Methodist University Men's Baseball

In the summer of 2025, Methodist University alum and longtime assistant coach Spencer Martin was named the Interim Head Baseball Coach for the 2025-26 academic year. He enters his 16th overall season after serving as the top assistant for MU legend Tom Austin for the last 15 years. Before being named the interim coach, his duties included serving as the pitching coach, head coach of the developmental team, and coordinating the Monarchs’ recruiting efforts. During his time as an assistant, the Monarchs won three USA South Athletic Conference Regular Season Championships (2015, 2018, 2025) and two USA South Conference Tournament Titles (2013 and 2025). The Monarchs have also appeared in three NCAA Regional Tournaments during his tenure (2013, 2015, 2025).  As the pitching coach, Martin has coached one ABCA All-American, six ABCA All-South Region, 14 USA South All-Conference, three USA South Pitchers of the Year, three USA South All-Tournament Team Pitchers, three USA South Rookie Pitchers of the Year, and two ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove winners. Three former Monarch pitchers have gone on to play professional baseball.    Before returning to Methodist prior to the 2011 season, Martin served as an assistant coach for Methodist in 2009, where he helped the team to a second-place finish in the USA South while coaching the Rookie Pitcher of the Year and a first-team all-conference pitcher. In 2010, he served as the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator for Penn State-Greater Allegheny, under the current Gardner-Webb Head Coach Jim Chester. At PSU-Greater Allegheny, Martin helped the team to a PSUAC Championship and a spot in the USCAA National Tournament while coaching the PSUAC Pitcher of the Year and a USCAA All-American. Martin also has two seasons of coaching experience in the collegiate summer circuit. In the summer of 2009, he served as the pitching coach for the Albany Dutchmen of the NYCBL. In the summer of 2010, he served as the pitching coach of the K.I.T League Champion Tradewater Pirates.  A native of Virginia Beach, Virginia, Martin was a four-year letter winner for Methodist University as a pitcher and undergraduate assistant coach. He currently holds the school record for consecutive strikeouts, striking out 11 straight batters in 2005. Martin was a four-time USA South Academic All-Conference Recipient. He was also the 2006 recipient of the Bobby Bell Award for Good Works and the 2008 recipient of the Courageous Monarch Award.  Martin graduated from Methodist University in 2008 with honors, receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. He has worked at numerous college baseball camps, showcases, and clinics throughout the East Coast. Martin is a 17-year consecutive member of the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA).    Martin lives in Fayetteville with his wife Ashley, a 2007 Methodist University graduate, and his sons, Dawson and Nolan. 

Austin. For more than a quarter of century now, it has been nothing short of excellence on the diamond.         After 36 years as head baseball coach at Methodist, Austin sports a 1,086-483-9 career record, and was the sixth coach in the history of NCAA Division III baseball to reach the 1,000-win plateau. Austins teams have never won fewer than 22 games in a season. Included in that are 17 30-win seasons and two 40-win seasons. Currently, the Monarchs have enjoyed 36 straight 20-win seasons under Austin. He is currently ninth overall among all-time NCAA Division III head coaches and third among active Division III head coaches in victories.   Austin has elevated the Monarch baseball program to one of the best in NCAA Division III. During his tenure at Methodist, he has guided the Monarchs to six NCAA Division III College World Series (1986, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1995, 1996), finishing no lower than fifth. Their best finish occurred in the 1995 season, when the Monarchs wound up as the NCAA Division III runners-up.         Under Austins guidance, Methodist has tallied 21 Dixie Intercollegiate/USA South Athletic Conference (DIAC) championships, six NCAA Division III South Regional titles and 22 NCAA Division III National Tournament berths, including trips to the NCAA Tournament in the 2013 and 2015 seasons. Methodist has also earned recognition as the countrys top-ranked NCAA Division III team on three different occasions, including the 2002 season. Methodist finished 2015 ranked No. 22 in the final D3baseball.com Top 25.                         The Monarchs have molded this success playing baseball the Tom Austin way pure fundamentals and playing smart. Austin has always prided his teams on strong pitching, sharp defense, consistent hitting and getting the most out of every player.   In addition, Methodist wins by getting the little things done, like running the bases and moving runners into scoring position. Austins teams have consistently been one of the best in the USA South in stolen bases.  His 1986 squad set an NCAA Division III single-season record for stolen bases with 334. That same team also set the NCAA Division III single-season record for walks with 440.   Austins accomplishments have earned him numerous coaching honors during his career. He has been selected the Dixie Intercollegiate/USA South Athletic Conference Coach of the Year 11 times, the NCAA Division III South Region Coach of the Year seven times in 11 years and the North Carolina College Coach of the Year twice.   In addition to producing championship teams at Methodist, Austin has also molded many a dynamic player at Methodist. A total of 29 players under Austin have garnered NCAA Division III All-American honors, and 134 players have been selected first team All-Dixie Intercollegiate/USA South Athletic Conference.   The influence of Austin is felt on a national level as he is creating a coaching tree of former assistant coaches and players who are now head coaches at the collegiate level. The most notables include former assistant coach Jim Peeples (head coach at Piedmont) and former player Paul Knight (head coach at Lenoir-Rhyne).   A native of Philadelphia, Pa., Austin attended Seminole Community College in Sanford, Fla., where he was an All-Florida Conference outfielder and set the state junior college stolen base record. While at Seminole, Austin played for former University of Florida and University of Central Florida head coach Jay Bergman. From there, Austin transferred to Rollins College in Winter Park, Fla., where he played outfield for the Tars under the late Boyd Coffie and received his bachelors degree in history in 1972. He then earned his masters degree in education from Rollins in 1976.   Prior to his position at Methodist, Austin served as football and baseball coach at his high school alma mater - Bishop Moore High School in Orlando, Fla., from 1973-79. Austin lives in Fayetteville with his wife Jill and two sons, Christian and Jacob. His oldest son, Doug, is a police officer with the Fayetteville Police Department.

