GREENSBORO, N.C. — The American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) and ATEC announced the 2022 Regional Coaches of the Year in all collegiate and high school divisions on Tuesday afternoon and North Greenville head coach Landon Powell earned the Division II Southeast Region Coach of the Year honor.
A former Gamecock catcher who played in the 2002 College World Series, Powell was a first round draft pick by Oakland in 2004. He made his Major League debut in 2009 and in 2010, Powell caught Dallas Braden's perfect game. In 2013, Powell's last stop was in the minor league organization of the New York Mets. He was released by the Mets' Triple-A club in Las Vegas in June of 2013. Less than a year later, he was hired as the head baseball coach at North Greenville University and his first season with the Crusaders was in 2015.
Having just wrapped up his eighth season with the Crusaders, Powell led North Greenville to the program’s first-ever NCAA Division II National Championship after claiming the Southeast Region title for the first time. The Crusaders, who finished the season ranked No. 1, also won the Conference Carolinas regular season and tournament championships.
The ABCA/ATEC Regional and National Coaches of the Year are selected by members of the ABCA All-America & Coach of the Year committees in all nine divisions: NCAA Divisions I, II and III, NAIA, NJCAA Divisions I, II and III, Pacific Association Division and high school.
Founded in 1945, the American Baseball Coaches Association is the primary professional organization for baseball coaches at the amateur level. Its over 13,000 members represent all 50 states and over 30 countries. Since its initial meeting of 27 college baseball coaches in June 1945, Association membership has broadened to include eight divisions: NCAA Division I, II and III, NAIA, NJCAA, Pacific Association Division, High School and Youth.
