Appalachian State’s baseball program has hired a new pitching coach who comes from East Carolina.
The Mountaineers posted the news to social media that it had hired Heath Blackmon as its new pitching coach. Blackmon spent the last three seasons as the ECU baseball director of player development.
He will replace Jim Leggett, the former ASU pitching coach.
“We are so excited to have Heath, Brittany, Haddon, and Cullen join the App State family,” ASU coach Kermit Smith said in a media release from the school on Friday. “This was a very thorough process that kept leading us back to one name: Heath Blackmon. His character, pitching acumen and work ethic stood out. He is a great fit for our program and will help elevate us to achieve great things in the Sun Belt and nationally.”
Blackmon worked in a variety of capacities, assisting in pitching development, recruiting and game planning. Nine pitchers he coached have been selected in the MLB draft over the past three seasons, including 2024 AAC Pitcher of the Year and All-American Trey Yesavage, who was selected in the first round of the 2024 draft by the Toronto Blue Jays. He also helped oversee the development of Carter Spivey, the 2022 AAC Pitcher of the Year.
“My family and I are extremely excited to join the baseball staff at App State,” Blackmon said. “I am thankful for the trust and belief of Kermit Smith to join the App State baseball family. App State is such a special place with an extremely passionate fanbase, and I look forward to being a part of it. I firmly believe that App State can compete for championships, and I look forward to doing everything I can to be a part of that.”
Photo credit: Heath Blackmon (Appalachian State Sports Information photo illustration)
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