JACKSON, Miss. – Andrew Gipson has been named the eighth Head Baseball Coach in program history as announced by Belhaven Director of Athletics Scott Little on Tuesday.
"I am excited to welcome Andrew back to campus as our Head Baseball Coach. As a former Belhaven baseball player and assistant coach, he knows us well," said Little. "Our student-athletes will enjoy playing for him as his drive, knowledge of the game, and commitment to Belhaven's university mission fuel our pursuit of championships."
A native of Oneonta, Alabama, Gipson is a 2011 graduate of Belhaven University and played for the Blazers for four seasons where he was a part of three Conference championships, four NAIA Regional/Opening Round tournaments, and one NAIA World Series appearance.
"I'd like to thank Scott Little and Dr. Parrott for entrusting me to lead this baseball program. A lot of thought and time went into this process, and I'm grateful that God kept the doors open for us to see this through," said Gipson. "Brittany and I are excited to raise our family in the Blazers' community. This is an extremely special place to me. Having spent time here as both a player and coach, I know that the expectations are high. We are going to assemble a roster year in and year out that will compete for championships. Our goal is to make Belhaven the household name of Division III baseball."
Gipson most recently served as the Associate Head Coach and Recruiting Coordinator for the NCAA Division I program Southeastern Louisiana University in 2022, part of a seven-year tenure with the Lions' program. Gipson held various roles within the SLU coaching staff including serving as the Lions' Pitching Coach in 2021 and Assistant Baseball Coach and Recruiting Coordinator from 2015-18.
Prior to joining the staff at Southeastern Louisiana, Gipson spent three years on the coaching staff at Belhaven directly following his playing career. Gipson spent the 2014 season as the Assistant Coach under legendary Blazers' Head Coach Hill Denson after serving as a Graduate Assistant Coach in 2013 and Student Assistant Coach in 2012.
Gipson graduated Magna Cum Laude from Belhaven in 2011 with degrees in psychology and sports administration.
COACHING CAREER NOTES
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Helped coach three All-Americans including catcher Kyle Wheeler who was selected in the 26th round of the 2013 MLB Draft during his time at Belhaven (2012-14)
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A part of the 2015 SLU staff which led the Lions to the school record for overall wins (42), the Southland record for conference wins (25) and the Southland Conference Regular Season Championship
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Led the Lions' pitching staff in 2021 which saw RHP Brennan Stuprich named the Southland Conference Freshman of the Year and earn multiple Freshman All-America honors and saw Stuprich combine with Will Warren to finish among the Top 5 in conference ERA, wins and innings pitched while Warren also finished second in strikeouts
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Helped the Lions to three NCAA Regional appearances during his time with SLU (2016, 2017, 2022)
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Helped lead recruiting efforts that saw 47 All-Southland Conference selections, four All-Americans, three Southland Players of the Year, two Southland Freshmen of the Year, one Southland Pitcher of the Year, one Southland Relief Pitcher of the Year and 15 players selected in the MLB draft during his SLU tenure (2015-22)