Belmont University Men's Baseball

Jarvis enters his 19th season at the helm of the Belmont baseball team, having established the Bruins as one of the most consistent and respected programs in NCAA Division I baseball.  After distinguished play in the Atlantic Sun Conference, Jarvis and the Bruins have become perennial contenders in the Ohio Valley Conference, entering year four in 2016. Last season, Jarvis guided the Bruins to a 29-29 record and a third place finish in only their second OVC Tournament appearance. In addition, Belmont set NCAA and conference records in a 34-10 victory over UT Martin and swept nationally ranked Vanderbilt. Jarvis also was instrumental in the tutelage of 2015 MLB draft picks, Matt Beaty and Drew Ferguson. Beaty was a 12th round selection (372nd overall) by the Los Angeles Dodgers and Ferguson was selected by the Astros in the 19th round (559th overall). Beaty was an All-OVC First Team selection and earned OVC All-Tournament honors. Ferguson posted some gaudy numbers and was also named All-OVC First Team and OVC All-Tournament. Ferguson, Beaty and junior Tyler Fullerton were named to the 2015 American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Rawlings NCAA Division I All-South Region Teams.  In 2014, Belmont had three players chosen in the Major League Baseball Entry Draft - starting pitcher Austin Coley, relief pitcher Greg Brody, and catcher Jamie Ritchie. With left-handed starter James Buckelew also signing with the Miami Marlins, the Bruins added four players to a growing list in the professional ranks. All told, 32 players fro Belmont Baseball have gone onto professional playing careers, including 19 under Jarvis' tenure and 17 MLB selections since 2007. The Jarvis-led Belmont baseball team left the A-Sun on a high note, winning back-to-back league championships in its final two opportunities.  In 2012, the Bruins won both the regular season and tournament Atlantic Sun Titles, finishing with a program best 39 wins.  Belmont earned a berth to the NCAA Championships for the second straight season, playing in a pair of close games against national power Oregon State (2-1) and Louisiana Monroe (6-3) on the campus of LSU. The 2012 Bruins set a number of Belmont and A-Sun records, including the aforementioned new BU standard for victories after finishing the season 39-14.  Belmonts 17-10 conference mark, after sweeping cross-town rival Lipscomb to end the regular season, gave the Bruins their first A-Sun Regular Season Championship in program history.  BUs .630 winning percentage in league games was the best ever for Belmont since joining the conference in 2002. Seven individuals earned A-Sun postseason honors under Jarviss tutelage in 2012, the most ever since joining the league.  Junior Chase Brookshire was a unanimous first team selection at starting pitcher, while senior captain Zac Mitchell also earned first team honors.  Juniors Judah Akers and Drew Turner received second team accolades at designated hitter and outfield, respectively, while Scott Moses, Matt Beaty, and Austin Coley were all named to the A-Sun All-Freshman Team.  Following the teams second straight tournament championship, Mitchell and Turner were named to the All-Tournament Team, while Akers received MVP honors. Jarvis led the 2011 Belmont Baseball Team to six straight wins towards the end of the season, including all four conference tournament tilts en route to earning the program's first ever Atlantic Sun Conference Championship.  The Bruins earned their first ever berth to the NCAA Tournament, defeating Oklahoma State and Troy for the Universitys first ever NCAA Championship victories in any sport.  Belmont set program records of 38 wins, 428 runs scored, 396 RBI, and 646 hits during the historic 2011 run. During the 2011 campaign, Jarvis was named the Tennessee Baseball Coaches Association College Coach of the Year.   Many players continued the long-standing individual success under Jarvis in 2011, as Nate Woods, Matt Hamann, and Dylan Craig were named to the All-Atlantic Sun First Team, Chase Brookshire earned Second Team honors, and Greg Brody received All-Freshman Team accolades.  After sweeping through the conference tournament, Zac Mitchell, Matt Zeblo, and Brookshire were named to the All-Tournament Team, while Derek Hamblen was named the Atlantic Sun Tournament MVP.   Off the field, the Bruins are coming off their best year in terms of the Academic Progress Rate (APR) while listing a remarkable 16 players on the Academic All-Atlantic Sun list. In the 2010 APR release, Belmont baseball reported a score of 986 - nearly 30 points above the national baseball average. The score ranked among the highest percent of all baseball programs competing in NCAA Division I.  Following the 2012 regular season, Matt Hamann, Chase Brookshire, and Judah Akers were named to the inaugural A-Sun All-Academic Team, which honors student-athletes who excel on and off the field.   Jarvis has seen eight players drafted in the last six years.  Since Belmont has been a member of the Atlantic Sun, Jarvis has coached 44 All-Atlantic Sun Conference selections (14 First Team, 17 Second Team, 13 All-Freshman), 180 Atlantic Sun Academic All-Conference selections and 26 Atlantic Sun Player of the Week honorees.   