Friday, August 2, 2013

NAMPA, Idaho – Rocke Musgraves, who won 588 games in just 14 seasons at Louisiana State Shreveport, is  the new head baseball coach at Northwest Nazarene University.  He replaces Tim Onofrei.

Musgraves led the Pilots to a 588-275 overall record and three appearances in the NAIA World Series (2003, 2011 and 2012), twice finishing third and once fourth. He averaged 42 wins a season.

“We are excited to welcome Rocke Musgraves to the Crusader family,” NNU athletic director Bill Rapp said. “Not only is coach Musgraves a proven and consistent winner on the field, but he is exactly the type of Christian leader we want for our student-athletes at NNU.

Musgraves becomes the 13th head coach to lead the Crusaders program, which began play in 1947. He begins his duties at the end of August.

“To say I am excited isn’t even close to explaining my emotions,” Musgraves said. “After I visited with the faculty and the staff and the administration at NNU, I was very impressed with the people there and how much consideration they showed my family and myself. I can’t wait to get started.”

Along with serving as head baseball coach at LSU Shreveport, Musgraves was interim athletic director from 2002-2003 and is the faculty/staff sponsor for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He also was Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Chairman from 2005-2008 and the conference’s NAIA national rater from 2009-2010.

While spending, nearly two decades in Louisiana, Musgraves is no stranger to the West, or Idaho. He played collegiately at Yavapai College (Ariz.) and Westmont College (Calif.) and earned his masters in Sports Administration from the University of Arizona. He also coached American Legion and summer league baseball in Alberta, Canada.

Musgraves collegiate coaching career began as an assistant at North Idaho College in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. He then served as an assistant at Pima Community College (Ariz.) and at NCAA Division I Nicholls State in Thibodaux, La., before taking over the reins of the LSU Shreveport Pilots program.

Over the past 10 years, the Pilots have won more games than any other four-year school in Louisiana, and 21 of Musgraves former players have moved on to play professional baseball.

Musgraves takes over for Onofrei, whose contract was not renewed in May. Onofrei led the Crusaders to a 285-356 record in 13 seasons as head coach. In 2008, Onofrei guided the Crusaders to a program-record 32 wins.

“It’s been a very tough decision, it’s one of the toughest one’s I ever had to make,” Musgraves said of leaving a Shreveport program that began playing baseball in 1991, but did not have a winning season until Musgraves arrived. In 14 seasons with the Pilots, Musgraves did not have a losing season.

“During the process of being recruited by Bill Rapp and (associate athletic director) Kelli Lindley and the staff, they made the decision a much easier process.  I think the hardest part is going to be saying goodbye to the players and the community and to my church,” Musgraves added. “Even though I’m saying goodbye to the players at LSU Shreveport, I want my players to know I will always be their coach and they can call me at any time.”