Baseball and Head Coach Mike McGuire Announce Promotions Among His Coaching Staff - University of South Carolina

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Following up on the winningest season, claiming 38 victories in 2023, and the winningest two-season stretch (73 victories) in program history, USC Upstate and head coach Mike McGuire announce promotions for his coaching staff heading into the 2024 season.

Entering the new season, the Spartans feature stability on their coaching staff as associate head coach Kane Sweeney and assistant coaches Jacob Condra-Bogan and Nick Hoffman each returning following a historic 2023 season.

"I have a great staff," remarked McGuire. "My staff is first class and I would want them on my staff anywhere. They are great mentors to our players, very competent, very loyal, and great people. Quite often the head coach gets the credit, but my assistant coaches are a major reason for our program's success and will have a big hand in our future successes."

Entering his seventh year as a member of McGuire's coaching staff, Sweeney assumes the role of associate head coach while also serving as the team's recruiting coordinator. During his time as an assistant coach with McGuire, teams under their direction have averaged 37 wins per year.

Under Sweeney's tutelage, hitters have posted a batting average of .284 or better in each of his six seasons as an assistant coach with four instances of his offenses batting .296 or better. His offenses have also been some of the highest scoring in the nation, averaging 7.0 or more runs per game in five of six seasons and ranking no lower in the NCAA rankings than 84^th for scoring over the past six seasons.

"I had the fortune of hiring Kane right out of professional baseball. He has done a superb job on my staff and has been instrumental in our success. Kane is a star in this profession and very deserving of this promotion," said McGuire.

Condra-Bogan enters his third season on McGuire's Upstate coaching staff and his second as the team's pitching coach. As a member of McGuire's staff, he's helped Upstate to 73 wins—the winningest two-season stretch in program history.

In his first season guiding the Spartan pitching staff, Upstate struck out a program record 497 batters (8.4 strikeouts per nine innings), improving the team's strikeout total by 66 total strikeouts and 0.8 strikeouts per nine innings. The Spartan pitching staff also lowered the team's earned run average, opponent's batting average, and WHIP during Condra-Bogan's first season directing the pitching staff.

"Jacob has made the transition from a professional athlete that was pitching at a high level just a few years ago to a pitching coach. I've witnessed his growth and development and he is a rising star," added McGuire.

Serving as the program's volunteer assistant last season, Hoffman enters the new season as a full-time assistant coach. During his first season with the Spartans, he worked primarily with the program's pitchers and catchers while assisting with the team's hitters, defense, and baserunning.

Working with the team's catchers, Hoffman oversaw a group that threw out double-digit would-be base stealers as Upstate gunned down 13 runners on the season. Instructing the team's hitters, he helped the Spartans rank top 50 in the nation in both sacrifice bunts (49^th) and sacrifice flies (second) while helping the group steal a program-record 110 bases over 137 attempts, a success rate of 80 percent.

"When I hired Nick a year ago, I had this in mind: I knew he was a tireless recruiter and had a great work ethic as the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator at SMC [Spartanburg Methodist]. He has not disappointed. He has a bright future in this profession," added McGuire.

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