Charlottesville- The Charlottesville Tom Sox are pleased to announce the hiring of former University of Virginia baseball player Corey Hunt as the organization’s new head coach.
The Tom Sox will introduce Hunt at a media availability on Wednesday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. at Monticello High School.
“Our organization could not be more excited about our head coaching hire,” Tom Sox vice president Jeff Burton said. We are excited about furthering our connections to the UVA program with this hire. We are excited about the HC experience that Corey brings to the job. We are excited about Corey’s vision for what summer baseball can and should be. Most of all, we are just excited to partner with Corey in this endeavor.”
Hunt currently serves as the head baseball coach at Monticello High School. The UVa product and MHS grad coached the Mustangs to the 3A state semifinals in 2015.
Hunt will replace former Tom Sox head coach and current Longwood assistant Travis Thomas, who led Charlottesville to a 15-27 record in 2016.
“Three years ago, when we were hiring our first staff and weren’t sure what kind of coaches would be interested in our job, we targeted Corey Hunt. He was the first phone coach call we ever made. It wasn’t the right time for Corey then, and we moved on and found Mike Goldberg who did a tremendous job and continues to help us today. In year two, we again called Corey; again it wasn’t the right time,” Burton said.
Burton Continued, “Our second year head coach Travis Thomas was also a great leader for our young program. Both were excellent coaches, up and comers in the business who will go on to do great things in baseball or whatever professions they choose. Corey Hunt, however, has a tremendous Central Virginia story. He grew up in this town. He had a fantastic high school career, followed by a five- year experience in Brian O’Connor’s UVA program that included multiple trips to the CWS. While he was a self described “role player” in the Cavaliers’ program, his role was extensive and varied. He did a little bit of everything for what some describe, and we believe in this town, is the best college baseball program in the country. By nature, Corey is perceptive and he’s hard working, and because of his DNA, he took in everything about the UVA Baseball experience. In my opinion, he got a 5 year jumpstart on what has been and will continue to be a lives changing coaching experience. By lives changing, I mean that we are going to look back on Corey’s baseball coaching career whenever he is done, and we are going to be talking about the awesome impact Coach Hunt had on the lives of so many.”
Hunt played shortstop for four seasons at Monticello High School between 2003-2006. After helping lead the Mustangs to an appearance in the state semifinals in 2005, Hunt earned the Group AA State Player-of-the-Year award the following spring.
While at the University of Virginia, Hunt batted .337 in 101 career at-bats, which included 27 runs scored, and 19 RBI. In 2011, Hunt scored the winning run of the Charlottesville Super Regional, to send the Cavaliers to the College World Series.
