Cougar Baseball Promotes Bill McLaughlin to Head Coach
Averett University’s Baseball program is stepping into a new chapter; featuring some familiar faces. After serving as an assistant coach under former head coach Kenny Fleming, Billy McLaughlin has been selected to take the reins as Averett’s newest head coach. As Coach McLaughlin steps into this leadership role, excitement is building for what his experience and perspective will bring in the upcoming spring season.
McLaughlin’s dedication to Averett University is evident through his years of involvement as both a player and coach. After playing for the University’s baseball team from 2013-2016, McLaughlin returned as a graduate assistant in the summer of 2019, later progressing into an assistant coach position. He was named the interim head coach in September of 2025, and his commitment to the program ultimately led to the role becoming permanent when he was officially confirmed as head coach in November. As he begins his journey in this new role McLaughlin has found comfort in his experience and looks forward to building upon it.
“I have had a great experience so far. As an assistant I learned a lot about what it takes to recruit, build a team culture, and how to coach individual players. I have enjoyed watching players develop both as baseball players and individuals off the field,” McLaughlin said.
As the team transitions away from Coach Fleming, who led the Cougars since 2018, McLaughlin is focused on the future. This new position gives him the freedom and opportunity to continue building on what he and Fleming accomplished over the past six years.
“I learned a lot from Coach Fleming. There is so much more to being a college coach than just baseball. He taught me a lot about organization and how to balance the needs of each player. I plan to continue to build off of the foundation he and I set when we worked together,” McLaughlin stated.
Players and fans alike are looking to McLaughlin with optimism for the spring. With the season approaching quickly, the focus has turned to how this coaching transition will shape Cougar baseball and how the offseason is helping prepare the team for its goals.
“We have a lot of new players this year so our goal is to continue to come together as a team and get off to a good start in the Spring. We should improve as the season progresses and compete for an ODAC Championship. As coaches we spend a lot of the fall season recruiting and working to develop our players to have success in the spring season. We intrasquad a lot so that the players will be ready to face competition when that time comes. The players spend a lot of time in the weight room and working together to improve their baseball skills and team chemistry,” McLaughlin added.
Within Averett Athletics, the players remain a top priority, and the university has undergone several coaching changes over the past two years. McLaughlin aims to make this transition seamless for his team, and his long-standing relationship with the players appears to be easing the shift. Junior pitcher/third baseman Will Green shared that the adjustment has been smooth throughout the offseason.
“The coaching change has been very easy on the team just because everyone was already familiar with him as he was our long time assistant before getting the head coach role,” Green said.
As the players look toward the season, many have their own goals in mind as they prepare to tackle the competitive ODAC conference. With this, they have the opportunity to turn to McLaughlin’s guidance. His promotion brings an exciting change of pace that shows promise for the future.
“I think the team’s goals for the upcoming season are to make the ODAC tournament and finish with at least 25 wins. What excites me about him [McLaughlin] stepping into the head coaching role is he brings a whole new perspective and culture in as a head coach that I think is going to help us win a lot of games. [He] has been preparing us with great team practices and conditioning,” Green added.
As the Cougars push toward the spring season, both the team and its supporters are watching with anticipation. The confidence shared by players and coaches alike suggests that Averett has every reason to look forward to what lies ahead.
