Guilford College Baseball Coaching Staff

Head Coach Gene Baker

Gene Baker took over as the 16^th head coach in the baseball program’s 109-year history in January 1998. Despite the late start, he promptly guided the 1998 club to its best season since 1993. Picking up on Baker's aggressive hitting philosophy, the Quakers set numerous offensive team records and reached the finals of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Baseball Tournament. He surpassed the 200 career coaching victory plateau with his first Guilford victory, an 8-5 triumph over Bates on February 18, 1998. His record in four Guilford seasons is 78-86 and his overall head-coaching mark stands at 277-442 in 14 years.

Baker's 2000 unit reached the four-team ODAC Tournament for the second time in three seasons and posted a 25-18 overall record, the fifth-best season in school history. A school-record four Guilford players garnered All-ODAC honors that year, including first-team picks Kevin Moore '00 and Chad Coward '00. Moore, a first-team all-region honoree, established many of Guilford's offensive records, while Coward became the Quakers' first major-league draft pick since Tony Womack '92 went to the Pirates in 1991 in the seventh round. Coward, a second team all-region pick, was selected in the 14^th round with the 406^th overall pick of the 2000 draft by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

Baker came to Guilford following one year as an assistant coach at Wake Forest University where he helped the Demon Deacons to a 37-20 record and a fifth-place finish in the Atlantic Coast Conference. He spent five seasons as the head baseball coach at the University of Louisville where he compiled a 120-179 record. Baker led the Cardinals to a school-record 37 wins and a second-place finish in the Metro Conference Tournament in 1992. The Cardinals set or tied 65 school records and 11 Louisville players signed professional contracts during his tenure. In addition, Baker coached three All-America and 18 All-Metro Conference selections.

Baker served as head coach at the University of Northern Iowa from 1987-90 where he upgraded the Panthers’ schedule to primarily Division I competition and doubled the team’s win total in two years. He also doubled the number of baseball players on the school’s academic honor roll and raised the team’s grade point average from 2.32 in 1987 to 2.86 in 1990. Before taking the Northern Iowa job, Baker served as a graduate assistant coach at his alma mater, Austin Peay State University. He graduated from Austin Peay in 1981 with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry. Following coaching stints at Cumberland College and Bristol College, the Wappinger Falls, NY, native returned to Austin Peay to receive a master’s degree in health and physical education. Baker lettered four seasons as a catcher and designated hitter for the Governors, earning All-Ohio Valley Conference honors in 1980 and academic All-America recognition in 1981. He graduated from Arlington (NY) High School in 1976.

Baker and his wife, Valorie, reside in Kernersville with their daughters, Peyton (3) and Kellyn (2). Valorie is the head volleyball coach at Wake Forest University.

Assistant Coach Adam Taylor

Adam Taylor joined Guilford's staff from Greensboro College in 2000 after assisting the baseball team and working as the Pride's strength and conditioning coach for a year. He instructed players on hitting and infield play and developed an off-season workout program. Taylor coaches at camps, including programs at Duke, Wake Forest and the Best In Virginia Showcase Camp.

A 1999 graduate of Randolph-Macon College, Taylor captained the Yellow Jackets' baseball team as a senior and earned second team All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) honors at third base. He received first team all-state honors from the Virginia Sports Information Directors' Association and served on Randolph-Macon's Student-Athlete Advisory Council. Taylor earned a bachelor's degree in business and economics. The Richmond, VA, native graduated from Mills E. Godwin High School in 1995.