Baylor Baseball’s Jim Blair Named Assistant Coach

[Calderone, Max]

BAYLOR ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS – July 1, 2023

Baylor Baseball’s Jim Blair Named Assistant Coach
Bears’ staff now includes three full-time assistant coaches following Blair’s promotion
For more information contact: Max Calderone, 254-265-1639, Max_Calderone at Baylor.edu<mailto:Max_Calderone at Baylor.edu>

WACO, Texas – Baylor baseball head coach Mitch Thompson announced Saturday the promotion of Jim Blair to assistant coach.

“When I heard the news that the NCAA had granted Division I college baseball programs a third paid assistant, I didn’t have to hesitate one second to know who we were going to hire. Jim Blair has been an integral part of our staff since the day we got here,” Thompson said. “Jim loves Baylor, and he loves this baseball program. I am so glad that he will now be a full-time paid employee of his alma mater. We couldn’t have found anybody with deeper ties and feelings for this program.”

Blair spent the 2023 season as BU’s volunteer assistant coach, serving as the team’s first base coach and working primarily with the outfielders. He helped guide freshman shortstop Kolby Branch to Freshman All-America honors, as well as a unanimous spot on the Big 12’s All-Freshman Team, and assisted in sophomore catcher Cortlan Castle’s breakout season that earned him All-Big 12 honorable mention recognition.

“My family and I are extremely humbled and excited to have the opportunity to be back at Baylor,” Blair said. “The last year has been a great reminder of how special this university and its people are. I am thrilled to be able to work with Coach Thompson and ready to continue pouring into our athletic department’s mission of Preparing Champions for Life.”

A former Baylor baseball player from 1996-98 and 22-year veteran coach at the high school and collegiate levels, Blair returned to Waco to join Thompson’s staff in July 2022 after previously leading newly founded San Antonio Pieper High School to a 21-5 record in the program’s first year.

Before heading up the Warriors’ program in 2022, Blair spent two seasons at New Braunfels Canyon High School, where he was named the 2021 26-5A Coach of the Year after leading the Cougars to a district championship. Blair’s squad finished the ’21 season on a 17-game win streak and ranked No. 10 in the state of Texas at the 5A level. In two years at Canyon, Blair saw nine players move on to play college baseball after compiling a 34-10 record.

“Jim brings a tremendous amount of experience and knowledge with him to this position as he has previously been a Division I hitting coach, pitching coach and recruiting coordinator,” Thompson said. “He has excelled at all three of those roles and will continue to give us great flexibility on our staff. Jim is a deep thinker, and one of the things I love most about him is that he provides me with an incredible amount of insight and ideas as to how we can continue to grow this program. I’m excited to be able to fully utilize Jim’s skill set and have another set of trained eyes both on the field and on the recruiting trail.”

Prior to coaching at the high school level, Blair spent 18 years at three different universities in the state of Texas, including two stints at UTSA. In total, he coached 32 hitters that have garnered all-conference honors a combined 38 times, mentored nine All-Americans, participated in six NCAA Regionals, won five conference tournament titles and recruited over 40 players who were drafted or signed professional contracts, including five who have reached the Major Leagues.

Blair spent seven seasons on staff at UTSA as associate head coach and recruiting coordinator from 2013-19. In 2018 and 2019, he served as the team’s pitching coach after directing the Roadrunners’ offense for five years. His staffs produced the two highest single-season strikeout totals in UTSA history and 2018’s squad saw a school-record four players picked in the MLB Draft. Offensively, UTSA finished in the top-four in eight major categories in its first two seasons in Conference USA under Blair’s guidance.

In 2012, Blair was an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Dallas Baptist, where he helped the Patriots to a 41-19 record and an appearance in the NCAA Waco Regional. DBU posted a .304 team batting average and finished fifth in the nation in slugging percentage and seventh in home runs, while producing a pair of All-Americans in Joel Hutter and Boomer Collins. In his one year as recruiting coordinator, the Patriots inked five pitchers that would eventually be taken in the top 12 rounds of the 2015 MLB Draft.

Prior to coaching in Dallas, Blair spent five seasons at Sam Houston State from 2007-11 as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator under legendary coach Mark Johnson. While in Huntsville, Blair helped the Bearkats to three-consecutive NCAA Regional appearances (2007-09) and tutored a pair of All-Americans in Bobby Verbick and Todd Sebek. Blair’s responsibilities included mentoring the offense, which set 19 school records during his tenure. As recruiting coordinator, he signed 22 players to National Letters of Intent that were either drafted or signed with MLB organizations and coached 11 All-Southland Conference honorees.

Blair spent the previous five campaigns as an assistant at UTSA from 2002-06. While in the Alamo City, he served as the hitting coach and helped the Roadrunners earn a berth to the 2005 NCAA Waco Regional. He tutored All-American Mark Schramek, who became the first player in UTSA history to be selected in the first round of the MLB Draft as the 40th overall pick by the Cincinnati Reds in 2002.

Before entering the coaching ranks, Blair was a three-year starter for Steve Smith at Baylor. He twice earned All-Big 12 laurels and still holds the program record with a 31-game hitting streak. Blair led the Bears with a .376 batting average in 1997 and signed a free-agent contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1998.

Blair graduated in 2000 with a bachelor’s degree in education with emphasis in health and human performance and received his master’s degree in sport management from Sam Houston State in August 2013.

He and his wife, Pamela, have three sons, Carson, Andrew and Reid.

To stay up to date on all things Baylor baseball, follow the team on its official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts: @BaylorBaseball.


-BaylorBears.com-


__________________________________

Max Calderone | Associate Director of Athletics Communications (BSB, FB, EQ)
Department of Athletics | Baylor University
C: 254-265-1639

[signature_3102039038]<http://baylorbears.com/>

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