COACHING STAFF

TONY DAVID | HEAD COACH

Tony David, a long-time associate head coach at Samford, enters his second season as the program's head coach.

“When thinking of the monumental task of replacing Casey as our head baseball coach, the one phrase that kept popping in my head was, ‘earned not given,’” Newton said. “That is exactly what Tony David has done. He has earned the right with his loyalty, dedication and hard work to become the next head coach of our baseball program.”

David served on the Samford staff for the past 17 seasons, including the last 16 as associate head coach. David also served as the program’s recruiting coordinator from 2005 to 2017.

“Tony has played an integral role the last 17 seasons in building Samford baseball in to the successful program it is today and I’m proud and happy for him and his family that he will be our next coach to continue and grow upon that success,” Newton said. “He has a great love and understanding of the Christian mission of our university, our student-athletes and the Birmingham community, and the respect of our baseball alums, current student-athletes and staff.”

“I want to thank President Beck Taylor, Martin Newton, Bo Kerr and other members of the Samford leadership for this tremendous opportunity as well as the speed in which this transition is happening,” David said. “I fell in love with Samford University a long time ago and it has only intensified yearly. The relationships, staff and alumni…there is just no place like Samford. Our guys will continue to perform at a high level on the field, in the classroom and community as we continue with the main charge of Samford’s mission for all students.”

“There’s not a strong enough word to describe how excited my family and I are about this moment,” David said. “We have made the decision over the years to stay here, hoping for this. I have had the wonderful opportunity to play a role in what we have built here over the years, and our staff will keep it moving forward.”

David has been extremely instrumental in the school-record 561 wins amassed during the past 18 seasons. The Bulldogs posted 13 30-win seasons during that span, including the only two 40-win seasons in program history. David also helped the program to the 2006 Ohio Valley Conference regular-season title, as well as the 2012, 2018 and 2021 Southern Conference Tournament championships and 2019 SoCon regular-season title.

“The majority of our approach will remain the same,” David said. “There is a reason we have continued to win at a high level. We have developed a process for player development, day-to-day and year-to-year. That will continue. But at my core, I am a baseball disciple of Coach Steve Kittrell, who I played for in college and is the most important person in my athletic life. We will continue to hit the ball over the fence but we will incorporate other aspects of the game to help put runs on the board.”

In his first season at the helm in 2022, David’s squad posted a record of 28-29. The Bulldogs earned series victories against five of their seven SoCon opponents, including a home series win over no. 22 Wofford from April 29-May 1. In nonconference action, the Bulldogs tallied wins at #10 Florida State on Feb. 27 and against defending national champions Mississippi State at the Hoover Met on May 10. Colton Ledbetter earned All-SoCon Coaches First Team honors, Michael Ross notched an All-SoCon Coaches Second Team nod, Stephen Klein was named to the All-SoCon Media Second Team and Garrett Staton garnered All-Freshman Team honors. The Bulldogs mark of 12-9 in league action secured them the no. 3 seed in the SoCon Tournament, where they put up 35 runs over their first two postseason contests. The Bulldogs won 22-3 against Western Carolina and 13-10 over Mercer before falling in the tournament semifinals. As a team, the Bulldogs led the league with a .973 team fielding percentage and posted the fewest number of errors among SoCon teams.

In the recently completed 2021 season, Samford captured its third SoCon Tournament title, earning its third NCAA Tournament bid. The team posted a 35-24 overall record, including a 20-10 mark in SoCon play. Included in the 35 wins were 15 victories in one or two-run games.

David has been on the coaching staff for the most successful seasons in program history, as the team has averaged 35 wins in each fully completed season since 2012 (excluding the COVID-shortened 2020 season).

Overall, in his coaching career at all levels, David has coached four future major leaguers in Jake Peavy, Adam Lind, P.J. Walters and former Samford Bulldog Phillip Ervin, as well as 46 players who were drafted and/or signed contracts with major league baseball teams.

In all, Samford has seen 31 players drafted during David’s time with the program, and David has played an integral role in the recruitment and development of that talent.

David spent the 2004 season as an assistant coach at his alma mater, South Alabama. He helped lead the Jaguars to a share of their fourth-consecutive Sun Belt Conference Championship. While assisting with infield instruction and overseeing the outfield, David managed an outfield that would produce two major league draft picks (Adam Lind – third round and Kevin Williams – 30th round).

Before returning to South Alabama, David spent six seasons as the head coach at Bayside Academy in Daphne, Ala. David was hired in 1998 to start the program from scratch and watched it grow from nine players the first season to well over 40 in his last. He established a consistent winner, never suffered a losing season and finished with an overall record of 91-64.

In the summer of 1996, David was the head coach of the high school summer select team in the NABF for the Mobile Bears Baseball team, leading the team to a 55-5 record and runner-up finish at the NABF World Series.

