Holbrook hired as USC assistant

COLUMBIA — South Carolina didn't go long without an assistant baseball coach.

Days after Monte Lee's departure to become the College of Charleston's new head coach, Ray Tanner plucked Chad Holbrook from North Carolina to be his new right-hand man.

"He is truly one of the finest coaches and recruiters in all of college baseball," said Tanner, who's known Holbrook since he was a UNC player and Tanner was coach at North Carolina State. "His experience and expertise will be an asset to our baseball program."

Holbrook becomes the third such assistant in as many years for Tanner.

Longtime assistant Jim Toman left last summer to become Liberty's new coach. And then Lee, a former Cougars player, was hired last week to fill the void left by John Pawlowski's departure for Auburn.

Holbrook comes to USC having spent 15 seasons with Mike Fox and Mike Roberts on the UNC staff. Holbrook played for the Tar Heels in the early 1990s.

His responsibilities on the Gamecocks staff will be third base coach, hitting instructor and general offensive coordinator, meaning he's over the base-running and "smallball" aspects of the game.

With Holbrook's guidance, UNC has hit .321, .315 and .324, respectively, in the past three seasons.

Also, he'll be USC's recruiting coordinator, a role he'd gotten good at in Chapel Hill.

The Tar Heels, who've been to the College World Series three straight years, had consecutive top-10 recruiting classes in the nation the past two seasons.

Among those that Holbrook has helped to hook were major leaguers Brian Roberts, Russ Adams, Andrew Miller and Kyle Snyder.

"My family and I are so excited to be in Columbia and I am anxious to help coach Tanner continue the winning tradition that he has created here at the University of South Carolina," Holbrook said. "The energy and excitement in this baseball program is unsurpassed and I'm honored to be part of it."

South Carolina bowed out in the NCAA's regional round this past year, falling to North Carolina State in Raleigh. The Gamecocks haven't been to the College World Series since 2004.

Holbrook joins a team that will open a new stadium in 2009 across town from the long-standing Sarge Frye Field site.

Reach Travis Haney at thaney@postandcourier.com.