Gamecock Baseball Camps: Camp Staff
Ray Tanner - Head Coach/Camp Director
Ray Tanner is in his 13th season as the Gamecock baseball head coach. He led the Gamecocks to the national title game in 2002, the College World Series 2002-03-04, and guided the Gamecocks to the nation's highest victory total (260) in a five-year span (2000-04). In 2000, Tanner was voted National Coach of the Year.
Since coming to South Carolina in 1997, head baseball coach Ray Tanner has compiled a 540-243 record, winning over 69 percent of baseball games USC has played. Coach Tanner will enter his 22nd year of coaching and owns an overall record of 935-416-3 with 17 appearances in the NCAA Tournament as a head coach at NC State and South Carolina. He has averaged over 44 wins a season and is currently the eighth winningiest active coach in Division I college baseball.
Tanner has earned Coach of the Year honors four times ACC (1990), Atlantic Region (1993) and SEC (1998, 2000). More than 65 of Tanner's players have gone on to play professional baseball, including shortstops Adam Everett (1998, Boston Red Sox) and Drew Meyer (2002, Texas Rangers), Justin Smoak (2008 Texas Rangers), and Reese Havens (2008 New York Mets) each drafted in the first round.
RAY TANNER'S SOUTH CAROLINA COACHING HIGHLIGHTS
* 2008 NCAA Regionals
* 2006 & 2007 NCAA Regionals & Super Regionals
* 2005 NCAA REGIONALS
* 2004 College World Series, SEC tourney champs
* 2003 College World Series
* 2002 College World Series National Runner-Up
* 2000-01-02-03-04-06-07 NCAA Regional Champions
* Winningest College Program in the Nation (260-87) from 2000-04
* Named National Coach of the Year & SEC Coach of the Year in 2000, ABCA South Region Coach of the Year in 2002, and SEC Coach of the Year again in 1998
Sammy Esposito - Camp Coordinator
Sammy Esposito is in his second season at South Carolina and serves as Volunteer Assistant for the baseball team and camp coordinator. Esposito came to Columbia after two seasons on the Georgia Southern staff and he spent last summer as an assistant coach in the Cape Cod League for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox, who won the Cape Cod League championship. A four-year letter winner at NC State, Esposito is the son of former NC State head coach Sam Esposito.
Chad Holbrook - Associate Head Coach
Chad Holbrook is in first season as USCs associate head coach and recruiting coordinator. He served the last 15 seasons on the UNC baseball staff after playing for the Tar Heels from 1990-93. He is the hitting instructor and oversees the Gamecock offense.
Mark Calvi - Pitching Coach
Mark Calvi is in his fifth season on the Gamecock staff. Along with coaching pitchers on the team, he will be coordinating the pitching aspects of camp.