In 2010, Belmont Baseball garnered national acclaim for a program-best 10-0 start to the season. The Bruins were one of only five programs in America to start 10-0 or better. Belmont also recorded a victory over nationally-ranked Western Kentucky.   Five Bruins received All-Atlantic Sun recognition that season, with Nate Woods and Jon Ivie earning First Team honors. Outfielder Dylan Craig was named Second Team All-Atlantic Sun, while left handed pitcher Chase Brookshire was named to the All-Freshman Team.  Woods was also named to the ABCA All-South Region Team in 2011 after setting new program marks in single-season home runs (20) and runs batted in (78). Woods was joined by Ivie, Craig, Derek Hamblen and Packy Elkins on the SEBaseball.com Atlantic Sun Honor Roll Team.   Elkins was later drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2010 Major League Baseball Entry Draft, becoming the latest in a long line of Jarvis players selected in the pros.    Back in 2009, the Bruins returned to the Atlantic Sun Tournament Semifinals for the third consecutive season behind the potent pair of record-setting veteran infielder Derek Wiley and up-and-coming outfielder Dylan Craig. Wiley graduated owning six Belmont career batting records and the Atlantic Sun record for career homeruns (58). Craig was the first Bruin since Wiley to earn A-Sun Freshman of the Year honors after setting a Belmont single-season record of 92 hits. The Chattanooga southpaw maintained the second-longest hitting streak in Belmont history at 26-games and capped off his impressive debut season in blue and red being named to the Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American Team by Collegiate Baseball.   Under Jarvis' tutelage Belmont's presence in MLB Draft continued in the 2009 offseason as junior second baseman Daniel Wagner and Wiley were selected - the fourth time in five years two Bruins had been drafted. Wagner was the second-earliest Bruin all-time taken in the draft after the Chicago White Sox grabbed him in the 16th round, while the Atlanta Braves picked Wiley in the 31st round.   In 2008, the Bruins posted 25 wins and made the Atlantic Sun Tournament for the third time in school history. Belmont posted wins over Tennessee, as well as 2008 NCAA Tournament participants Lipscomb and Western Kentucky. Carlo Testa was named to the A-Sun First Team as a starting pitcher and outfielder, the first dual-threat All-Conference performer in conference history. Catcher Matt Zeblo and dual-threat outfielder/pitcher Nate Woods were named to the All-Freshman team. Testa and infielder Derek Wiley, who was named to the A-Sun All-Tournament team, were selected in the 2008 Entry Draft. Testa was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the 18th round and Wiley in the 50th round by the Oakland Athletics.   In 2007, Jarvis earned his 600th career victory after leading the Bruins to a then program-record of 34 wins, a berth in the Atlantic Sun Championship finals, and a fourth winning season in the last five years. With a league record of 16-11 the Bruins earned a No. 3 seed its second A-Sun Tournament appearance, eliminating top-seed and host No. 23 Stetson, 18-5, before losing the championship game to Jacksonville - one win short of the Bruins' first-ever NCAA Tournament bid. The history-making roster included five Atlantic Sun All-Conference performers - pitcher Charles Lee, infielder Matt Reynolds, outfielders Kane Simmons and Wilson Tucker and designated hitter Derek Wiley. Ben Petsch and Wilson Tucker's wave of success in 2007 led all the way to the MLB Draft; Petsch in the 19th round to the Minnesota Twins and Tucker a 33rd-round selection to the Kansas City Royals. Simmons was named the 2007 Golden Baseball League Spalding Rookie of the Year in September and signed with the Colorado Rockies. Tucker was named the MVP of the Burlington Royals, a Single A minor league affiliate of the Kansas City Royals, in August 2007. Reynolds was signed by the Evansville Otters of the Frontier League.   2006 saw two players earn first team All-Conference, while Wiley was named the Atlantic Sun Freshman of the Year as well as a member of Collegiate Baseball's Freshmen All-American squad. Several other players earned weekly honors from the Atlantic Sun Conference throughout the season as well.   Relief pitcher Blake Owen set a single-season Belmont record of 13 saves while posting an ERA of 0.81 under the direction of Jarvis in 2005. Owen, a Vanderbilt transfer, earned First Team All-Conference in his lone season at Belmont and went on to be the highest Bruin selected in the MLB Draft during the NCAA era. After his junior year as a Bruin Owen was picked by the Baltimore Orioles in the sixth round (183rd overall).   Former Belmont pitcher Justin Jordan reached the AAA level after being drafted out of Belmont in 2005. Later, Owen had a successful professional season in 2006 after posting a 7-4 record with a 3.81 ERA at Class A Delmarva. Cody Blackard played a key role for the Evansville Otters, as they won the Frontier League Championship.   