LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Ross Spurgeon has joined the Bellarmine University baseball coaching staff as an assistant, Head Coach Larry Owens announced Wednesday.

Spurgeon's primary duties will include working with outfielders, assisting Owens with pitching instruction and assisting Recruiting Coordinator Nick Eversole with recruiting. In addition, he will lead the strength and conditioning and nutritional programs this season for the Knights, who are entering Division I and the ASUN Conference.

"We are very excited to add Ross to our staff," Owens said. "He has built a reputation as a tireless worker, and we look forward to making the transition to NCAA Division I and the ASUN with Ross in our dugout. His ability to communicate and connect with the player will serve our team well. Ross is a tremendous addition!"

Prior to his arrival at Bellarmine, Spurgeon spent two seasons as the pitching coach at Division II King University in Bristol, Tennessee. In addition to overseeing the pitching staffs of both the varsity and junior varsity squads, he was the team strength and conditioning coach, aided in the strength and conditioning regimens for all other teams at the school and was the nutritionist for all teams.

Spurgeon helped engineer a worst-to-first finish in his two seasons at King. Before the coronavirus pandemic forced the cancelation of the remainder of the season, the Tornado went 15-9 — winning one more game than the previous year in only half a season — and was tied for first place in Conference Carolinas. Spurgeon's pitching staff made improvements in every statistical category.

Over the summer prior to his arrival at Bellarmine, Spurgeon was the bench coach for the Lexington Los Leyendas in the Battle of the Bourbon Trail, a joint venture between Minor League Baseball's Lexington Legends and the Frontier League's Florence Y'Alls conceived as a result of the pandemic.

"I am excited for this opportunity at Bellarmine University," Spurgeon said. "Being able to work with coaches like Larry Owens, Nick Eversole and Austin Upshaw is going to progress my coaching knowledge in more ways than just baseball. It's also an added bonus to be a part of the program in the first-year transition to DI, with experiencing a new conference and the higher level of competition. I can't express how intriguing that is to me — wanting to prove to everyone that we can play at the highest level of baseball. Bellarmine has had a proven track record in years past that make being a part of this staff a no-brainer. I look forward to seeing the impact I can make to the program for the years to come."  

Before his stint at King, Spurgeon spent two seasons as the pitching coach and team strength and conditioning coach at NAIA University of the Cumberlands in Williamsburg, Kentucky. The Patriots went 43-17 in 2017 and 47-11 in 2018 while carrying Mid-South Conference marks of 12-6 and 14-2, respectively, those seasons. The team was nationally ranked and earned berths in the regional playoffs of the NAIA World Series both seasons.

As a college pitcher, Spurgeon played his final two seasons at Tennessee Tech, which went 40-17 overall and 24-6 in the Ohio Valley Conference his junior year and 40-19 overall and 18-12 in league play his senior year. The right-hander made 41 appearances over his two seasons with the Golden Eagles, including 23 as a senior when he went 4-1 with a 3.68 ERA and 38 strikeouts in 36.2 innings pitched. He was named to the Athletic Director's Honor Roll and to the OVC Commissioner's Honor Roll. Spurgeon spent his first two collegiate seasons at Cleveland State Community College.

Before entering the coaching ranks, Spurgeon played two seasons of professional baseball in the Frontier League. In 2015, he led the Gateway Grizzlies in appearances (18) and ERA (2.37) while striking out 26 batters in 30.1 innings pitched.

Spurgeon was an EXPW licensee major at Tennessee Tech while earning his bachelor's degree, and he earned a master's degree in health and wellness with a focus of nutrition from University of the Cumberlands.

Spurgeon is a native of Cookeville, Tennessee. In 2010, while playing at Cookeville High School, he garnered Louisville Slugger honorable-mention accolades and went 9-1 with two no-hitters.

Spurgeon's wife's name is Rayna.

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