Bates Baseball Head Coach Thompson Takes Job at Duke

Courtesy Bates Sports Information

LEWISTON, Maine – After two fruitful years as the head coach of the Bates College baseball team, Edwin Thompson has resigned in order to accept an assistant coaching position at Duke University.

Thompson submitted his resignation on Wednesday, and on Monday Duke announced his hiring as the Blue Devils' recruiting coordinator and outfield coach.

After guiding Bates to a 12-22 in his first season at Bates, in 2009, Thompson led the Bobcats to a 25-11 mark in 2010, passing the previous team record by seven victories. Many team batting, pitching and fielding records also fell during the course of the season, which saw the Bobcats come within one win of their first berth in the NESCAC baseball playoffs.

The team's hitting coach for the past two years, former Poland Regional High School coach Dave Jordan, will serve as the team's interim coach until a permanent coach is hired, hopefully by Nov. 1, McHugh said.

"While we regret Edwin's departure and wish him well, the fact that he is joining the Duke University program is a great reflection on the strides that the Bates baseball program has made," said Bates Director of Athletics Kevin McHugh. "We also expect that the success of Bobcats baseball and its increased visibility will attract a very talented pool of applicants to fill the head baseball coach position."

In comments made to the Lewiston Sun Journal, Thompson thanked McHugh and President Elaine Hansen "for giving me the opportunity to be part of the Bates community." Thompson added, "I think the program is in a much better spot now than when I took it over. The community, players and coaching staff all committed to change, as well as the administration, and we were able to do a lot of good things in a short period of time."

In announcing Thompson's hiring, Duke head coach Sean McNally cited Thompson's energy and passion. "He is a tireless worker and has carved out a great reputation with the quick turnaround he engineered at Bates College," McNally said. "His head coaching experience and organized, value-driven approach will benefit our players immediately."