead the Diamond Royals after finishing 8th in the ODAC and making the ODAC Tournament in 2019.
“I believe that with the addition of these men, our program has taken a step forward. Each of these individuals has demonstrated a high level of care for personal relationships, a growth mindset, and the eagerness to uphold the values of our program and the University. I’m looking forward to current and future Diamond Royals getting the opportunity to experience the environment that this coaching staff can create,” Posey said.
Miller comes to Harrisonburg from Mauldin High School in Greenville, South Carolina. Serving as the hitting coach for the Mavs, Miller helped raise the batting average of the team from .240 to .320 and saw an improvement in stolen bases, triples, and home runs in his two years there. Miller will take work with the offense, outfielders, and catchers.
“I couldn’t be more fired up to bring Jordan into our program. He played at a high Division 1 level and immediately jumped into a quality high school program in South Carolina and got to work. I believe Jordan will come in and connect with our student-athletes right away and make them better, while also establishing great relationships throughout the East Coast on the recruiting trail,” Posey said.
Sumpter joins the Royals after a standout career on the diamond and the basketball court for Roanoke College. Eli, who will occupy the Graduate Assistant role, compiled a career batting average of .320 while also recording 7 career saves as an infielder and reliever for the Maroons. Eli will work with hitters, infielders, and pitchers.
“Eli comes highly recommended by Coach McGuire at Roanoke who I respect greatly. I had the opportunity to coach against Eli and loved his versatility and competitiveness as a player. I believe he will bring those same traits to our team and will have the ability to connect with our players. Eli has a great understanding of what it means to be a Division 3 athlete in the highly competitive ODAC and will be a great addition to our program,” Posey said.
Tierney will serve as the team’s pitching coach. He has spent the previous three seasons on staff for the Royals in different capacities after finishing his playing career at EMU in 2016.
“Two things I value greatly are loyalty and trust. With Ryan, I have a deep amount of both. I had the opportunity to play alongside of him, coach him, and now coach with him and have seen him grow tremendously over the last seven years. I believe Ryan is a rising star in the game as a pitching coach and he will give us continuity in our development of pitchers at a high level. Ryan is someone who understands EMU, our program, and myself and I’m thrilled to have him take on more responsibility as he takes the next step in his coaching career,” Posey said.
With the staff in place, the Diamond Royals will now turn their focus to the fall season which will begin September 16.
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