Entering his first fall leading the Longwood baseball program, head coach Chad Oxendine announced the addition of Brad Mincey to the baseball coaching staff as assistant coach.
Mincey brings a wealth of experience across all levels of baseball, most recently serving as an assistant coach for the past two seasons at North Carolina Central.
“I am incredibly excited to announce Brad Mincey as our pitching coach here at Longwood University,” Oxendine said. “Coach Mincey possesses a very complete skill set that will help our current and future pitchers at Longwood reach their full potential and pitch at an elite level. He is great at building relationships and is a great communicator, which will help us recruit and develop the most elite pitching staffs at Longwood. I believe our pitchers will thrive under his tutelage, and I am eager to get to work with him.”
While at N.C. Central, Mincey developed the Eagles’ pitching staff into one of the top units in the MEAC, with the unit finishing among the league’s top two in ERA and strikeouts per nine innings in back-to-back seasons in 2020 and 2021. Under his guidance, the Eagles produced two future pros, with 2020 signee Shane Davis and 2021 10th-round MLB draft pick Austin Vernon both moving on to the professional ranks. Vernon, an All-MEAC first-team selection, was the highest draft pick in N.C. Central history.
“I am excited to be a part of a university with such a long history,” Mincey said. “You can really tell the town supports Longwood and has a lot of pride in the university. It is also exciting to think about the potential of this program and where Coach Oxendine wants to take it.”
Mincey’s pitching staff rewrote portions of the N.C. Central record book in 2021 behind standout performances across the board. His top two starters posted sub-three ERA’s, with Ryan Miller earning an All-American nod as well as being named the MEAC Pitcher of the Year with a 10-0 record and a 2.21 ERA. Miller also was named a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy, an award annually given to the top college baseball player in the country.
Meanwhile, Vernon threw a no-hitter, was named the national player of the week and struck out 109 batters while holding a 2.55 ERA.
The Eagle staff’s success wasn’t limited to their two aces, though, as the pitching staff as a whole led the MEAC in ERA (4.73), strikeouts per nine innings (10.0, ranking 30th nationally), batting average against (.234), hits per nine innings (7.85, good for 24th nationally), WHIP (1.45) and shutouts (six, ranked 15th nationally). In addition, the staff earned a MEAC Pitcher of the Week nod seven times while setting program records for batting average against, hits per nine innings, shutouts, saves, strikeouts and strikeouts per nine innings.
Additionally, reliever Scott Meylan was named to the National College Baseball Writers Association Preseason and Midseason Stopper of the Year Watchlists and finished with 11 saves on the year.
N.C. Central’s success on the mound translated to a breakthrough 2021 season for the program as a whole, with the Eagles posting a 27-20 record overall and a program-best 17-11 record in the MEAC. They went on to reach the MEAC title game and finished as league runner-up after dropping the finale 7-6 in 11 innings.
The team’s 2021 success came on the heels of a 2020 season that saw the team’s pitching staff garner multiple individual awards in spite of the cancellation of the remainder of the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Davis was named the D1Baseball MEAC Pitcher of the Year, while right-handed freshman Alex Sniffen was named D1Baseball MEAC Freshman of the Year
Mincey, a Wilmington, N.C. native, started his coaching career as the head coach of a high school player showcase program, Rock Solid, in Wilmington, N.C., from 2016-18. He helped 53 high school players go on to play at the collegiate level, including one who was selected as a first-round draft pick in the MLB draft.
In 2019, he coached the Holly Springs Salamanders in the Coastal Plains League in 2019 and served as an assistant coach of the Fayetteville Tech in their opening season that same year.
Prior to his coaching career, Mincey was a two-time all-conference pitcher at East Carolina and a 28th-round draft pick by the Miami Marlins. He reached as high as the High-A level in the Marlins organization in 2014, posting a 3.71 ERA across 87 appearances. He also played one season in the American Association.
As a collegiate player, Mincey won 22 games for the Pirates from 2008-11 and helped lead East Carolina to three NCAA Regionals and one Super Regional. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business Education in 2011.
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