Brian Murphy, William & Mary Tribe

Brian Murphy was named head coach of the William & Mary Tribe baseball program on Dec. 3, 2013, and he enters his fifth season as the team’s head coach. It will be his sixth season in Williamsburg, after spending one season as the Tribe’s top assistant coach.

The former one-year assistant guided the Green and Gold to three 30-plus win seasons, two NCAA Regional Final appearances and a Colonial Athletic Association Tournament bid each season in his first four years as the skipper. Before his promotion, Murphy helped the Tribe earn its first-ever NCAA Tournament at-large bid and win its first regional games in school history on the strength of a record-setting 39-win season in 2013. He made a seamless transition to head coach the following year as W&M; secured its first-ever regular season conference title, culminating in CAA Coach of the Year honors. A couple seasons later, W&M; captured its first CAA tournament championship since 2001 en route to reaching the NCAA Regional Final for the second time in a four-year span.

In 2017, a third-place finish in the CAA standings allowed W&M; to make its fifth consecutive postseason appearance, which is a program-best since qualifying started for the CAA Baseball Tournament. Murphy secured his 100th career victory mid-way through the season after the Tribe edged conference rival UNCW, 10-9, on March 26. At the end of the regular season, the Green and Gold landed five players on the all-conference teams, highlighted by junior Cullen Large receiving All-CAA First Team accolades. Senior Ryder Miconi, who was tabbed All-CAA Third Team, continued to excel in the classroom as he repeated as CAA Scholar Athlete of the Year. In addition, All-CAA second teamer Brandon Raquet was named to Collegiate Baseball’s Freshman All-American Team. Murphy also helped produced a draft class of at least three W&M; players for the fifth time in program history. Redshirt sophomore Nick Raquet became the third-highest all-time MLB draft pick by getting selected in the third round by the Washington Nationals, Large was chosen in the fifth round by the Toronto Blue Jays and senior Nick Brown was picked by the Minnesota Twins in the 32nd round. It was the second time in program history that two players were taken inside the first five rounds of the MLB Draft.

The 2016 season will go down as one of the most memorable seasons in program history of the William & Mary Tribe.