Former Norfolk State baseball player Cody Ellis was promoted to the head coaching position at University of North Carolina Greensboro after being named interim head coach in January 2024.
Ellis joined the Spartans in October 2022 as assistant coach in recruiting and as the outfield coach before being promoted as interim head coach. Ellis was announced head coach in May 2024.
This is Ellis’ second head coaching stint since his first opportunity coaching in 2019. He was the head coach at Patrick Henry Community College (PHCC) in Martinsville, Virginia, leading the program from 2019-22 and being the assistant athletic director of the department.
While having the interim tag under his belt, Ellis led the Spartans to a 33-21 record this past season and 15-6 conference record earning the program’s third Southern Conference (SoCon) Regular Season Title. He was voted the 2024 SoCon Coach of the Year as well as 2024 SoCon Sports Media Association Coach of the Year.
His baseball program had signature wins against ranked teams guiding the Spartans to victories over No. 1 Wake Forest and No. 13 North Carolina State.
Under Ellis, UNCG led the SoCon in ERA (5.27), fewest runs allowed (312), and lowest opponent batting average (.266). Currently UNCG is nationally ranked 15th in triples (20), 20th in stolen bases (105), and 23rd in stolen bases per game (1.94). This season, the Blue & Gold averaged 7.90 runs per game and 3.25 extra base hits per game, while four Spartans had 20 or more extra base hits this season. The Spartans won eight of its last 11 regular season contests and 10 of its final 12 conference games.
Ellis played JUCO baseball for PHCC and was an All-Region outfielder in 2011. He then played Division I baseball for Norfolk State University where he was named second-team All-MEAC at second base. At Norfolk State, he led the team in 2014 with a .349 hitting percentage. He also played for the Professional Independent Pecos League with the Topeka Train Robbers and the Garden City Wind where he was a 2015 All-Star at first base.
Ellis received his associate’s degree in Recreational and Leisure Studies from Patrick Henry Community College in 2012, a Bachelor of Science degree from Norfolk State University in 2015, and a master’s degree in educational leadership in Higher Education from the University of Lynchburg in 2019.