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Averaging better than 30 wins per season over his 17 years as head coach at Charlotte, Loren Hibbs continues to push the Charlotte 49ers to new heights in the baseball world. With 40 wins in two of the past three seasons, 35 in three of the last four and 30 or more wins in each of the past five seasons, the steady climb has put the program into new territory. Charlotte baseball ranks fourth nationally of the 297 Division I programs in winning percentage (at .726) over the past three seasons, with a record of 127-48 in that time, for a winning percentage of .726, putting the Niners in elite company. Only six programs in the country have won more than 70 percent of its games over the last three years.
In 2007, Charlotte led the nation in ERA with the national low of 2.64. The starters were the anchor for the staff that season, with a 2.33 ERA, tossing 13 complete games and 11 shutouts. Starter Adam Mills led the nation in both ERA (1.01 in 142.2 innings pitched) and wins (14), while finishing sixth in total strikeouts (141). Charlotte was second in the nation in win percentage (.803, just behind Vanderbilt's .806 final percentage) thanks to a school-record 49 wins against just 13 losses.
Last season saw Charlotte secure a win at No. 3 and eventual Regional Finalist South Carolina 11-2. It was the first win over a top-10 team since defeating No. 6 Houston in 2000.
Since a change to the Atlantic 10 Conference in 2006, the Niners have won nearly three of every four games. Since moving into the new stadium on March 30, 2007, Charlotte is 39-10 at home, with a 25-9 road mark in that span, winning eight of 12 neutral-site games in the past two seasons. Charlotte has won its last six A-10 Tournament games, sweeping the last two tournaments. The Niners seek a league-record third-straight tournament championship and NCAA Tournament bid in 2009. These consecutive marks are all school records.
Over the past several seasons, the Niners have established benchmark numbers for consecutive games played scoring at least one run and not losing in back-to-back contests. Both of these streaks ended in 2008, but the lengths of these streaks are remarkable. Charlotte lasted 179 games without being shutout, averaging 7.8 runs per game in that stretch. That is a streak that lasted through two full seasons, starting on April 8, 2005 and ending on April 22, 2008. Charlotte also lost in consecutive games for the first time in 95 games, a streak running from on February 3, 2007 to April 17, 2008.
Hibbs was hired as head coach of the Charlotte baseball program on February 26, 1992, and his appointment paid immediate dividends. In his first season, 1993, Hibbs took the 49ers to their first NCAA Tournament and guided them to their first-ever conference tournament championship with the 1993 Metro Conference Tournament title.
He led the 49ers to back-to-back conference regular-season titles with the 1994 and 1995 Metro regular season crowns. In 1995, he coached the 49ers to what was then a school-record 36 wins, along with the program's first-ever votes in a national poll.
The 49ers first-place league finish in 1994 earned him Metro Conference Coach of the Year honors. The following year's campaign brought several firsts, the program's first votes in a national poll and the first win over a top-10 program, a 7-5 victory at Tennessee.
In 1997, Charlotte knocked off top-seed and host Tulane by defeating them twice at the Conference USA Tournament and made it to the tournament finals. During the 1998 season, the 49ers won a then-school-record 43 games and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the second time. The Niners earned the program's only at-large bid to the NCAA Postseason, in an era when only 48 teams were taken to the tournament. That season, he garnered Conference USA Coach of the Year honors as Charlotte completed its fifth-straight season of 29 or more wins. An 11-game win streak to start the 2000 season still stands as the school record en route to a 32-win season and trip to the C-USA semis. Charlotte upended No. 6 Houston in the tournament. The number 11 was magical that season, as pitchers Ryan Baker and Brion Treadway both won 11 games and reliever John McKay recorded 11 saves. In early 2002, Hibbs became the school's all-time winningest baseball coach.
A lot of the current success can be traced back to the 2005 and 2006 seasons, as the team finished its run in Conference USA and transitioned to the Atlantic 10. Charlotte won 31 games in 2005, including 13 in C-USA. The Niners finished strong that season, winning five of six, which included wins against conference foes Houston and at Memphis. Charlotte defeated No. 30 TCU down the stretch that season, and was able to take that momentum into the conference change. In 2006, Charlotte finished with 35 wins, which included a sweep of ACC-foe Virginia Tech and Big 10 opponent Indiana, along with a notable win over Wake Forest. The Niners won their last six games of the regular season in 2006, also building momentum to the fantastic 2007 campaign as the `07 seniors learned about winning big games in the previous seasons.
In 2007, Charlotte won its first NCAA Tournament games, a pair of victories against N.C. State, advancing to the Columbia, S.C. Regional final. The team earned national rankings in numerous polls and put two more athletes on the All-American roster (Adam Mills and Brad McElroy). Pitcher Adam Mills broke season and career marks in numerous categories on his way to being named A-10 Pitcher of the Year and a finalist for the Roger Clemens Award, given to the top pitcher in the country. Charlotte also set the school and Atlantic 10 record by winning 23 conference games. Hibbs was named A-10 Coach of the Year, his third such award in his third different conference. Last season brought 43 more wins in addition to the conference regular-season and tournament titles, and the second invitation to the postseason, this time in Raleigh, N.C.
