University of South Carolina Upstate

Dusty Blake is in his first season as an assistant coach withthe USC Upstate baseball program.  He will serve as theteam’s pitching coach while assisting with recruitingefforts.

Prior to arriving at Upstate, Blake served as the pitching coachand recruiting coordinator for the Wofford Terriers.  He wasresponsible for the development of pitcher John Cornely, a15^th round draft pick by the Atlanta Braves in the 2011MLB Draft.  Cornely led the 2011 team with a 1.85 ERA and wasalso the team leader in appearances (23), saves (9) and opponentbatting average (.169).  Cornely struck out 49 batters in 39innings of work and posted a 2-1 record.

As a whole, the 2011 Wofford pitching staff held opponents to a.297 batting average, which was the lowest total since the 2000campaign (.293).  The team also owned a 5.12 team ERA whichwas the best mark in more than 25 seasons (1985, 5.04).  TheTerriers struck out 381 batters, a total that ranks third-best inprogram history.

In 2009, the Terriers had seven freshmen pitchers in the mix asthe team posted an 8.49 ERA with the fewest hits allowed since2004. In his first season with the Terriers, the team earned runaverage was 7.12, the lowest since the 2004 season. In addition,the Terriers allowed nearly 100 fewer hits and 60 fewer runs thanin the 2007 season.

Before making the move to Spartanburg, Blake was the pitchingcoach at Catawba College for two seasons. In 2006, the Indians ledthe South Atlantic Conference with 47 wins, an earned run averageof 3.44 and an average of 8.8 strikeouts per nine innings. Duringthe 2007 season, the Indians posted a 4.88 earned run average asthe team went 32-19. The pitchers averaged 5.8 strikeouts per nineinnings and only allowed 31 homeruns in the season. 

In the summer of 2007, Blake served as the head coach of theAsheboro (N.C.) Copperheads of the Coastal Plain League. Blakepreviously had served as an assistant coach with Gastonia of theCPL in 2005.

Blake began his coaching career as an assistant coach atPfeiffer University in 2004-05.  At Pfeiffer, he assisted withthe pitching staff and worked with the outfielders. He also workedwith recruiting and designing a strength and conditioning programfor all players.

He has also worked extensively at clinics and camps. Blake wasthe director of the Catawba College baseball camps and has workedadditional camps at Clemson, Appalachian State, Pfeiffer and Bestof Virginia.

Blake earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Appalachian Statein 2003. He helped lead the Mountaineers to a fourth place finishin the Southern Conference in 2001. During the summers, Blakepitched for the Salisbury Pirates in the Southern Collegiate Leaguewhere he set team records for career wins and innings pitched. Healso earned a masters degree in organizational development andbusiness from Pfeiffer University.

Dusty and his wife, Amy, currently reside in Boiling Springs,S.C. with their daughter, Mia.

The Blake File
HOMETOWN: Candor, N.C.

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND
2003    Bachelor of Science - Physical Education,Appalachian State
2005    Master of Business Administration &Organizational Development, Pfeiffer University

COLLEGIATE COACHING EXPERIENCE
2005            Assistant Coach - Pfeiffer
2006-07        Assistant Coach -Catawba
2008-11        Assistant Coach/RecruitingCoordinator - Wofford

AS AN ASSISTANTCOACH 

PLAYING EXPERIENCE
2000-03 Appalachian State - Pitcher

AS A COLLEGIATE PLAYER
Year   Record Post-Season                  Highlights
2000   17-38-1---                                  Series wins over Western Carolina and Wofford 
2001   21-32    SoConTournament        Fourth-Place finish in SoCon
2002   16-34    ---                                 Squad took 2-of-3 from ETSU
2003   14-36    ---                                 Team won 2-of-3 at Wofford