University of Tennessee Athletics
Eric McQueen Hired As Director Of Baseball Operations
August 10, 2009 | Baseball
Aug. 10, 2009
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - University of Tennessee head baseball coach Todd Raleigh finalized his staff for the upcoming season on Monday as he announced the hiring of Eric McQueen to the position of Director of Baseball Operations. McQueen takes over for Mike Corn who was recently named the head coach at Columbia State Community College.
"We're really excited to bring Eric on board," Raleigh said. "He brings a lot to the table and we feel like he was the perfect fit for the position. Having played at Georgia Tech and in the minor leagues, he has a tremendous amount of baseball knowledge and just a great insight for the game that we think will really benefit our program."
McQueen's primary responsibilities at Tennessee will include managing all baseball camps, oversight of student managers, serving as an academic liaison to the Thornton Athletics Student Life Center and assisting with on-campus recruiting.
"I'm really excited to be part of the Tennessee program and working in the SEC," McQueen said. "I truly enjoyed my two years at Kennesaw State, but the atmosphere surrounding an SEC program and the opportunity to work with this coaching staff was just too much to pass up. I really believe that this program is right on the verge of breaking through."
Prior to joining the UT staff, McQueen spent two seasons as a volunteer coach at Kennesaw State where he helped the Owls complete their transition to Division I from Division II. During his two years in Georgia, the team won 30 games in back-to-back seasons while competing in the Atlantic Sun Conference.
The former Georgia Tech standout played four seasons with the Yellow Jackets after being selected in the 14th round of the 1995 Amateur Draft by the New York Mets out of high school. As a junior for Tech in 1998, McQueen led the team with 15 home runs, 57 runs batted in and a .616 slugging percentage, while starting 52 games behind the plate, en route to winning the team's Mr. Hustle Award. As a captain during his senior campaign, McQueen hit .316 with 11 home runs and 37 RBIs, and was named to the All-Atlantic Coast Conference Second Team.
McQueen finished his Yellow Jacket career with a .306 batting average, 35 home runs and 147 RBIs. He played in a total of 187 games, starting 175, accumulated 204 hits and scored 146 runs, while earning a degree in business management. He was once again drafted in the 14th round in 1999, this time by the Colorado Rockies, for whom he played three seasons before retiring in 2001.
Following his professional career, McQueen coached youth baseball in the Atlanta area for five years, winning three national championships and helping over 50 players get drafted. During that time he coached four high school All-Americans and had three others who went on to be All-Americans in college.
McQueen and his wife, Tiffany, are the parents of one son, Brody.
