Nick Balley enters his first season as a Tom Sox assistant coach in 2022. Balley joins the Tom Sox after finishing his playing career at the University of Texas at Dallas and comes to Charlottesville for his first career coaching job.

Balley played three seasons for the Comets, the last two alongside Tom Sox Head Coach Ramon Garza. He finished his career with a .286 batting average, 35 runs scored, and 40 RBI across 58 games. He especially heated up down the stretch this season for UTD, batting .375 with five RBI in the month of May.

Prior to his time with the Comets, Balley had stints at Cedar Valley College and Eastfield College after redshirting his freshman year at the University of California-San Diego. In each of his two JUCO seasons, Balley had a batting average over .275, scored more than 45 runs, and had over 20 RBI. He also gained acumen as a utility infielder, playing second base, shortstop, and third base over the course of his career.

Balley recently completed his master’s degree in corporate innovation and has begun a career in real estate finance in addition to his baseball career. Balley says he is excited to begin his coaching career in Charlottesville alongside a former teammate, and has heard nothing but good things about the Tom Sox organization:

“With the team that we’ve assembled, I couldn’t be more excited to get to work with all the guys. I got the chance to talk to Mike, and I like the work that he’s done here and the organization that he’s brought. I’ve heard only great things from Ramon and his time in Charlottesville with the Tom Sox. If I want to sum it up in 2 words: really excited.”