Drew Bailey was named Averett University's baseball coach in June 2017 following three seasons as an assistant coach at Bluefield College.
Bailey is Averett's third head coach in the program's history.
During his time at Bluefield, an NAIA school, Bailey served as the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator while assisting with hitters and catchers. In each season, his pitching staff totaled more than 300 strikeouts. Twice the Rams qualified for the NCCAA Tournament, earning a bid in the NCCAA College World Series in 2015 and 2017. Bailey coached one NAIA All-American (Erik Williams) and four of Bailey's former players at Bluefield signed professional contracts.
A native of Christiansburg, Virginia, Bailey played collegiately at Division II Concord University, where he was an all-conference relief pitcher twice. During his time there, he set the school record for saves and pitching appearances, and was a member of the 2008 Concord team that broke the program’s wins record. Following his junior season in 2010, Bailey was selected in the 35th round of the Major League Baseball draft by the Oakland Athletics. He had his best pro season in 2011, when he went 5-0 with a 2.34 earned run average with the Single A Vermont Lake Monsters. In addition to the Athletics’ organization, he also played with three independent teams.
In addition to his playing and coaching career, Bailey also worked as an associate scout with the St. Louis Cardinals’ organization from 2015-16. He is also the founder of the Southwest Virginia Prospect Camp and served as the pitching coach at Christiansburg High School, his alma mater. Additional experience includes time as a guest instructor at summer camps in 2016 at Auburn University and the University of Virginia.
Outside of baseball, Bailey also served as the head coach of Bluefield’s men’s and women’s cross country programs.
Bailey completed his bachelor’s degree from Concord in 2015. He joins the Averett family, along with his wife, Lexi, and children Paxton and Reagan.
