COACHING STAFF

TONY DAVID | HEAD COACH

Tony David, a long-time associate head coach at Samford, enters his third 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 Bulldogs made history in David’s second season at the helm in 2023, becoming the first team to capture both the Southern Conference Regular-Season and Tournament Titles since joining the league in 2008. David’s squad tallied their most wins since 2019, finishing 37-25 overall and 15-6 in conference play. Samford captured its third SoCon Tournament Title in five years in improbable fashion, winning three win-or-go-home contests on the final day of the tournament on Saturday, May 27 to clinch a championship. Josh Rodriguez and Heath Clevenger, whose 6.2 innings of one-run baseball on the mound in the championship game earned him Tournament Most Outstanding Player, were both named to the All-Tournament Team. The Bulldogs made noise in their NCAA Regional play, knocking off No. 13 ranked Southern Miss 4-2 in 10 innings in the opening round of the Auburn Region to capture their fourth regional win in program history.
 
Five Bulldogs garnered Southern Conference Postseason accolades in 2023, headlined by David earning SoCon Coach of the Year, Jacob Cravey winning Pitcher of the Year, Lucas Steele garnering Coaches Freshman of the Year, and Jayden Davis taking home Media Freshman of the Year. Cravey and Davis were both named to the Coaches and Media First Team while John Anderson picked up Media Team First Team Honors and Coaches Second Team honors. Junior reliever Ben Petschke was named to the Coaches Second team while Davis and Steele both were tabbed to the SoCon All-Freshman squad. Davis and Steele were both named to the Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American Team while Cravey was selected to the Collegiate Baseball All-America Second Team and NCBWA and ABCA/Rawlings All-America Second Team.
 
The Bulldogs set a new single-season record with 103 home runs in 2023, led by Anderson’s 22 that ranked first in the SoCon and second in program history for a single-season total. Steele (16), Rodriguez (12), and Garrett Staton (10) all also tallied double-digit home run totals. The Bulldogs batted .282 as a team and slugged .498, the third-highest mark in the SoCon.Despite losing starting pitchers Michael Ross and Blake Bortak due to injury, along with their top two relievers from 2022 in Alex Goff and Carson Hobbs, The Bulldogs finished third in the SoCon with a team earned run average of 5.95. Samford went a perfect 7-0 in game one of SoCon series’ started by Cravey, helping them win six of its seven conference weekend sets. Petschke led the SoCon and ranked third in the country with 14 saves, the second-highest single-season total in program history
 
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.

GIL WALKER | ASSISTANT COACH

Gil Walker was announced as assistant coach on July 18, 2023. 

Walker brings 10 years of coaching and recruiting experience with him to the Bulldogs. He comes to Samford from 2023 National Champion IMG Academy in Florida. He has been the head baseball coach for the Junior National JV team (2022) and the Varsity Navy team (2023), while also leading the college placement team.
  
Prior to his time at IMG, Walker was the head assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Presbyterian College from August 2017 to September 2022. During his time at Presbyterian, Walker helped lead the program to its first Big South Conference Tournament title and NCAA Tournament appearance in 2021. The 2019 squad set program records for Big South Conference wins, runs scored and stolen bases.
  
Walker came to Presbyterian after serving as a volunteer assistant coach at Samford from August 2015 to August 2017. In both seasons Walker was on the Samford staff, the Bulldogs posted the lowest ERA in the Southern Conference. The squad also finished fourth in the nation in home runs in 2016.
 
Walker began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Lawson State Community College in Birmingham from July 2013 to July 2015. At Lawson State he served as the recruiting coordinator, hitting coach and infield coach for two seasons while placing 19 players at four-year schools in the process.
 
Overall in his career, Walker has coached 21 All-Conference players, two Freshman All-Americans, and had over a dozen players move on to play professional baseball.
  
As a student-athlete at Samford, Walker was a pitcher on both the 2011 and 2012 Bulldog squads. He was a key member of the program's first Southern Conference Tournament championship and NCAA Tournament appearance in 2012. He posted a 2.91 ERA, allowing just 18 earned runs in his two seasons in a Samford uniform. He spent his first two collegiate seasons at Wallace State Community College in Hanceville before transferring to Samford.
  
Walker comes from a baseball family. His father, Tommy, had a long coaching career, including serving as the head coach at Samford from 1989 to 1997. Walker and his wife, Kathryn, have two children, Maggie and Rhett.

BRANDEN FRYMAN| ASSISTANT COACH

Bio Coming Soon!

MYLES GENTRY | DIRECTOR OF PLAYER DEVELOPMENT

Myles Gentry was announced as Director of Player Development by Head Coach Tony David on August 2, 2023. In his role, Gentry will oversee all technology, Trackman, watch communications, etc. as well as other assigned duties.

“My wife and I could not be more excited to join the Samford family,” Gentry said. “I want to thank Coach David for this incredible opportunity to join an amazing staff and a program whose tradition speaks for itself. I can’t wait to get to campus and get to work!”

Gentry comes to Samford from Jones County Junior College in Ellisville, Miss., where he spent two stints on staff with the Bobcats. In his most recent tenure from 2021-2023, Gentry served as the team pitching coach. From 2017-2019 Gentry served as an assistant coach, working primarily with the pitchers and infielders.

“So many things go into the hiring process,” Coach David said. “I talk so much here about ‘fit’ when it comes to recruiting and building a staff. Knowledge and talent matter, but getting a guy in here we felt would be a great fit for our staff and community will always be at the top of the list.

In between his first and second stints in Ellisville, Gentry worked as the pitching coach at Desoto Central High School in Southaven, Miss.

Gentry played collegiate baseball at Mississippi State University from 2012-17, where he compiled a record of 4-2 over 47 appearances. He compiled a 4-1 with a 3.69 ERA in 31.2 innings in 2013, a year that saw the Bulldogs finish national runner-up to UCLA in the College World Series.

Gentry earned his Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology from Mississippi State in May of 2017, with an emphasis in Sports Studies and Communication. He received his Master of Science in Sports Administration from Arkansas State University in May 0f 2023.