Radford University baseball head coach Joe Raccuia announced the promotion of Josh Reavis to hitting coach on Monday afternoon after a year of serving as the volunteer assistant coach.
In his new role with the Highlanders, Reavis will work with the hitters and take on a big role in recruiting, while continuing to work with the Highlander backstops.
“It was an easy decision to promote Josh into the role of hitting coach. He did a tremendous job of developing our young catchers last year. As the volunteer coach, he went above and beyond in every aspect of the program,” Raccuia said. “He is a tireless worker that has an unmatched passion for this job and always exceeds expectations. I know he will help identify and develop players to the highest level.”
The 2018 season saw the Highlander offense finish with a .252 average and 267 RBIs, while leading the Big South with 19 triples. After only earning 194 walks in 2017, Radford ranked second in the league with 269 this season.
“I’m very excited to take this opportunity at my alma mater and continue the tradition of excellence within our program,” Reavis added. “Our guys continued to develop throughout the season and really saw how good they could be toward the end of the year. I’m ready to get started and help bring another championship to Radford.”
Reavis was instrumental in the development of Straton Podaras during his sophomore season behind the plate. Hitting .253 with a .403 on-base percentage, Podaras threw out 16 runners in 36 attempts.
As a player for Radford, Reavis helped lead the Highlanders to 137 wins and a 2015 NCAA Tournament appearance. The Midlothian native was key in leading the Highlanders to their first Big South Regular Season and Tournament Championships in program history.
A career .290 hitter, Reavis appeared in 170 games over his four-year career, starting in 147 of them. Reavis tallied 165 hits over the span, driving in 100 runs and scoring 109. The 2015 season saw him drive in a career-best 41 runs on 12 doubles. Over his career, Reavis was hit by 24 pitches, which ranks 10th in program history.
Reavis earned a bachelor’s degree in exercise sport and health education from Radford in 2015. He was a 38th round selection by the Blue Jays in the 2015 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.
Raccuia completed his 2019 coaching staff with the addition of Elliot McCummings in the volunteer assistant coach role, the program announced Monday afternoon.
McCummings comes to Radford after serving as an assistant coach for Louisburg College for the 2018 season. The Hurricanes went 31-22 and 11-11 in Region X Conference a season ago.
“I’m grateful for this opportunity to be a part of a program like Radford who has a really good tradition of winning,” McCummings added. “Just excited to join a great staff and work with talented players.”
In his role with the Highlanders, McCummings will work with outfielders, in addition to helping with all other facets of the program. McCummings will serve as camp coordinator for all Radford Baseball Camps.
“We had a lot of interest in the volunteer position. It is a valued spot in this program and I am really excited Elliot chose to join Radford baseball,” Raccuia said. “He is another passionate and hardworking guy that truly understands what it will take to continue to advance his career.”
McCummings began his collegiate career at Potomac State, where he led the Catamounts to a Region XX Championship and 80-32 record in two seasons as an outfielder. He was named a NJCAA Second Team All-American after hitting .394 with 76 hits, 57 RBIs and 50 runs as a freshman.
After spending two seasons at Potomac State, McCummings closed out his college career at Jacksonville State, starting 108 games in two seasons. He hit .320 in his career with 126 hits, 75 RBIs, 67 runs, 33 doubles and eight home runs.
— RU Athletics