In 2005, Jarvis led the Bruins to their third consecutive winning season, and their seventh in his eight years at Belmont. The team finished 28-26, including a 13-11 road record. The Bruins defeated in-state rival Tennessee for the second straight season.  In 2004, the Bruins posted 31 wins - which was then the most wins in school history - but fell short of the conference tournament with a 13-17 league record. For the second consecutive season the Bruins tied a program record as 21 players were named Academic All-Conference.   Jarvis garnered Atlantic Sun Coach of the Year honors in 2003 after leading the Bruins to a 10-win improvement in conference play while earning the program's first Atlantic Sun Tournament bid. Posting a 9-20 league record in Belmont's 2002 inaugural season in the Atlantic Sun, Jarvis righted the ship in 2003 with a fourth-place finish and a 19-14 A-Sun record. Two Bruins earned All-Conference nods and two others were named Academic All-District by CoSIDA.   Belmont baseball's strong academic standing was further anchored by the program's first Academic All-America selection Josh Brummett, a First Team selection in 2003-04 and a Third Team selection in 2001-02. Dan Soukup was the second Bruin baseball player to be named Academic All-America, landing on the Third Team in 2003-04.   Jarvis captured his first win over a ranked opponent in 2001 after knocking off eventual College World Series participant Georgia in Athens, Ga. In 2003, the Bruins defeated No. 17 Florida Atlantic on the road, followed by defeating two more ranked teams in 2004, besting No. 23 Tennessee and No. 30 Florida Atlantic.   Throughout his tenure as a head coach, a total of 44 players have signed professional baseball contracts including four players who have made it to the major league level: Bart Evans (Kansas City), Jimmy Hurst (Detroit), Chuck Malone (Philadelphia), and Alan Mahaffey (Chicago NL).   Jarvis fine-tuned his coaching ability with a nine-year stint as head coach at Three Rivers Community College in Poplar Bluff, Mo., from 1985-93. With Jarvis at the helm the Raiders were consistently ranked in the National Junior College Athletic Association top-20 poll, highlighted by a No. 4 ranking in 1992. He was a three-time selection as Coach of the Year for the Midwest Community College Athletic Conference, as well as garnering Coach of the Year honors for women's basketball.   Jarvis broke into NCAA Division I baseball as an assistant with Murray State in the fall of 1993, where he was hired by current Belmont Athletic Director, Mike Strickland. At Murray, he was primarily responsible for the instruction of hitters and catchers as well as teaching base running skills. Jarvis also used his extensive junior college network to create a recruiting pipeline for the Thoroughbreds.   Jarvis finished his playing career at Arkansas State as the starting catcher and team captain. The Missouri native earned a bachelor's degree in education and later received his master's in education, both at Arkansas State.   A dedicated family man, Jarvis has three growing sons, Jordan, Logan, and Jackson. The family resides in Franklin, Tenn.

Smith begins his eighth season at Belmont and his fifth as a full-time assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. Smith's main duties entail working with the infielders, hitters, coaching third base and heading up the recruitment of student-athletes. In addition, Smith assists with the camp instruction and the administration of the Belmont Fall Instructional League. In his six years at Belmont, Smith has coached 18 First and Second Team All-Conference position players, seven players that were elected to the All-Freshman team, and two Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament MVPs. In all, 18 former Belmont players have gone on to play professional baseball since the 2010 season. Last season, Smith was a vital member of the coaching staff, helping the Bruins to a successful 2016 campaign. Belmont concluded the season ranking in the top-10 in five offensive categories - home runs(6), on base percentage (9), slugging percentage (10), stolen bases (5) and walks (8) - throughout all Division I institutions. Under the guidance of Smith, many players boasted impressive seasons including Brennan Washington and Clay Payne collecting All-OVC Second Team accolades. Smith also played a hand in sculpting successful campaigns for rookies, Chas Hadden and Hunter Holland, who earned a spot on the OVC All-Newcomer roster. Hadden was also named to the Freshman All-America list for his outstanding play, hitting .370 with over 61 walks in 2016. Smith also helped Tyler Walsh post a batting average of .273 with nine home runs and 21 stolen bases to earn him a MLB Draft selection in the 39th round to the Texas Rangers. The one area that Smith was most proud of was the Bruins defensive improvement as they were able to increase their fielding percentage by 10 points and cut 21 errors from the previous season. In 2015, Smith helped guide one of the best statistical offenses in all of NCAA Division I baseball. The Bruins were in the NCAA Top 10 in four categories: runs scored, doubles, slugging percentage, and home runs. The Bruins were paced at the plate by four players that hit double digit home runs Nick Egli, Tyler Fullerton, Matt Beaty and Drew Ferguson. For their efforts Beaty and Ferguson were tabbed as All-Americans. After producing lofty statistics at Belmont, both Beaty and Ferguson were selected in the 2015 MLB Draft. Beaty was selected in the 12th round by the Los Angeles Dodgers and Drew Ferguson was chosen in the 19th round by the Houston Astros. Beaty, Fullerton, Ferguson were selected to the ABCA/Rawlings All-Region team.  