Frank Maldonado has been named the fifth head baseball coach in Greensboro College history, Director of Athletics Bryan Galuski announced Tuesday. Maldonado replaces Jonathon Nichols who was 11-26 in 2015.
"Coach Maldonado exemplifies outstanding leadership qualities and a tremendous amount of passion to coach and lead student-athletes," Galuski said. "Throughout the hiring process, it became apparent that Coach Maldonado was the right coach to take over our baseball program. He will provide the energy and commitment needed to bring our baseball program to the next level."
Maldonado comes to the Pride from The University of Tampa, where he helped lead the Spartans to three NCAA Division II national championships.
During his six seasons there, Maldonado was instrumental in the success of the program. As the hitting coach, he helped Spartan hitters set records in batting average, home runs, runs, hits, RBIs, doubles, and slugging percentage.
Prior to his most recent stint with the Spartans, Maldonado spent four seasons on the University of South Florida staff, where he oversaw many of the program's day-to-day operations. He worked with both the infielders and the outfielders, as well as the base runners, while serving as the first base coach and summer camp coordinator.
Maldonado has also served as the hitting and infield coach at California Lutheran University and Barstow Community College. Cal Lutheran's hitters and infielders topped the Southern California Intercollegiate Conference in fielding and hitting each year during his tenure. In addition, CLU led the nation in scoring in 2001 and finished fifth nationally in double plays in 2004.
During the summer of 2007, he served as an assistant coach for the Oahu Paddlers of the Hawaii Collegiate League, and in 1999 he was the head coach for the Kehl Mosquitos of the German Baseball Federation. He also has guided summer USA Developmental teams in Puerto Rico and Australia.
As a recruiter, Maldonado has shown the ability to attract and develop professional-level talent. In Maldonado's 17 years of collegiate coaching, he has coached 11 All Americans, a National Player of the Year, 98 All Conference players, three Conference Players of the Year, and seen 58 players selected in the Major League Baseball draft, including a record 11 in 2010. Maldonado has also recorded an impressive 93-percent graduation rate for his student-athletes.
"I would like to thank Director of Athletics Bryan Galuski, Assistant Director of Athletics Randy Tuggle, and the entire Greensboro College administration for providing me with the opportunity to become the next head baseball coach at Greensboro College," Maldonado stated. "Opportunities like this cannot happen without a great support system, and I cannot thank my wife, Kendra, enough for her constant faith, sacrifice, and support in this journey.
"I am confident that there are several resources in place for Greensboro College baseball to make an immediate impact in the USA South Athletic Conference and on the national scene. I look forward to building a strong foundation where our student-athletes will learn to compete in and out of the classroom and flourish beyond the game of baseball."