Zach Teem joined the Methodist baseball coaching staff as an assistant in the summer of 2025. Prior to Methodist, Teem spent the last two seasons as an assistant coach at Fayetteville Technical Community College, serving as the catching coach, while assisting with the offense. As a collegiate player, he spent two years playing junior college baseball at Valley Forge Military College and Chattanooga State CC. After his time playing junior college baseball, he transferred to Division II Salem University, where he obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and MBA in Sports and Recreational Administration. Zach is from Acworth, Georgia, and currently resides in Fayetteville with his Fiancé Melanie.

Kayla Pless begins her first season as an assistant coach for Methodist University women’s basketball during the 2025–26 season. Before returning to her alma mater, Pless served as the head girls' basketball coach at Pine Forst High School from 2019–24, producing nine All-Conference players and earning Patriot Athletic Conference Coach of the Year honors in 2020–21. She also spent two seasons (2018–19) as an assistant coach at Terry Sanford High School and previously coached youth basketball in Oklahoma. A former Methodist women's basketball student-athlete (2012–15), Pless graduated from Methodist in 2016 with a Bachelor of Science in Sport Management and later earned her Master of Education with a concentration in coaching education and athletic administration. A native of Hampstead, North Carolina, Pless brings both experience and familiarity with the program to the Monarchs’ coaching staff.

Spencer Martin enters his fourteenth season (2024) as the top assistant for the Monarchs.  His duties include serving as the pitching coach, head coach of the developmental team, and coordinating the Monarchs recruiting efforts.   In his time as an assistant, the Monarchs have compiled a record of 310-197 (.611%), won the 2013 USA-South Conference Tournament, the 2015 and 2018 USA-South Conference Championships and have finished 2nd in the conference 3 times.  The Monarchs have also appeared in two NCAA South Regional Tournaments (2013/2015) during his tenure.  Martins pitchers have consistently been some of the top performers in the conference and region, winning numerous accolades.  The Monarchs have led the conference in team ERA four times.  Martin has coached 1 ABCA All-American, 4 ABCA All-South Region, 11 USA-South All-Conference, 2 USA-South Pitcher of the Year, 2 USA-South All-Tournament Team Pitchers, 2 USA-South Rookie Pitcher of the Year and 2 ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove winners in his previous thirteen seasons in charge of the pitching staff. 3 former Monarch pitchers have gone on to play professional baseball.    Before returning to Methodist prior to the 2011 season, Martin served as an assistant coach for Methodist in 2009 where he helped the team to a 2nd place finish in the USA-South while coaching the Rookie Pitcher of the Year and a 1st team all-conference pitcher.  In 2010, he was the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator for Penn State-Greater Allegheny under current Gardner-Webb Head Coach Jim Chester.  At PSU-Greater Allegheny, Martin helped the team to a PSUAC Championship, a spot in the USCAA National Tournament, while coaching the PSUAC Pitcher of the Year and a USCAA All-American.  Martin also has two seasons of coaching experience in the collegiate summer circuit.  In the summer of 2009 he served as the pitching coach for the Albany Dutchmen of the NYCBL.  In the summer of 2010, he served as the pitching coach of the K.I.T League Champion Tradewater Pirates.   His resume includes working numerous college baseball camps, showcases, and clinics throughout the east coast.  Martin is a 16 year consecutive member of the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)   A native of Virginia Beach, VA, Martin was a four-year letter winner for Methodist University as a pitcher and undergraduate assistant coach.  He currently holds the school record for consecutive strikeouts, striking out 11 straight batters in 2005.  Martin was a 4-Time USA South Academic All-Conference Recipient.  He was also the 2006 recipient of the Bobby Bell Award for Good Works and the 2008 recipient of the Courageous Monarch Award.     Martin graduated from Methodist University in 2008 with honors, receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science.  Martin has Certification in Strength and Conditioning from the International Sports Science Association and is Rapsodo Pitching Certified.    Martin lives in Fayetteville with his wife Ashley, a 2007 Methodist University graduate and his son Dawson.