The University of Mississippi Athletics
Francis Named Head Coach At St. Petersburg College
9/20/2010 | Baseball
Sept. 20, 2010
OXFORD, Miss. - Rob Francis has been named the head coach at St. Petersburg College in St. Petersburg, Fla., the institution announced on Monday.
Francis has spent the last three seasons on staff with the Ole Miss baseball program, spending the 2008 and 2009 seasons as the Director of Operations before transitioning into the position of volunteer assistant coach in 2010.
"We are very excited for Rob," said Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco. "This is a great opportunity for him and one of which he is very deserving. He has been a tremendous asset to our program over the last three years and has left his mark on Ole Miss baseball."
"This is a wonderful opportunity for me to have a chance to be a head coach of a baseball program," Francis said. "To have the opportunity to lead a program on that level at this stage in my career is too good to pass up. We love Oxford, Ole Miss and all of the people here that we have met over the years, but this is an opportunity that can't be overlooked.
"The administration at St. Petersburg College is one that is first class," Francis said. "I'm excited they are giving me the chance to grow their program and take it to new levels."
Last season, Ole Miss advanced to an eighth-consecutive NCAA Regional with an appearance at the NCAA Regional on campus at the University of Virginia. The Rebels posted a 39-24 record and had five players drafted in the MLB Draft, including fifth-overall pick Drew Pomeranz.
Francis worked with the hitters and infielders at Ole Miss in 2010, and coached shortstop Kevin Mort who went on to sign a free agent contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Mort committed the fewest errors in the SEC of any shortstop over the last two seasons and the Rebel infield set the record for fewest errors in a season during the Mike Bianco era and finished 22nd nationally in team defense.
The Titans of St. Petersburg College are a nationally ranked program in one of the toughest junior college regions in the country. The Titans are five years removed from playing for the NJCAA national title in 2005.
Several players who have played at St. Petersburg College have gone on to play in Major League Baseball and include Bobby Wilson with the Anaheim Angels and Alfredo Amezaga with the Florida Marlins. Over the past five seasons, 21 players have been drafted in the MLB Draft from St. Petersburg College including three players in the top five rounds and one supplemental first round pick in 2006.