Rusty Stroupe is an American

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional p ...

coach and former

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists wh ...

. Stroupe was the head coach of the Gardner–Webb Runnin' Bulldogs baseball team from 2003 to 2019.

Playing career

Stroupe played shortstop at

Cherryville High School Cherryville High School is a high school in the Gaston County Schools public school district located in Cherryville, NC. Its attendance area covers northwestern Gaston County, and it also serves the western part of the community of Tryon and th ...

where he was part of three state championship teams, and earned a scholarship to play at Appalachian State University for the Mountaineers baseball program from 1983 to 1986.

Coaching career

After taking a teaching position after college graduation, Stroupe began to coach middle school baseball. In 1990, Stroupe was an assistant coach at Appalachian State. Stroupe took his first head coaching position at

North Greenville College North Greenville University is a private Baptist university in Tigerville, South Carolina. It is affiliated with the South Carolina Baptist Convention ( Southern Baptist Convention). It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges ...

in 1991. In 1993, Stroupe became the head coach at

Brevard College Brevard College is a private college in Brevard, North Carolina. The college grants the Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree. History Brevard College was named for Ephraim Brevard, a teacher and one of the local leaders that produc ...

. From 1998 to 2002, Stroupe was the head coach at

Lander University Lander University is a public university in Greenwood, South Carolina. Campus and housing Lander University is located approximately one half-mile from uptown Greenwood, South Carolina. The main campus sits on 190 acres of land, though this doe ...

, where he started the baseball program. In the summer of 2002, Stroupe to the head coaching position at Gardner–Webb. On April 17, 2019, Stroupe announced that he would be retiring at the end of the 2019 season. Stroupe is the all-time wins leader in Gardner-Webb baseball history. Stroupe was named the Big South Conference Coach of the Year in 2019. In 2012, Stroupe received the prestigious FCA Jerry Kindall Character in Coaching Award (presented annually to the college or high school baseball coach in the United States who best exemplifies the Christian principles of Character, Integrity, Excellence, Teamwork and Service on and off the baseball field). After retiring from coaching, Stroupe became a college professor, an ordained pastor, and a baseball color analyst for ESPN Plus.

Head coaching record at Gardner-Webb

References

External links

Gardner–Webb Runnin' Bulldogs bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stroupe, Rusty Living people Baseball shortstops Appalachian State Mountaineers baseball players Appalachian State Mountaineers baseball coaches North Greenville Crusaders baseball coaches Brevard Tornados baseball coaches Lander Bearcats baseball coaches Gardner–Webb Runnin' Bulldogs baseball coaches Year of birth missing (living people)