CHARLESTON, W. Va. – After four years at the helm of the University of Charleston Baseball program, Andrew Wright is stepping down as head coach to pursue a new position with the New York Yankees organization.
 
"On behalf of my family, I want to sincerely thank the University of Charleston and the people who make it such a great place to work.  Four years ago, Dr. Welch and Dr. Stevens took a chance on hiring me to lead this program and we have invested a great deal of energy, care, and enthusiasm into building a winner in Charleston.
 
Four years later, we can look back without reservation and say that our lives have been impacted a great deal by each member of our program, institution, and community.  This program is built to sustain a great deal of success and the future of this program is in great hands.  Dr. Stevens' level of care for the student-athlete experience is unmatched and I am confident in the vision that Dr. Roth and Dr. Stevens have for the future of the UCWV Baseball Program. This program and its people will always hold a special place in our hearts and we are excited to see the program rise to greater heights in the future."
 
Wright, the 2019 MEC Coach of the year, leaves behind a baseball program with a 127-99 record under his leadership. The team recorded three record-breaking seasons in a row, after Wright took over a program coming off a 13-win season in 2016. During his tenure with the Golden Eagles, the squad played in three-straight MEC Tournament Championships, bringing home the trophy is 2018 and 2019. Charleston won two-straight MEC South titles in 2018 and 2019 leading to automatic berths to the NCAA Atlantic Region Tournament, and a Super Regional berth in 2019.  In the last four seasons 20 Golden Eagles have earned All-MEC honors.
 
Under the direction of Andrew Wright, the Golden Eagles earned a team GPA of 3.0, while logging over 1000 hours of community service throughout the school year. Wright's Golden Eagles have embodied the mission of the UC athletic department that has sent 10 other programs to the NCAA tournament this year, while Wright was one of six MEC Coach of the Year honorees this season from the University of Charleston.
 
Charleston's Athletic Director, Dr. Bren Stevens will immediately commence with a national search to hire the next leader of the Golden Eagles baseball program.
 
"Coach Wright has been an invaluable member of the university's athletic staff. His commitment to insuring that his athletes have an incredible experience while focusing on academic success, competitive excellence, and giving back to our local community has been nothing short of spectacular. I will miss him as he embarks on his new journey into professional baseball in which I am sure he will be equally as successful."