Alec Diamond, a catcher and infielder, garnered national attention as he was named the 2015 NCAA Statistical Champion for Toughest to Strike Out. Diamond struck out just eight times in 226 at bats. In 2014, the Bruins saw catcher Jamie Ritchie advanced to the next level as he was selected in the 13th round by the Houston Astros. Also, Drew Ferguson was selected to the ABCA All-South team. Ferguson was just the second Bruin ever to collect this honor along with Nate Woods in 2010. Belmonts first season in the Ohio Valley Conference, 2013, the Bruins set a school record with 37 regular season wins.  During the inaugural year, the Bruins led the OVC in walks, hit by pitches, and were second in fielding percentage. Josh Davis was selected as a First Team All-OVC utility player after hitting .293 and recording 12 saves as the Bruins closer. He was also a finalist for the John Olerud Two-Way Player award which goes to the best two-way player in the country. Drew Turner was selected to the All-OVC Second Team after hitting .318 and stealing 12 bases. After the successful season shortstop Jared Breen was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 24th round. From 2009-2012 coach Smith served as the volunteer assistant. During this time he worked with the outfielders and coached first base. He also was instrumental in the coordination of the base running scheme that has been a staple of the Bruin program. Before coming to Belmont, Smith assisted at Trevecca Nazarene University for three years working with the outfielders, catchers and hitters. While at Trevecca the team compiled two NAIA regional appearances, two TranSouth conference championships, five NAIA All-Americans and four players that signed professional contracts. During that span the Trojans averaged over 38 wins a season. Prior to Trevecca, Smith coached one year Motlow State Community College and spent two years at Riverdale High School. In his one season at Motlow, the Bucks finished third in the TJCCAA regular season and made it to the state tournament semifinals. Also during that season he coached first round draft pick Bryan Morris who was selected 26th overall by the Los Angeles Dodgers. At Riverdale High School, Smith served as an assistant coach of outfielders and hitters, and the head coach of the freshman team. In 2005 Riverdale earned a berth in the AAA State Tournament with a record of 30-12. Smith, who is a member of the ABCA and TBCA,  has staffed numerous camps around the southeast including Vanderbilt University, University of Tennessee, Middle Tennessee State University and several high schools. In 2016, Smith's presentation on outfield play was featured at the Tennessee Baseball Coaches Association clinic. Smith presented alongside many well-respected coaches at the event. Smith played at Motlow State Community College. In his sophomore season, he hit .380 and finished in the top 10 in batting average in the TJCCAA. Smith's career ended prematurely due to two shoulder surgeries. Aaron and his wife, Lindsey reside in Murfreesboro, Tenn. with their two sons Garon and Corbin. 

Assistant Baseball Coach at Belmont University Division 1 located in Nashville, TN. Members of the Missouri Valley Conference 

Played high school baseball at Arlington High School (TN). 1st team All State and Ultimate 9 winner. Tennessee state records for consecutive wins and innings without a walk. 10 complete games. Played college baseball at Bethel University (NAIA) and Christian Brothers University (D2). All Conference Freshman in 2017. Coached high school baseball for 3 years at Arlington High School (TN) and Fayette Academy (TN).  Currently the Director of Player Development at Belmont University.

Connor Sherwood returns for his second season with the Bruins in 2025 as the director of baseball operations. In his current role at Belmont, Sherwood handles team travel, team meals, game-day organization, team equipment and uniforms, and other day-to-day operations within the program. Prior to joining Belmont, Sherwood graduated from the University of Dayton in 2023 with a bachelor's degree in sport management. While at Dayton, Sherwood spent four years working with Dayton's baseball team as a student-manager and as the director of baseball operations. Sherwood also spent the 2021 and 2022 seasons working as a baseball operations intern in the Cape Cod Baseball League with the Bourne Braves and Wareham Gatemen. Sherwood is working towards earning his masters degree in sports administration and expects to graduate in the Spring of 2025.