DUE WEST, S.C. – The Erskine Baseball program officially named Scotty Bateman as their next pitching coach and recruiting coordinator, Director of Athletics Mark Peeler announced earlier this week.

Bateman just completed his third season as the Pitching Coach and Recruiting Coordinator at Florida State College at Jacksonville (FSCJ). Under his tutelage, the FSCJ pitching staff finished Top 35 in the country in ERA twice, Top 3 in the SunLakes Conference in ERA twice, and Top 10 in Florida JUCO in ERA twice, in addition to helping the program to its 4^thWorld Series Appearance in 2022. Two of the three seasons recorded an ERA of 5.00 or below. In those three seasons, 5 pitchers were named All-Conference, 5 named All-State, and 6 named Florida JUCO All-Stars. 15 pitchers advanced to the four-year levels, including 8 to the Division 1 ranks. Brady Ellison was the top performer on the mound under Bateman, being named 1^st Team All-State in back-to-back seasons, going 5-4 with a 2.26 ERA in 59.2 IP as a Freshman and going 4-8 with a 3.94 ERA in 61.2 IP as a Sophomore.

"Scotty Bateman is clearly a winner, taking a staff to the World Series his first year at FSCJ. His professionalism and attention to detail is really what separates Coach Bateman in our coaching community," Erskine Baseball Head Coach Mark Crocco said. "Scotty and his wife Hannah will be a great additions to our Erskine College Community. They believe in the mission of the college and seek to make impacts in the lives of our student athletes. Most importantly, I am so excited for what our players have the opportunity to gain with his knowledge of skillful pitching mechanics and his specialty in data analytics." 

He oversaw an FSCJ pitching staff in 2022 that played a large role in the run to the World Series semifinals, finishing the season with a 4.69 ERA, down three runs from the previous year. Bateman saw the development of Daniel Gaviria (8-2, 3.18 ERA in 93.1 innings), an All-Region selection as a starting pitcher, and Patrick Groark (3-2, 2.81 with 11 saves in 32 innings), an Honorable Mention All-Region selection.

"I could not be more excited to be given the opportunity by Coach Crocco to join the Erskine baseball family. I look forward to investing into recruiting the best players and developing this pitching staff daily. Erskine has a fantastic tradition of excellence and championships are on the horizon in Due West," Bateman said.

Bateman previously completed a 2021 summer stint as the Pitching Coach for the Johnstown Mill Rats (PA) of the Prospect League after two seasons as the Director of Player Personnel & Analytics for Troy University in Troy, Alabama (2020-21). Bateman coordinated team analytics through data collected from Trackman, Rapsodo, and Baseball Cloud in order to develop daily practice activities, game plans, and scouting reports. He worked primarily with the pitching staff under the tutelage of Pitching Mastermind Matt Hancock. 

In addition to college experience, Bateman has coached in American Legion Baseball as the Pitching Coach for the Troy (AL) Post 70 17U team. His 2020 staff finished the summer with a 2.89 ERA.

Bateman earned his Bachelor's Degree in Biomedical Engineering from Mississippi State University in 2019 and his Master's Degree in Sport Management from Troy University in 2021. He is married to the former Hannah Owen, and they reside in Simpsonville, SC.

Bateman and the Fleet are gearing up for the fall season, which includes scrimmages against Division-I opponents, Presbyterian and Davidson, as Erskine looks to continue to build off the momentum from last year's postseason run.

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