Alcorn State University Athletic Director Robert Raines has named Carlton Hardy its eighth head baseball coach.
Hardy comes to Lorman, Mississippi with more than 20 years of head coaching experience at the NCAA Division I, Division II, and NAIA levels. Most recently he was the head coach at Savannah State University for eighteen years.
A native of Los Angeles, California, Carlton Hardy played college baseball at Grambling State from 1989 to 1991. At Grambling State, Hardy was a Southwestern Athletic Conference first team all-conference performer in 1990 and again in 1991. He graduated from Grambling State with a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Information Systems and a Master of Science in Sports Administration.
Hardy was a free-agent signing by the Philadelphia Phillies in 1991 and played for its Martinsville, Virginia Minor League team before getting into the coaching ranks.
Carlton Hardy’s first head coaching job was in 1998 as the coach of Talladega College, now one of HBCU’s best NAIA baseball programs, that he jumpstarted. He coached Talladega College for two seasons, leading the team to a 34-18 record and the most wins in school history up to that point.
After Talladega, Hardy had stops as the head coach of Olivet College from 2000 to 2005, and turned Savannah State into an HBCU baseball powerhouse program at the NCAA DI and DII levels taking Savannah State to an NCAA Regional while they were in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC).
In 2013, the Tigers were the co-champions of the MEAC Southern Division and won the conference baseball tournament and the conference’s automatic NCAA bid. He has also coached the Tigers to two Black College World Series appearances.
I think this is a really good hire especially considering the circumstances. He is a good coach who has recruited and developed extremely good offenses. Coach Hardy is a good hire with the potential for great upside. He will be great for recruiting, has plenty of experience, and he’s a stand-up guy. This process ideally should have taken a month not three-plus. Nonetheless, Carlton Hardy could be the best baseball hire Alcorn ever made.
Hardy stated “I am thankful for the opportunity that’s been presented to me to lead the baseball program at Alcorn State University. The past 18 years at Savannah State have been a wonderful experience and has prepared me for the next journey in my coaching career. We will take this challenge one day at a time. GO BRAVES.”