David played at South Alabama in 1994 and 1995, helping lead the team to the 1994 Sun Belt Conference regular season championship. As a senior in 1995, David received the Eddie Stanky Award on a team that was ranked as high as 13th in the nation. South Alabama finished the year with an NCAA Regional appearance at Florida State University in Tallahassee, Fla.

In his two-year playing career with South Alabama, the Jaguars compiled an impressive 73-42 overall record.

David is married to the former Bethany Snodgrass, a South Alabama graduate. The couple has two daughters, Peyton Elizabeth and Addison Nicole, as well as a son, Tyler Samuel.

THE DAVID FILE
2021-Present, Head Coach, Samford University
2017-21, Associate Head Coach, Samford University
2006-17, Associate Head Coach/Recruiting Coordinator, Samford University
2005, Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator, Samford University
2004, Assistant Coach, South Alabama
1998-2003, Head Coach, Bayside Academy High School
1997, Assistant Coach, Citronelle High School
1996, Head Coach, Mobile Bears Summer Team
1994-95, Division I Baseball Player, South Alabama

TYLER SHROUT | ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH (PITCHING) / RECRUITING COORDINATOR

Tyler Shrout enters his ninth season at Samford and his first as associate head coach. Shrout serves as the Bulldogs’s pitching coach and recruiting coordinator.

Over the last eight seasons, Shrout has been a major contributor to the Bulldogs’ success, as the team has averaged 36 wins per year in each of its full seasons from 2014-2021, and was off to a red-hot 13-2 start in 2020 prior to the cancelation of the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Shrout’s contributions helped lead the Bulldogs to SoCon Tournament championships in 2018 and 2021, and a regular season SoCon championship in 2019. In the 2018 season, after winning the SoCon Tournament, Samford went on to upset No. 7 national seed Florida State in game one of the Tallahassee Regional, recording one of the biggest wins in program history. In 2019, the Bulldogs won a school-record 41 games en route to winning the SoCon regular season title for the first time.

In 2021, the Bulldogs earned anothern bid to the NCAA Tournament, competing in the NCAA Starkville Regional against eventual national champion Mississippi State.

Under Shrout’s guidance, the Bulldogs’ pitching staff has finished in the top three in Southern Conference team ERA in all seven of his seasons, including leading the conference on three occasions (2016, 2017, 2018). After the 2017 season, Shrout was named the Assistant Coach of the year by the Alabama Coaches Baseball Association.  In 2018, Shrout earned that same honor at the SAMSPY’s, given to the top Assistant Coach in Samford’s Athletics Department.

Prior to the 2017 season, Shrout was promoted to Recruiting Coordinator.  Other responsibilities at Samford include assisting in academic progress, overseeing the travel budget, and team scheduling.

In Shrout’s tenure with Samford, the Bulldogs’ staff has had five pitchers selected as First-Team All-SoCon, as well as one Freshman of the Year (Sam Strickland, 2018) and one Pitcher of the Year (Zach Hester, 2019). During Shrout’s seven seasons, the Bulldogs have also had three pitchers selected in the Major League Baseball draft, with another three signing free agent contracts.

Shrout came to Samford in the summer of 2013 after spending the previous four years on the coaching staff at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tenn. Shrout excelled as the pitching coach at Lipscomb and was promoted to Recruiting Coordinator during his final season.

In 2012, Shrout’s pitching staff recorded the second lowest ERA in the school history, while his 2011 group set a school record for the most strikeouts and finished the season ranked 18th in the nation in that category. During his tenure at Lipscomb, three of Shrout’s pitchers were taken in the Major League Baseball draft.

From 2006 to 2009, Shrout served as the pitching coach for Birmingham-Southern College. In Shrout’s last season at BSC, the Panthers’ pitching staff led the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference in team ERA and helped lead the team to its first SCAC title. Shrout helped recruit two players to Birmingham-Southern who were later selected in the MLB Draft.

In addition to his collegiate coaching experience, Shrout served as the head coach of the Alabama Bombers for two summers (2008-09), and was the pitching coach for the Kentucky Baseball Club in the summer of 2006.

Shrout played four seasons at Transylvania University in Lexington, Ky. He is the school’s all-time leader in career ERA and is ranked in the top five in nearly every pitching category. Shrout graduated from Transylvania in 2006 with a degree in business administration with a concentration in finance.

Shrout married his wife, Lexi, in the summer of 2013. Lexi currently serves as the head softball coach at Hoover High School. The couple has a son, Brycen Myers Shrout and a daughter, Hadley Ann Shrout. The family resides in Vestavia Hills.

BRAD MOSS | ASSISTANT COACH

Brad Moss, a former Samford standout player, is entering his fourth season on the Samford baseball coaching staff where his responsibilities include creating an offensive development plan and working with the catchers.

As a member of the staff, Moss has helped the program to the 2019 Southern Conference regular-season title and the 2021 SoCon Tournament championship. The 2021 team also reached the NCAA Tournament, competing in the Starkville Regional at eventual national champion Mississippi State.

