Arkansas’ Parry hired as Wildcat hitting coach

ABILENE – Fresh off a College World Series appearance as the first-base coach for Arkansas, Craig Parry's next stop will be Crutcher Scott Field to serve as the hitting coach for Abilene Christian and first-year skipper Rick McCarty.

Parry and McCarty previously worked together at Dallas Baptist, which won 44 games and pushed No. 7 Texas Tech into a winner-take-all game at the 2016 NCAA Lubbock Regional.

"Craig is well-rounded with a great offensive mind that can really break down a player's swing," said McCarty, who was hired June 12. "He knows what a good player looks like and has proven he can help develop them. He's been around great athletes his entire career from his time in professional and collegiate ranks, including this past season at Arkansas (11 draft picks), and in order to get to where our program wants to be, I wanted to hire people who have a great feel for what the end looks like. Whether that's playing for a national championship or helping guys extend their careers beyond college baseball, Craig has done both."

"His work ethic is off the charts and he values relationships," McCarty continued, "and I know he can relate to today's student-athlete both on-and-off the field."

Parry will additionally work with the Wildcat infielders, an outfit that turned 54 double plays in 2017 to rank 20th in the NCAA. ACU also is expected to return its entire offense, which hit .274 with 313 runs scored (5.8 runs per game).

"It's going to be exciting to move this program forward," said Parry, who worked extensively with DBU catcher Matt Duce during his breakout 2016 campaign (.321/.417/.507), and this past season with Arkansas backstop Grant Koch (.245/.375/.358 / 1 error / 9 caught stealing), who was Pittsburgh's fifth-round draft pick.

"I want our hitters to be confident and disciplined, to understand how their swings work and to recognize their role within the lineup. I want them to take advantage of pitches in their zone and swing with confidence and the freedom to execute."

A veteran coach with eight years experience through five previous assignments, Parry's additional success stories include Trevor Rucker (Southern Arkansas) and Daniel Salters (DBU). Rucker was named the 2016-17 GAC Male Athlete of the Year and First Team All-America by the National College Baseball Writers' Association (NCBWA) and Division II Conference Commissioner's Association (D2CCA). A four-time All-GAC selection, Rucker also was a finalist for the Tino Martinez Division II Player of the Year.

Salters threw out 23-of-49 would-be base stealers in 2015 and was selected in the 13th round of the MLB Draft by the Cleveland Indians following that season. He is currently playing in AA for the Akron RubberDucks.

DBU won a school-record 46 games and hosted its first NCAA Regional with Salters behind the plate, and the following season Parry coached Duce, who was a Second Team All-Missouri Valley and MVC All-Defensive selection. Duce batted .320 or higher in each of his last two seasons and tied for second on the team with 55 RBI as a junior prior to being selected in the 14th round by the New York Mets.

While working with Rucker at Southern Arkansas, Parry was part of a team that finished 39-16 in 2017 and hit .309 to advance to the NCAA Central Regional for the 11th time in program history. The offense led the GAC in all major offensive categories including average, slugging (.505), doubles (125), triples (19), home runs (66), runs scored (408), and hits (568).

Arkansas finished tied for first place in the SEC West with Ole Miss at 18-12, and after falling to LSU in the SEC Tournament Semifinals, the Razorbacks won their NCAA Regional vs. DBU and Super Regional in three games vs. South Carolina.

In Omaha, Arkansas won their first four CWS games vs. Texas, Texas Tech, Florida and Oregon State before dropping games two and three to the national champion Beavers.

Arkansas (48-21) averaged 7.0 runs per game this past season and ranked 23rd nationally with a .296 batting average. The Razorbacks also ranked 13th in slugging percentage (.475) and 29th in on-base percentage (.391).

Parry began his coaching career at Miles (Montana) Community College and later coached a Sacramento State before starting his tenure at DBU.

McCarty plans to announce two additional assistant coaching hires in the upcoming weeks.

"I feel really good about the staff we have put together here at ACU," said McCarty. "Each guy adds values our program will benefit from daily."

"When we're recruiting prospective-student athletes, we will try our best to bring in the right fit of player. I couldn't feel better about how each one of the incoming assistants fit into the culture I want to create within our program.

"All three are extremely loyal and relentless workers. I know each of them will live out the mission of the university and desire to sell the entire ACU experience. I'm also confident that our staff will provide direction for each of our players based on past experiences within both the collegiate and professional ranks. I can't wait to get everybody on campus together!"

Craig Parry: At A Glance

Hometown
Colstrip, Mont.

Education
Bachelor's degree from South Dakota State University (2010)
Master's degree in Sports Management from American Public University (2012)

Collegiate Experience
Two-time All-Conference selection and All-Region honoree at Miles (Miles City, Mont.) Community College (2005-06)
First Team All-Summit League and Second Team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America at South Dakota State (2007-08)

Professional Experience
Selected in the 50th round of the 2008 MLB draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates. Played two seasons (2008-09) as a catcher and outfielder in their minor league system.

Coaching Experience
Miles Community College (2011-12) – Coached the hitters, outfielders, and catchers, helping the Pioneers achieve a combined record of 65-36-2.
Sacramento State (2013) – First base coach worked with outfielders and assisted with the hitters and catchers.
Dallas Baptist (2014-16) – Assistant coach helped transformed Dallas Baptist into a perennial mid-major power. The Patriots went 130-55 (.703) with a pair of Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Tournament Championships.
Southern Arkansas (2017) – Assistant coach worked with hitters and catchers. The Muleriders finished 39-16 as the offense led the GAC in all major offensive categories
Arkansas (2018) – Volunteer assistant and first-base coach helped in the development of draft picks Grant Koch, Eric Cole, Jax Biggers, Carson Shaddy and Zach Plunkett. The Razorbacks (48-21) reached the finals of the College World Series.

Personal
Married to the former Morgan McCloy. They are expecting their first child in November.

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