Monmouth College announced today that its oldest sport will be under new management with the selection of Alan Betourne to guide the baseball program. Monmouth will open its 140th season on the diamond in 2016.
Betourne, a Washington, Ill., native who graduated from Monmouth in 2005 with a degree in physical education, spent two years playing professional baseball in McKinney, Texas, helping the team to a league championship in 2007. Since that time, Betourne has gained experience coaching at a pair of colleges, most recently at Bethany College, where he served as the hitting instructor and worked directly with the admission office in the recruitment of student-athletes. His recruiting efforts produced the largest incoming class in the history of the school for the 2015 season. In the college's off season, Betourne coached the Sterling Xpress of the Mountain Collegiate Baseball League, developing NCAA Division I and II and NAIA players.
"We are glad to have a person of Alan's caliber returning to campus," said Monmouth College president Clarence R. Wyatt. "He possesses a great combination of skilled coaching, passion for the game, and, most importantly, a commitment to Monmouth College's core mission: the development of young people into confident and contributing citizens."
Betourne's experience and rave reviews from the administrators of his previous schools were determining factors in his selection, according to director of athletics Roger Haynes.
"We feel that Coach Betourne possesses all the qualities we were looking for," Haynes said. "He had an excellent career at Monmouth as a player and has coaching experience at multiple levels, including recruiting at the Division III level. He comes highly recommended from the administrators at his previous schools."
A left-handed hitting first baseman in his playing days, Betourne hit .344 during his 96-game, four-year career at Monmouth, leading the team in hitting in 2004 and 2005 with .373 and .388 averages, respectively. Betourne was on the roster when Monmouth won their last of 15 Midwest Conference titles.
In addition to his baseball duties, Betourne will assist in game management with a focus on enhancing the fans' experience at Fighting Scots' games.