Ray Birmingham
| Sport(s) | Baseball |
|---|---|
| Current position | |
| Title | Head coach |
| Team | New Mexico |
| Conference | Mountain West Conference |
| Record | 311-24-1 |
| Biographical details | |
| Born |
November 14, 1955 Hobbs, New Mexico |
| Alma mater |
New Mexico State '78 (B.A.) College of the Southwest (M.A.) |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1988–1989 | College of the Southwest |
| 1990–2007 | New Mexico JC |
| 2008–present | New Mexico |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 1,129-552-3 |
| Tournaments | NCAA: 3–10 MWC: 17–12 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| MWC: 2012, 2013, 2014 MWC Tournament: 2011, 2012, 2016 NJCAA: 2005 NJCAA Region 5: 2005, 2007 |
|
| Awards | |
| MWC Coach of the Year: 2012, 2013 NJCAA Division I Coach of the Year: 2005 Region 5 Coach of the Year: 2005, 2007 WJCAC Coach of the Year: 1995, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007 |
|
Ray Birmingham (born November 14, 1955) is an American college baseball coach who has been the head coach of New Mexico since the start of the 2008 season. Under him, New Mexico has reached five NCAA Tournaments. Previously, he was the head coach at the College of the Southwest and New Mexico Junior College. His coaching career began at Las Cruces (N.M.) Mayfield High School where the Trojans won the Class AAAA state championship in 1981 and had three No. 1 rankings through 1983. Birmingham went to NMJC in the fall of 1983, serving as the public relations officer and assistant to legendary basketball coach Ron Black. The Thunderbird basketball team posted three consecutive 20-win seasons, including the school's first conference championship in 1987, a year in which they were ranked No. 1 in the country for the majority of the season. He has had 150 players go on to play professionally during his coaching career.
Birmingham's college baseball coaching career began in the late 1980s, when he was the head coach at NAIA school College of the Southwest and its new baseball program from 1988 to 1989. There, he had a 53–73 overall record. In 1989, the Mustangs reached No. 23 in the NAIA national rankings, won 33 games and advanced to the regional finals before losing to Dallas Baptist.
From 1990 to 2007, Birmingham was the first head baseball coach at New Mexico Junior College (NMJC). He had an overall record of 765–255–2. The program reached two NJCAA World Series during his tenure, winning a national championship in 2005 and finishing second in 2007. He won several Coach of the Year awards: NJCAA Division I in 2005, NJCAA Division I Region 5 in 2005 and 2007, and WJCAC in 1995, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007.
Birmingham led NMJC to 17 straight winning seasons, and the Thunderbirds were a gaudy 378–88–2 (.805) from 2000–07. So successful was Birmingham at NMJC that the school held ceremonies on Feb. 2, 2008, to dedicate the newly renovated baseball field that bears his name. Under his leadership, New Mexico Junior College became known for its hitting prowess with six former players leading the country in batting and six teams hitting over .400. The Thunderbirds hit .416 as a team in 2007. The 2005 NMJC national championship team hit .411 during the regular season and .400 in postseason play. In 2001, the Thunderbirds displayed one of the most impressive offensive machines in college baseball history, batting .438 as a team. NMJC led the country in home runs (122) in 1998.
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