Brad Babcock Explained

Brad Babcock
Birth Date:10 March 1939
Birth Place:Virginia, U.S.
Death Place:Appomattox, Virginia, U.S.
Player Years1:1960–1963
Player Team1:Lynchburg
Player Positions:Shortstop
Coach Years1:1971–1989
Coach Team1:James Madison
Overall Record:555–251–4
Tournament Record:NCAA D1: 10–13
CAA: 6–8

Bradley Littleton Babcock (March 10, 1939 – June 2, 2020) was an American college baseball coach, the head coach of James Madison (JMU) from 1971 to 1989.[1] Under him, the Dukes appeared in five NCAA tournaments (four in Division I) and the 1983 College World Series. His overall record in 19 seasons was 555–251–4, including a home record of 339–71–1.[2] [3]

Coaching career

After graduating from Lynchburg College in 1963, Babcock worked as a high school baseball coach in Colorado, New Hampshire, and Vermont.[4]

James Madison started its baseball program in 1970, shortly after it became co-educational. Babcock took over in 1971, its second season. It started out as an NCAA Division II program but joined Division I for the 1977 season.

In addition to being JMU's baseball coach, Babcock held several other positions in the early 1970s. At the university, he was an assistant football coach, junior varsity basketball coach, physical education instructor, and intramural director. He also served as the head coach of the Valley League's Harrisonburg Turks for several summers.[5] [6]

In 1983, the Dukes became the first Virginia school to make the College World Series (CWS). The Dukes opened the season with an exhibition game against the St. Louis Cardinals. After losing in the ECAC Tournament, many players returned home, thinking the season was over, but the team was given an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. JMU went 4–0 in the East Regional to reach the CWS, where it lost games to Texas and Stanford in Omaha.[7] [8] [9] [10]

Head coaching record

Below is a table of Babcock's yearly records as a collegiate head baseball coach.[11] [12]

Administrative career

After stepping down from the baseball coach position following the 1989 season, Babcock worked in JMU's athletic department. He was added to the department's Hall of Fame in 1998. He retired as executive association athletic director in 2003.[13] [14] [15]

Personal

Babcock's son Whit is the athletic director at Virginia Tech; he previously held the same position at Cincinnati. Whit was the batboy on the 1983 College World Series team and played for Babcock in 1989, his final season as JMU's head coach.[16] [17] Babcock died on June 2, 2020, at the age of 81.[18]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Bradley Babcock Obituary - Appomattox, Virginia | Legacy.com.
  2. News: Proffitt . Stephen . 1,000th Home Game Draws Crowd but Not Success for Baseball . August 10, 2014 . BreezeJMU.org . April 2, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304090813/http://www.breezejmu.org/sports/article_5d422182-7c7b-11e1-87cf-001a4bcf6878.html . March 4, 2016 . dead .
  3. News: McCallum . Jack . Madison's Ave. to Success . August 10, 2014 . SI.com . December 27, 1982 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140812211236/http://www.si.com/vault/1982/12/27/626077/madisons-ave-to-success . August 12, 2014 . dead .
  4. News: Hulver. John. Babcock Signs to Manage Turks in Shenandoah Valley League. August 10, 2014. Genesis II. March 12, 1971. https://web.archive.org/web/20160303221625/http://commons.lib.jmu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1172&context=i19701979. March 3, 2016. dead.
  5. Web site: JMU Athletics Hall of Fame: Brad Babcock. JMUSports.com. August 10, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140812212854/http://jmusports.com/hof.aspx?hof=30&path=administration&kiosk=. dead. August 12, 2014.
  6. News: Former Post 290 Player Roger Lee Emerges from the Shadows. August 10, 2014. The Free Lance-Star. May 3, 1978.
  7. Book: Irwin. James. Midnight in Chattanooga: The Game, the Team, and the Dream Behind the Rise of JMU Football. 2010. Author House. 978-1449081904. 209. August 10, 2014.
  8. Web site: NCAA Division I Baseball Championship Record Book . NCAA.org . June 5, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140606211826/http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/baseball_champs_records/2013/d1/d1.pdf . June 6, 2014 . dead .
  9. Web site: College World Series Baseball Team . JMU.edu . August 10, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20060906131152/http://www.jmu.edu/centennialcelebration/baseball.shtml . September 6, 2006 . dead .
  10. News: College World Series Begins. August 10, 2014. The Palm Beach Post. June 3, 1983.
  11. Web site: 2014 CAA Baseball Record Book . CAASports.com . July 13, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140714205611/http://www.caasports.com/documents/2014/6/16/recordbook14base.pdf . July 14, 2014 . dead .
  12. Web site: Baseball Coaches Career: Brad Babcock. NCAA.org. August 8, 2014.
  13. News: College Baseball: At a Glance . August 10, 2014 . DailyPress.com . March 5, 1989 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140812203335/http://articles.dailypress.com/1989-03-05/sports/8903040058_1_bases-colonial-athletic-association-mark-newman . August 12, 2014 . dead .
  14. News: Transactions . August 10, 2014 . BaltimoreSun.com . April 13, 1991 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140812210835/http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1991-04-13/sports/1991103063_1_milwaukee-brewers-montreal-canadiens-hiram . August 12, 2014 . dead .
  15. News: Looking Back . August 10, 2014 . TimesVirginian.com . May 14, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190630022921/http://www.timesvirginian.com/arts_and_entertainment/article_c2c32df7-7456-51e5-a2ad-7828193f8a4f.html . June 30, 2019 . dead .
  16. News: Barber . Mike . Tech Hires Cincinnati's Babcock as New AD . August 10, 2014 . TimesDispatch.com . The Richmond Times-Dispatch . January 24, 2014 . https://archive.today/20140812042638/http://www.timesdispatch.com/sports/college/virginia-tech/tech-hires-cincinnati-s-babcock-as-new-ad/article_c6b1c80c-854d-11e3-ab30-001a4bcf6878.html . August 12, 2014 . dead .
  17. News: Driver . David . Diamond Duke Leads University of Cincinnati Athletics . August 10, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140812203306/http://www.mydigitalrendition.com/article/Diamond+Duke+leads+University+of+Cincinnati+athletics/1376344/0/article.html . August 12, 2014 . dead .
  18. Web site: JMU Hall of Fame baseball coach Brad Babcock passes away. J. M. U.. Sports. June 3, 2020. WSLS.

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