William Peace University Men's Baseball

Coach Charlie Long enters his sixth season as Head Baseball Coach at William Peace University in 2027 after joining the Pacers in the summer of 2021. Since arriving in Raleigh, Long has helped elevate the program within the USA South Conference, leading the Pacers to two USA South Conference Championship appearances and multiple postseason runs. In 2023, William Peace set a program record with 25 wins while advancing to the USA South Championship series for the first time in school history. The Pacers returned to the conference finals in 2026 while continuing to produce all-conference, all-region, and All-American selections under Long’s leadership. Long brought one of the most accomplished resumes in NCAA Division III baseball to William Peace following nearly three decades at North Carolina Wesleyan. He served as Head Baseball Coach at NC Wesleyan from 1998-2018 after previously spending seven seasons as an assistant coach from 1991-1998. During his tenure, Long guided the Battling Bishops to the 1999 NCAA Division III National Championship while capturing 17 combined USA South regular season and tournament championships. He also led NC Wesleyan to another NCAA South Regional title in 2006. Over his career, Long amassed more than 475 career victories and earned four USA South Coach of the Year honors. He was inducted into the NC Wesleyan Athletics Hall of Fame in 2016 and is also a member of the University of Mount Olive Hall of Fame. In 2020, Long received the Clyde King Excellence in Coaching Award, presented by Princie King Evans, daughter of the late New York Yankees player and manager Clyde King. Long graduated from the University of Mount Olive in 1989 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History. He later earned his teacher certification from Campbell University in 1990 before completing a Master’s degree in Educational Administration at Campbell in 1997.   Long at Peace Year Overall Record Conference Record Conference Finish Highlights 2026 20-25 9-12 5th USA South Reached USA South Conference Finals (second time since 2023) Two First Team All-Conference Selections One Second Team All-Conference Selection Four All-Tournament Team Selections Three Player of the Week Honors 2025 13-26 8-13 7th USA South One First Team All-Conference selection One Second Team All-Conference selection Five Player of the Week Honors One Lou Gehrig Award Winner  2024 14-25 9-12 7th USA South One Second Team All-Conference selection One CSC Academic All-District Selection One NSCA All-American Selection Four Player of the Week Honors 2023     25-21 13-8 2nd USA South Program record for most wins in a single season First USA South Conference Championship Appearance First All-American Selection in school history Three All-Region Selections Three First Team All-Conference selections One Second Team All-Conference selection 2022 23-20     11-10 4th USAS East Program record for most wins in a single season First program win in the USA South Conference Tournament Two First Team East Division selections Two Second Team East Division selections One Second Team All-Region selection Overall 95-117 (.448 pct.) Two USA South Conference Championship Series Appearances (2023, 2026) Led Program to Three 20 Win Seasons Program Record for Wins in a Season (25 in 2023) First USA South Conference Championship Appearance in Program History First All American Selection in School History Eight All Region Selections Seven First Team All Conference Selections Four Second Team All Conference Selections One NSCA All American Selection One Lou Gehrig Award Winner Led Program to First USA South Conference Tournament Win and Championship Series Appearance in 2023  

Matt Polak enters his second season as Assistant Baseball Coach at William Peace University in 2027, serving as the program’s Pitching Coach, Recruiting Coordinator, and Head Developmental Coach. Polak joined the Pacers in August 2025 after spending two seasons at St. Andrews University as the program’s Pitching Coach and Recruiting Coordinator. During his first season at William Peace, he helped guide the Pacers to the 2026 USA South Conference Championship Series appearance. Under his leadership, junior pitcher Seth Svadeba finished among the national leaders in NCAA Division III with nine wins during the 2026 season. A 2017 graduate of St. Andrews, Polak was a four year player for the Knights and developed into one of the team’s most consistent offensive contributors. During his senior season, he posted a .305 batting average along with a .430 on base percentage. Polak also gained experience competing in several summer collegiate leagues, including the Tidewater Summer League, Valley League, and South Florida Winter League, where he competed alongside and against professional and semi professional talent. In addition to his collegiate coaching experience, Polak has coached multiple summer and showcase programs, including the Greenbrier Knights, where he helped lead the organization to the 2020 Tidewater Collegiate Summer League Championship. He also served as Head Coach for the Tri State Arsenal South 2022 elite showcase team. A native of Smithfield, Virginia, Polak brings a strong background in player development, recruiting, and pitching instruction to the Pacers baseball program.

Stephen Zimora grew up in Cobleskill NY.  He attended Grove City College in Pennsylvania where he played baseball and double majored in Mathematics and Education graduating magna cum laude in 2008.  After college he moved to North Carolina and began teaching math at Panther Creek High School where he was also the assistant baseball coach until 2018 when he took over the program. He led the Panther Creek High School program until taking the assistant baseball job at William Peace University in the fall of 2021.