4 minute read
Bobby Pierce
Above: Riddle watches the final inning of Mike Perez’s complete-game one-hitter over Columbus College in the 1986 NCAA Championship game.
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Below: Riddle is carried off the field following Troy’s 5-0 victory over Columbus College in the 1986 title game.
Left: Riddle’s No. 25 was retired on April 13, 1991.
Between 1979 and 1990, while Chase Riddle roamed the dugouts and coaches boxes of Pace Field, the Troy State baseball program rose from regional obscurity to national powerhouse.
Riddle was the winningest coach in school history -- in any sport -- with 434 wins at the time. His overall record of 434-147-2, a .747 winning percentage, ranked him among the top 10 Division II coaches in winning percentage.
His legacy continues as the Trojans walk through the gates of RiddlePace Field each day. Riddle was also inducted into the Troy University Sports Hall of Fame as part of the inaugural class in 2012.
His teams won two national championships (and narrowly missed out on three others), six regional titles and captured five Gulf South Conference crowns. He was named Coach of the Year in 1986 and 1987 and nabbed Regional Coach of the Year awards in 1980, 1981, 1982, 1985, 1986 and 1987.
His teams won 71.2 percent of their conference games (92-37-1) and had an .809 winning percentage at TSU’s Pace Field (253-59-1). His teams were 36-18 in NCAA post-season play, including an amazing 24-10 mark in regional play and a 12-8 record at the College World Series.
Three of Riddle’s teams won more than 40 games and four more won at least 35 games. He produced 10 first-team All-Americans, 30 total All-America and 36 first-team All-Gulf South Conference performers.
CHASE RIDDLE’S RECORD YEAR-BY-YEAR
GSC GSC NCAA NCAA National Year Overall Home GSC Tourn. Finish Regional CWS Finish
1979 33-14 18-2 11-5 0-2 -- 1-2 -- 12th 1980 30-12 20-6 12-2 2-0 1st 4-1 1-2 4th 1981 37-10 21-4 12-0 4-1 1st 3-0 1-2 4th 1982 31-10 16-5 8-3 4-0 1st -- -- 13th 1983 23-10-1 14-3-1 5-3-1 -- -- 1-2 -- 7th 1984 39-16 23-8 8-2 2-2 -- 4-1 2-2 3rd 1985 43-14 22-5 4-2 4-2 -- 3-0 0-2 6th 1986 46-8 27-3 -- 5-0 1st 3-0 4-0 1st 1987 38-10-1 24-3 8-5 3-0 1st 3-0 4-0 1st 1988 35-17 20-5 9-4 3-2 -- 0-2 -- 18th 1989 29-16 19-8 6-8 -- -- -- -- -1990 50-10 29-7 9-3 2-2 2nd 2-2 -- --
Bobby Pierce closed out a 13-year stint at Troy University and coached his final season in 2015. He lead the Trojans to a 30-25 record and a second place finish in the Sun Belt Conference.
On March 29 2015, Pierce became Troy’s winningest coach with a 4-1 victory of Alabama A&M, that gave him 435. He went on to lead the Trojans to 15 more wins and his final record was 450-313 (a .590 win percentage).
Pierce led his teams to four NCAA regional appearances and four regular season conference championships. Three of his four conference championships were in the Sun Belt and one was in the Atlantic Sun. His teams averaged 35 wins a season.
The two-time Sun Belt Coach of the Year has coached four pitchers Pitchers of the Year, two Freshman of the Year and one Newcomer of the Year.
The 2011 ACBA South Central Region Coach of the Year coached 15 AllAmericans and 28 players who have signed professional contracts. He also coached six consecutive national award winners from 2004-2009.
Pierce, along with Riddle, is the only coach to have three 40-win seasons at Troy and the Marianna, Fla., native joined the Troy Baseball Hall of Fame in 2015.
BOBBY PIERCE YEAR-BY-YEAR
TROY UNIVERSITY, 2003-2015 Year Position Record Pct. Highlights
2003 Head Coach 27-27 .500 2004 Head Coach 36-22 .621 A-Sun Tournament Finals 2005 Head Coach 37-21 .640 A-Sun Champions 2006 Head Coach 47-16 .746 SBC Champs/Touney Champs/ NCAA Regional Runner-Up 2007 Head Coach 34-27 .557 NCAA Regional- Oxford, Miss. 2008 Head Coach 32-26 .552 2009 Head Coach 33-23 .589 2010 Head Coach 36-25 .590 SBC Tournament Finals 2011 Head Coach 43-19 .694 SBC Champs/NCAA Regional - Nashville, Tenn. 2012 Head Coach 28-30 .483 2013 Head Coach 42-20 .677 SBC Champs/NCAA Regional Runner-Up - Tallahassee, Fla. 2014 Head Coach 25-32 .439 2015 Head Coach 30-25 .545
