Southern Polytechnic State University has named Tommy Knight as its new baseball coach. Knight, a former coach at LaGrange College, is taking over for Eric Alexander. When long-time SPSU baseball coach Charlie Lumsden retired after 24 years, Alexander was named the interim coach, and will be remaining as the assistant coach.

"We are proud to have Tommy aboard," said Karl Staber, athletic director at SPSU. "He did a fine job at LaGrange College and I’m confident he will be able to make his mark here too."

Knight was the head baseball coach at Jefferson High School for three years before accepting a position as the head baseball coach at LaGrange College in 1996. At Jefferson, he lead his team to the state Class A quarterfinals in 1994, and while at LaGrange College, he won the GAC Conference (now the GACC Conference) Coach of the Year honor in 1997.

"I’m tremendously excited to be here, especially with the legacy that Coach Lumsden set," said Knight. "I am very impressed with this team. I have played against them before and I’m most impressed with the way this team swings the bat. They also have pitchers who can shut down hitters."

"I want to be able to get Southern Polytechnic at or near the top of the conference every year. It’s also important, just as Coach Lumsden tried to do, to bring in student athletes and produce men out of them."

The team is returning 18 starters from last year’s squad, as well as bringing in seven new recruits. SPSU will open its season February 13 away at West Georgia. Its home opener will be February 18 against Auburn Montgomery.

Knight graduated from Georgia Southwestern College with undergraduate degrees in education and in health and physical education, and a master’s in health and physical education. While there, he was a short stop and relief pitcher for the baseball team. Knight is also a member of the American Baseball Coaches Association.