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Head Coach Rick Robinson
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| Head Coach Rick Robinson |
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Coach Robinson and Divine Intervention
300th Win
500th Win
Email: Rick Robinson
Phone: 706-379-5175
A tradition of consistency and excellence. That is how one might describe Rick Robinson’s tenure as Head Baseball Coach at Young Harris College. Over a nine year span, Robinson has led his Mountain Lions to eight Georgia Junior College Athletic Association conference championships, five Region XVII championships, and one NJCAA National Tournament Appearance. During that time Coach Robinson has fostered an environment wherein excellence extends beyond the field. His players are consistently high achieving in the classroom and active in their campus and community. It is this combination of performance on and off the field that has made his players so marketable to four-year institutions. Eleven of his nineteen sophomores from the class of 2009 signed to continue their careers beyond Young Harris, with eight being at NCAA Division I schools. Robinson’s efforts have not gone unnoticed by the baseball community.
In 2008, he was named GJCAA Coach of the Year on the strength of his fourth 50 win season at Young Harris. The Mountain Lions ranked as high as #2 in the nation, and made their fifth District Tournament appearance. Coach Robinson also reached the 500 win plateau on May 9, against South Georgia College with a score of 11-3. In addition, Young Harris players garnered individual recognition at the conference, region, and district levels. Eight Mountain Lions were named to the 2008 GJCAA All-Conference team, including a team record six on the first team.
In 2007, Coach Robinson led the Young Harris College Mountain Lions to Grand Junction, Colorado to compete in the Junior College World Series. Despite starting the season 0-7 the Mountain Lions came together and entered the post season as one of the hottest teams in the nation. Coach Robinson notched his 400th win Saturday, April 7th at Gordon College by a score of 5-0. The Mountain Lions rallied around this win and entered the Region Tournament Championship game with a 16 game win streak.
The Mountain Lions beat Chattanooga State in a best of three series to earn the schools first birth in the Juco World Series. YHC started the World Series against Juco power house New Mexico. New Mexico Junior College came into the game with a 52-6 overall record. The Mountain Lions put up a good fight but was unable to pull off the victory lossing 14-12 in the first round. The Mountain Lions rebounded in the second round of the tournament with a 12-9 victory over Delgado Community College. Shelton State eliminated Young Harris College with a 6-2 victory the following day. The 2007 team (46-22) will be remembered as the first team in school history to make it to Grand Junction, Colorado the pinnacle of Junior College Baseball.
In 2006, the Mountain Lions finished with a 46-16 overall record while finishing 25-3 in conference play. 2006 was also the first time a Young Harris College alumni made it to the big leagues. Nick Markakis impressed in spring training and never slowed down making the big league roster with the Baltimore Orioles. He finished the season with a .292 batting average and 16 homeruns.
In 2005, the Mountain Lions were ranked No. 2 in the NJCAA National Poll with a 51-11 record. In the 2004 season Coach Robinson led the Mountain Lions to a ranking of 2nd in the Nation and a 52-8 overall record. Under Coach Robinson, the Young Harris College Baseball Program has won more games (373) than any other Junior College on the East Coast. Coach Robinson notched his 300th win as head coach at Young Harris College on March 13, 2005, with an 8-5 win at Darton College, and is currently 419 - 131 (.762) as head coach at YHC.
The 2004 season saw Coach Robinson lead a very young club to a 52-8 record. Although Young Harris fell short in the Region Tournament, the 2004 Mountain Lions spent most of the season ranked 2nd in the Nation. They also recorded win streaks of 7, 12, and 26 games.
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| 2000, 2003, 2004 Region XVII Coach of the Year |
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2003 proved to be the most successful year in the history of the Young Harris College Baseball Program. Aside from setting school records for wins, two players from the 2003 squad were drafted in the top ten rounds of the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft. Nick Markakis was selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the 1st round as the 7th overall pick in the draft and Billy Buckner was selected in the 9th round by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Markakis became the 13th Mountain Lion to sign a professional contract in the last 5 years. Also drafted from last years squad was Joey Friddle and Chandler Miller both by the Pittsburg Pirates.
Currently, Coach Robinson has three former signees playing in the Major Leagues. Along with Markakis, Tim Hummel, who was drafted in the first round by the Chicago White Sox, was one of Coach Robinson’s players while at Old Dominion University. Hummel played for three years at ODU before signing a professional contract. Jimmy Gobel, who was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the 1st round, signed with Coach Robinson to play at Young Harris College, but opted to sign a professional contract before entering school.
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| 2000, 2003, 2005, 2008 ABCA Regional Coach of the Year |
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Aside from many former Mountain Lions ascending to the professional ranks, many four-year colleges have also taken notice of Coach Robinson’s players. Under Coach Robinson’s guidance, over 100 players have gone on to play at four-year colleges and 23 have signed professional contracts.
Before coming to Young Harris College, Coach Robinson spent four years as an assistant at Old Dominion University. While at ODU, Coach Robinson helped lead the Monarchs to two conference championships and two NCAA Division I Regionals. Robinson began his college coaching career at Brevard College in North Carolina where he started the first baseball program in the school’s history and led them to a third place NJCAA Region X finish. While at Brevard, eight of Coach Robinson’s players signed professional contracts. Before entering the college ranks, Coach Robinson compiled a .672 winning percentage while coaching at the High School level in North Carolina. This included a stint at West Henderson High School where Robinson led the team to its first ever winning season. Robinson later led the West Henderson Baseball Team to its first ever birth in the NC State Playoffs while setting a State Record for stolen bases(160).
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| 469 - 147 (.761) winning percentage |
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A native of Brevard, NC, Robinson played college baseball at Appalachian State University where he earned his B.A. and later went on to earn a M.S. in Exercise Science at Furman University. He is married to the former Luann DeGroat of Hawley, PA. They have three children Faithe, eleven years old, Rhett, nine years old, and Ryan, six years old. The Robinsons' reside in Young Harris. |
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Former YHC President Gunter and
Coach Robinson |
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Dr. Stephen Gunter, Former Young Harris College President
“Coach Robinson runs one of the finest college baseball programs in North America. He recruits student athletes who meet the competitive academic standards of the college, and he places the student’s academic work at the top of his expectations – from class attendance to consistent classroom performance. He gets the absolute best out of his players because he sets such high personal standards for himself. It is not an accident that Rick Robinson is recognized nationally as one of the best in his profession. Whether it is moving a player to the major leagues, to a Division I School or across the stage at graduation, Coach Robinson sets a BENCHMARK standard that reflects the best of what college athletics ought to be about."
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| Hank Aaron and Coach Robinson |
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Ray Tanner
Head Baseball Coach
University of South Carolina
“When a young man goes through Coach Robinson’s program at Young Harris, you can count on three things. He will be prepared to succeed academically, he will be prepared to succeed on the field, and he will represent you in a first class manner both on and off the field.”
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Dr. E. Rudy Patton
Senior Pastor
McConnell Memorial Baptist Church
“By encouraging his players and coaches to worship with him at his home church, McConnell Memorial Baptist Church, he has proclaimed the importance of his faith to his church as well as his team. To see so many of those he works with present in our worship serves as an encouragement to all of us. His involvement in Sunday School, Brotherhood, and other ministry opportunities in the midst of his busy schedule as coach of one of the most successful junior college programs in the nation, gives evidence to his commitment to grow in his relationship with Jesus Christ. He, Luann, and their children are a vital part of this church family.”
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| Faithe (11), Rhett (9), and Ryan (6) Robinson |
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