COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - The Tennessee Baseball Coaches Association
honored Tennessee Tech baseball coach Matt Bragga as Coach of the
Year over the weekend at the annual TBCA awards luncheon.
"I am absolutely honored by this award," Bragga said. "It's one of
those things that shows our program continues to make huge
strides."
In his sixth season as coach of the Golden Eagles, Bragga led Tech
to its sixth ever Ohio Valley Conference championship, a 31-24-1
record and Tech's third ever trip to the NCAA regional tournament,
where the Golden Eagles eliminated No. 14 Alabama.
It was the fifth 30-plus win season in Golden Eagle history, and
the first time it had been done in back-to-back seasons. Tech had
two players named to the all-OVC team, and had six members of the
OVC all-tournament squad after going a perfect 4-0 in the OVC
tournament to claim the crown.
After the season Tech's A.J. Kirby-Jones, who was the OVC
tournament MVP, was named an All-American honorable mention, and
Golden Eagle pitcher Ryan Dennick was drafted by the Kansas City
Royals. But Bragga led his team to success off the diamond as well.
The Golden Eagles held the highest team GPA in program history for
the second consecutive year, had 19 players named to the Athletic
Director's Honor Roll, and five players named to the OVC
Commissioner's Honor Roll.
"If it wasn't for the players, this honor wouldn't happen," Bragga
said. "The guys we have are outstanding young men on and off the
field. You have to have the right players and the right pieces all
around you in order to win an individual award."
The award is the first Coach of the Year award for Bragga, and is
fitting giving the path Bragga has taken to rebuild Tech's baseball
program. Bragga increased Tech's wins each year from 2005-08 before
winning his first OVC championship in 2009.
"I am thankful for those who nominated me and those who recognized
me for this award, including Cookeville High School coach Butch
Chaffin."
The Golden Eagles prepare to defend their title as the 2010 season
begins Feb. 19 with a three-game series at Georgia Southern. Tech
opens play at home on Feb. 26 with three games against Cleveland
State.