Not only have the teams under Hibbs excelled, but several individuals have gone on to receive national acclaim. Seven of the school's eight All-Americans have played under Hibbs, with Charlotte placing three players on these lists in the past two seasons. In 1995, Tim Collie was named the Metro Conference Player of the Year and became just the second 49er baseball All-American. Joey Anderson earned All-America honors in 1996, giving the 49ers their third All-American and second in four years under Hibbs. In 1998, Bo Robinson and James Matan became the fourth and fifth Charlotte All-Americans. Matan was named the 1998 Conference USA Player of the Year. In 2001, John Maine was named the Conference USA Pitcher of the Year. Maine pitches for the New York Mets and earned a win in the National League Championship Series in 2006. Teammates Brad McElroy and Adam Mills were put on the All-America team in 2007. Mills was the A-10 Pitcher of the Year, while McElroy led the conference in five offensive categories. Last season, Chris Taylor was named Co-Conference Player of the Year, Charlotte's second, and a third-team All-American, with a league-leading 19 home runs.
Charlotte teams have excelled on the field but emphasis has been placed on winning in the classroom. In the fall of 2007, the team set a record with a 3.01 GPA. Last fall, Charlotte baseball recorded a 2.92 GPA and the team cumulative GPA sits at 2.94 collectively entering this semester. Charlotte scored an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 966, putting them well above the national average and in the top quarter of all baseball programs. In the fall of 2008, 18 players were named to an academic honor list, including eight who earned Dean's List distinction or better. Two players have received NCAA Post-Graduate scholarships to finish their degrees after professional baseball. In 2006, Mike Ambrose was the program's first-ever First-Team Academic All-American. Ambrose was also Male Student-Athlete of the Year in the Atlantic 10, another first for Charlotte.
The 49ers have also done a lot of community service in his 16 seasons. Projects include annual projects with Habitat for Humanity and the Red Cross Blood Drive, as well as projects with the Metrolina Food Bank, the Epilepsy Foundation's Walk, area shelters and making visits to Hemby's Children's Hospital. Hibbs and his team have also taken part in several local youth clinics and he has worked with several clinics regionally.
Hibbs arrived in Charlotte after serving as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Wichita State. Over his career, Hibbs has piled up an impressive resume of accomplishments. As a player he was involved in two regular-season conference titles, one conference tournament championship, two NCAA regionals and a second place finish at the College World Series. As an assistant coach, he was involved in seven regular-season conference titles, five tournament titles, seven regional appearances, four College World Series visits and one national championship. He was associated with some form of conference championship in every season for nine straight years from 1987-1995. As an assistant to Shockers head coach Gene Stephenson, Hibbs made trips to the NCAA Tournament in six of his seven years and to the College World Series in four of his last five years.
Over the course of his coaching career, both at Charlotte and Wichita State, Hibbs has mentored 14 major league players, including Eric Wedge, Pat Meares, Darren Dreifort, Doug Mirabelli and the 49ers' own Jason Stanford (Cleveland) and John Maine (Baltimore/New York Mets). Hibbs has worked with 134 All-Conference, 30 All-Region and 25 All-American selections, in addition to four players who went on to play for Team USA.
He has been a voting member for the Roger Clemens Award, the Johnny Bench Award and currently votes in the USA Today Coaches Poll. Hibbs has also served as the chair of the Metro Conference (1995) and Conference USA (1998) Coaches Committees.
As a player with Wichita State, he was a three-time All-Missouri Valley Conference and All-District selection in the outfield, and a member of the 1982 College World Series all-tournament team. He still ranks high in several of the Shockers all-time categories, and the 125 runs he scored in the 1982 season are not only a school-record, but an NCAA record as well. Hibbs, a three-time professional draft pick, had a brief professional stint with the San Francisco Giants.
Hibbs has three children, Tyson (22), Erin (20) and Lanie Rae (10), and is married to the former Lisa Helms.
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NOTES • One of few people in baseball to have coached and played in a College World Series Championship game. • Under Hibbs, the 49ers have won four regular-season conference championships, three conference tournament titles and made four NCAA tournament appearances, including one regional final in 2007. • The 49ers have made all four of their NCAA Tournament appearances under Hibbs. • Charlotte has played in five league championship games, the semifinals on two other occasions, and won at least one game in the conference tournament ten times. • During his 16 years as head coach, 90 percent of the seniors have graduated. • The 49ers are one of only three schools in Conference USA history to have had a coach of the year and a player named pitcher, player and freshman of the year. • Seven of Charlotte's eight All-Americans played for Hibbs. • 71 of 86 players that have earned all-conference honors played for Hibbs. • Hibbs became the program's all-time winningest coach during the 2002 season. • In his 17th season, has the longest tenure of any current coach in the 49ers athletic dept. |
Career Head Coaching Record At Charlotte
1993 26-32 6-11 (Metro Conference Tourn. Champs, NCAA Regional) 1994 31-25 12-5 (Metro Conf. Regular Season Champs) 1995 36-21 11-7 (Metro Conf. Regular Season Champs) 1996 29-30 11-13 (Conference USA) 1997 30-26-1 14-12 (C-USA) 1998 43-19 19-8 (C-USA, At-Large to NCAA Regional) 1999 26-26 13-14 (C-USA) 2000 32-25-1 15-11 (C-USA) 2001 24-31 10-17 (C-USA) 2002 19-35 9-21 (C-USA) 2003 21-28 11-15 (C-USA) 2004 20-32 9-21 (C-USA) 2005 31-23 13-17 (C-USA) 2006 35-20-1 18-9 (Atlantic 10) 2007 49-12 23-4 (A-10 Reg. Seas. & Tourn. Champs, NCAA Regional) 2008 43-16 19-8 (A-10 Reg. Seas. & Tourn. Champs, NCAA Regional) 2009 33-22 16-11 (Atlantic 10)