Moss was a four-year starting catcher at Samford from 2009-12. In 2012, he was named a Johnny Bench Award nominee and an All-Southern Conference selection, while helping the Bulldogs win the program’s first Southern Conference Tournament title and advance to the program’s first NCAA Tournament.

Following his playing career with the Bulldogs, Moss spent three seasons (2013-15) in the San Francisco Giants organization, briefly reaching the Triple-A level in 2014, where he played for the Fresno Grizzlies of the Pacific Coast League.

After his professional career, Moss served as the volunteer assistant baseball coach at the University of Montevallo from the fall of 2015 to the spring of 2017, where he coached catchers and assisted with hitters.

During the 2018 season, Moss was the recruiting coordinator at Lawson State Community College. On the field, he coached hitters and catchers.

Moss earned his degree in exercise science from Samford in 2012. He is married to the former Arica Dykes, a fellow Samford graduate and former Bulldog softball standout. The couple has one daughter, Emma.

CAM SHEPHERD| VOLUNTEER ASSISTANT

Samford Baseball Head Coach Tony David announced on Tuesday, Aug. 2 the addition of former Georgia Bulldog Cam Shepherd to the coaching staff as a volunteer assistant.

"We are excited to have Cam join our coaching staff, baseball program, and university," Coach David said. "He brings the experience of starting almost 200 games in Division I. He was considered the best D-I shortstop in the country at one point and had a really good offensive career. Having been drafted twice before signing with the Braves organization, he gives us another staff member that has gone through that process that will help to counsel our guys in what could be a big draft year for several of our student-athletes."

Shepherd arrives at Samford after serving as an assistant coach with the Gainesville Gol'Diggers of the Sunbelt Baseball League in 2022, a collegiate summer league based out of Georgia and Alabama. Under Shepherd's tutelage, the Gol'Diggers have posted a league-best .767 winning percentage while clinching the east division with a record of 23-7.

"I could not be more excited to join the Samford community and want to thank Coach David for this great opportunity," Shepherd said. "I look forward to being a part of this great program and look forward to the success that the future holds. I can't wait to get to work."

A four-time SEC Academic Honor Roll selection, Shepherd started and played in all 198 games for the Bulldogs during his four-year tenure in Athens. He posted a .261 batting average with 45 doubles, five triples, 22 home runs, and 119 runs batted in.

Shepherd compiled a .970 career fielding percentage at Georgia, which serves as the highest career fielding percentage in program history by a shortstop. The Duluth, Ga. native set the single-season Bulldog record in 2019 for fielding percentage by a shortstop at .987, earning him SEC All-Defensive Team honors and an ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove Award as the nation's top Division I shortstop. He became the first shortstop to go the entire 30-game league schedule and not make an error since the SEC recognized an All-Defensive Team starting in 2008. In that 2019 season, Shepherd fielded 1.000 in 109 total chances against SEC opponents.

In his career, Shepherd has been drafted twice. He was a 20th-round pick of the Tampa Bay Rays in 2019 but opted to return to UGA for his senior season. Following his senior year at Peachtree Ridge High School, he was the 29th-round selection of the Boston Red Sox in the 2016 MLB Draft.

In 2020, Shepherd signed with the Atlanta Braves but was unable to play until the 2021 season due to COVID-19. Shepherd played one season with the Augusta Greenjackets before retiring from professional baseball.

Shepherd's work ethic stood out in the hiring process for Coach David. "I knew going in he was an incredible player at Georgia, but one thing that stood out was that he was a four-year SEC Academic Honor Roll guy. He is intelligent and took pride in his success on and off the field. He comes highly recommended for how hard he works, and his demeanor will be a great fit for our players and staff."

Shepherd will handle the outfield coaching duties and assist with the infielders and all hitters.

MARLON ANDERSON | DIRECTOR OF PLAYER DEVELOPMENT

Marlon Anderson enters his first season as Samford's Director of Player Development.

"Marlon's experience and knowledge of the game at all levels gives our program an asset that few have," Samford head coach Tony David said. "He played in the big leagues for over a decade after a brilliant college career that was built on both speed and power. And you don't play that long in Major League Baseball without a ton of knowledge to go with great ability.  He also brings professional coaching experience from the Mets organization. We played together in college and have a good history. He is an incredible guy that will play a huge role in helping our guys get better."

Anderson played at the Major League level for the Philadelphia Phillies (1998-2002), Tampa Bay Rays (2003), St. Louis Cardinals (2004), New York Mets (2005, 2007-09), Washington Nationals (2006) and Los Angeles Dodgers (2006-07). He posted a career .265 batting average, driving in 371 runs. Anderson has professional coaching experience as well, working as a hitting coach with the Hagerstown Suns in 2011 and 2012 and with the Brooklyn Cyclones in 2018.

Anderson, a native of Montgomery, played collegiately at South Alabama. As a senior, he batted .357 with 13 home runs, and was the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year, and a first team All-American. Anderson was drafted by the Phillies in the second round of the 1995 MLB Draft.