Dustdevils' Porter Accepts AD Position at OVU

LAREDO, Texas – Texas A&M International head baseball coach Chad Porter will become the next Director of Athletics at Ohio Valley University in early July, the university announced on Friday. Porter will vacate his position at TAMIU after a six-year run as head coach with a 124-189 record.

“I’d be lying to you if I didn’t tell you this is very bittersweet for me,” Porter said. “Coaching at TAMIU – with this community, university, staff, student body and this baseball program – is something I’ll never forget, and it’s not easy to leave. But the opportunity to go home, close to my family, and be the AD at my alma mater – that’s a massive opportunity.”

Before becoming a Dustdevil in 2008, Porter featured in several different roles at OVU. He played for the Fighting Scots after transferring from Heidelberg College before serving as an assistant coach for two years. He was then the head coach for five years, going 98-147 at the NCAA Division II member of the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. OVU is now a member of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference.

He guided the Fighting Scots to their first two conference tournament appearances in school history, one conference title and one NCAA Regional appearance. They were ranked inside the national top 25 in 2006. 

Taking over a squad that won only six games in 2003, Porter quickly changed the tone and expectations of the OVU program. During Porter's first two seasons at the helm, OVU increased its win total and the program achieved a school-record 37 wins in 2006. That record-setting season included a WVIAC tournament title and NCAA Division II North-Atlantic Regional appearance. Porter was named conference Coach of the Year in recognition of those accomplishments.

He will now return to lead the Fighting Scots’ 13 athletic programs.

Porter led the Dustdevils through several historic firsts, including a first winning season in 2013, postseason berths, a draftee into Major League Baseball, NCAA top-25 rankings and program highs in postseason accolades.

In 2011, Porter led the Dustdevils to their first Heartland Conference postseason tournament before replicating the feat in 2013. Junior catcher Alex McKeon became the first Dustdevil selected by the world champion Boston Red Sox in the MLB Amateur Draft earlier this year, while Sean Smedley was an undrafted free agent with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2013.

Porter has seen more than 20 student-athletes earn All-Heartland Conference, All-South Central Region and national accolades – including center fielder Jeff Anderson’s Rawlings Gold Glove in 2013, naming him the best defensive centerfielder in the all of Division II baseball.

“I could not be more proud of the move that Chad is making,” TAMIU Director of Athletics Griz Zimmermann said. “I know that Chad is an outstanding baseball coach from seeing him work with the Dustdevils, so I have no doubt that he will be a more than capable Director of Athletics. He now has an opportunity that few are able to achieve in collegiate athletics, and I know he will make us all proud.”

Porter holds a bachelor's in physical education from OVU and a master's in physical education from West Virginia University. He is married to Valissa Porter and the couple has two daughters, four-year-old Kennedy and two-year-old Khloe.

TAMIU will begin its diligent search for its next head baseball coach in preparation for the 2014-15 academic year.

Journalists who need additional information or help with media requests and interviews should contact the Office of Public Relations, Marketing and Information Services at prmis@tamiu.edu