Head Coach Rusty Stroupe (812-678-2) is entering his 17th season at the helm of the Runnin’ Bulldogs in 2019.
The all-time wins leader in Gardner-Webb history, moving past Hall of Famer Clyde Miller with a 5-2 win over VMI on March 29, 2014, also joined the 800-win club with a 7-6 walk-off win over Winthrop on April 8, 2018.
In 2018, Stroupe led the 'Dogs to a 31-27 record, picking up a pair of wins over Atlantic Coast Conference foes Wake Forest (Feb. 18) and North Carolina (Mar. 14) and an appearance in the Big South Conferencec Baseball Championship semifinals for the first time since the 2012 season. GWU had five players earn All-Big South honors and two players selected in the 2018 MLB Draft, as Mason Fox was chosen in the 21st round by the San Diego Padres and Tyler Johnson was picked up in the 30th round by the New York Yankees.
The Runnin' Bulldogs saw a resurgence in 2016, winning a school Division I record 37 games. Junior Collin Thacker had an outstanding season at the plate, batting .394 with a NCAA-best 28 doubles, which earned him Louisville Slugger All-America honors. Senior Brad Haymes shined on the mound, tying a school-record with 11 wins and setting a new record of eight complete games. Redshirt-sophomore Wil Sellers set a school record with 12 saves.
Gardner-Webb also saw a trio of players get selected in the 2016 MLB Draft, as Jeremy Walker, Brad Haymes, and Ryan Boelter were each drafted, the largest draft class for GWU under Stroupe and GWU's largest since 1969. Walker was selected in the fifth round by the Atlanta Braves, while Haymes was chosen in the 17th round and Boelter in the 33rd round by the Chicago White Sox.
Stroupe has led Gardner-Webb to a pair of conference tournament championship game appearances, with the ‘Dogs falling just short in the Big South title game in 2011 and in the famed 15-inning Atlantic Sun Conference title game in 2008.
Stroupe has led GWU to at least 25 wins in 13 of his 16 seasons at the helm, and has posted nine finishes in the top-5 in conference play. A major career highlight came in December, 2012, as Stroupe was presented with the FCA Jerry Kindall Character In Coaching Award at the annual ABCA Convention in Chicago.
Gardner-Webb won 32 games in 2012 and 29 in 2013, which included notable wins over No. 4 North Carolina (2012) and No. 10 South Carolina (2013).
Shortstop Ryan Hodge and relief man Mitch Warner each earned Louisville Slugger Freshman All-America honors in 2012, becoming the first duo to do so in one season since Gardner-Webb's move to NCAA Division I.
Matt Simmons became the fifth GWU freshman to earn that honor following the 2014 season, and Justin Kunz became the sixth Runnin' Bulldog freshman to earn that honor after the 2016 season.
In 2013, Gardner-Webb established a new school record for team ERA (3.35) and fielding percentage (.969), with Matt Fraudin becoming the first GWU pitcher to earn first-team All-Big South honors since the Runnin' Bulldogs moved into the league in 2009.
In 2011, the 'Dogs were one of the nation's most potent offensive teams, ranking 37th nationally with a .302 team average and among the Big South's best hitting squads all season long. Gardner-Webb finished the season ranked in the top-50 in scoring (26th), runs scored (29th), hits (33rd), doubles (44th) and doubles per game (49th). Defensively, Gardner-Webb ranked No. 23 nationally in double plays turned.
When the dust settled at the end of the 2011 season, Gardner-Webb had posted a strong 34-23-1 record that included a weekend sweep of NCAA Tournament participant and preseason top-25 member St. John's in March. The Runnin' Bulldogs took well to their sparkling new home stadium, forging a 17-10 mark in John Henry Moss Stadium / Bill Masters Field.
First baseman Dusty Quattlebaum was named Big South Conference Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year and became the first GWU baseball player to be named first-team Capital One Academic All-America.
In 2010, Stroupe's very young squad was competitive throughout a tough schedule, forging 25 wins that included a win over ACC member Wake Forest on the road. His 2009 team established numerous team records offensively, breaking the school's season batting record with a .327 average - topping the .324 average that had stood as the top mark since 1971. The 2009 squad also set single-season records as a team for on-base percentage (.398) and most home runs (65), while third baseman Justin Loyd became the latest member of the schools .400 club, earning first-team All-Big South honors.
Gardner-Webb has shown under Stroupe that it can compete with the best, and with style. The Runnin' Bulldogs ran to a school-record 122 stolen bases in 2008, breaking the record of 119 set just one year earlier in 2007. GWU also made a late run that gave the 'Dogs the No. 5 seed at the 2007 A-Sun Tournament, and posted a pair of non-conference wins at SEC member Georgia - marking the fourth time in six games against Georgia that GWU has prevailed under Stroupe's watchful eye. In 2006, Stroupe led a very young team to 24 wins, which included early victories over Missouri Valley Conference champ Evansville and ACC member Maryland. Stroupe also saw fifth-year senior Blake Lalli sign with the Chicago Cubs prior the June, 2006, draft as a free agent - marking the fifth Diamond 'Dog under Stroupe's watch to ink a deal with a major league organization.
In 2005, Gardner-Webb finished in a tie for fifth in the Atlantic Sun Conference - the third year in a row that GWU had finished at least fifth in the powerful league. GWU also picked up its first A-Sun Tournament win, upsetting No. 1 seed Troy in the opening round. Ace Zach Ward became the highest drafted player in GWU baseball history - going in the third round of June's MLB Amateur Draft, capping a record-setting career in Boiling Springs. Ward signed with the Reds, marking the fourth player to sign a contract with a Major League club since 2003 - Stroupe's first season with the program. Catcher Jay McConnell was named Louisville Slugger Freshman All-America.
In 2004, Stroupe's Runnin' Bulldogs posted a 19-11 mark in the Atlantic Sun Conference, finishing only one game out of a tie for second place in one of the country's most competitive leagues. A No. 4 seed in the A-Sun Tournament followed, capping off a 32-25 overall campaign - which included two wins over No. 14 Florida Atlantic in mid-March. Seniors Jeff Long (Atlanta Braves, 12th Round) and Joey Siak (St. Louis Cardinals, FA) continued their careers on the professional level after the 2004 season was completed.
Stroupe led his first set of Runnin' Bulldogs to a 33-23 record in 2003, including an 18-15 mark in the A-Sun. In the process, the Runnin' Bulldogs qualified for the A-Sun Tournament, which takes the top six of 12 total teams from the regular season standings. Ward was also named to the Louisville Slugger Freshman All-America Team, becoming the first Gardner-Webb player so honored. During the Bulldogs' 33-win trek through the 2003 season, Stroupe led the squad to a pair of wins over SEC foe Georgia, as well as wins over preseason top-25 squads UCF (2), Florida Atlantic (1) and Stetson (1). GWU rose to as high as No. 53 in the Division I RPI - before finishing the season with a rating index of 79 (out of 287 Division I teams).
Stroupe also has head college coaching experience at Lander (1998-2002), Brevard College (1993-1997) and North Greenville College (1991-1992).
He and his wife, Karen, have three sons - Will, Cal and J.T. In addition to his coaching career, Stroupe has written a book and was a regular contributor as a non-sports columnist with the Shelby Star for several years
