Tom Riginos was officially introduced as the head baseball coach at Winthrop University on August 4, 2010, becoming just the third head coach in the program’s history.
Riginos (pronounced rih-JEEN-uhs) earned his first victory at the helm of the Winthrop program on Feb. 18, 2011 in a 14-9 win at San Diego State, who were coached by Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn. In his 14 seasons he’s compiled an overall record of 329-348 and is 168-150 in the Big South, becoming the fourth winningest coach in Big South history.
During his tenure the Eagles have had 38 Big South All-Conference selections (11 First Team, 16 Second Team/Honorable Mention). The Eagles have also had 11 Big South All-Tournament Team selections.
There have been 10 players taken in the Major League Baseball draft since Riginos became head coach, highlighted by Zach Peek and Nate Pawelczyk in the 2019 draft. Peek went in the 6
th round to the Los Angeles Angels and Pawlczyk went in the 10
th round to the Chicago White Sox. Peek was the highest draft selection by an Winthrop player since Daniel Carte and Kevin Slowey went in the 2
nd round in 2005. In the history of the program, only three players have been drafted higher than Peek.
In his first season in 2011, the Eagles earned wins over Notre Dame (twice), Michigan, Wake Forest and took a home series against 24
th-ranked Coastal Carolina. Riginos had two All-Conference Second Team selections in Eddie Rohan and Tyler Mizenko. Matteo D’Angelo was a 2011 Big South All-Academic selection. The 2011 Winthrop Eagles led the Big South with a .974 Fielding Percentage, tied for fifth all-time. The Eagles posted a 27-30 overall record and a 15-12 conference record, the 10
th time the program earned 15 or more conference wins.
In 2012, Riginos had a Big South All-Academic Team selection in Max Vogel. The Eagles posted a 17-35 overall record and a 9-14 conference record.
In 2013, Riginos earned his first victory over his former team as the Eagles earned a 3-2 win at Clemson. That same year Riginos had an All-Conference Second Team selection in Chad Smith while Max Vogel was named to the All-Academic Team for the second year in a row. The Eagles posted a 21-33 overall record and an 8-15 conference record. Pitcher Matt Pierpont was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the 26th round of the 2013
Draft.
In 2014, Winthrop led the South Division in the Big South with a 14-13 conference record and 27-33 overall record. TJ Olesczuk was an All-Conference First Team and an All-Academic Team selection. The Eagles made a Big South Championship appearance against Campbell but fell short. Winthrop had two All-Tournament selections in TJ Olesczuk and Josh Strong. During the 2014 season, Sam Kmeic had three shutouts in a season which is tied for the most shutouts during that season while John Menken had four triples over the season which was tied for first over the season. Kmeic was the 2014 Big South Complete Games leader with five complete games. Olesczuk was on the Gregg Olsen “Breakout Player Award” Watch list and was named to the ABCA All-Region Second Team selection in the Atlantic. Olesczuk was selected in the 40th round in the 2014 draft by the Baltimore Orioles. The championship appearance was the 9
th in program history. That year the Eagles earned a road win over 16
th-ranked North Carolina.
In 2015, Riginos won his 100th career game against Maryland Eastern Shore on March 6 with a 10-2 victory. Winthrop won the second most games in the Big South with a 40-19 overall record and a 16-8 conference record, the 7th 40-win season in the history of the program and tied for third in the Big South regular-season standings. Anthony Paulsen would be an All-Conference First Team selection while Brad Kaczka and Matt Crohan would both be All-Conference Second Team selections. Winthrop had two Big South All-Tournament selections in Kaczka and Paulsen. Kaczka would also add Big South All-Academic Team selection to his 2015 season as he led the Big South in batting average with a .370 batting average. Winthrop led all of the Big South in team batting average with a .299 batting average. The team also tied for first in the Big South in triples with 19 on the season. Crohan would receive an invite to play for the USA Baseball National Team – National Collegiate Team. Roger Gonzalez was part of the 2015 Johnny Bench Award Watch list. Joey Strain was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 22
nd round. Winthrop earned wins at Clemson and South Carolina during the year.
In 2016, Winthrop won the Big South Team Sportsmanship Award. Anthony Paulsen and Roger Gonzalez were both All-Conference Second Team selections. Mark Lowrie was an All-Conference Honorable Mention. To add to Gonzalez’s 2016 season, he was selected for the Big South All-Tournament Team and was part of the 2016 Johnny Bench Award Watch list. Zach Cook became the Big South All-Academic Team selection for the Eagles as Winthrop posted a 28-27 overall record with a 12-12 conference record. Gonzalez was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the 22
nd round.
In 2017, Riginos had the Big South Freshman of the Year in pitcher Colten Rendon. Riginos was also named the Big South Coach of the Year. 2017 saw four All-Conference First Team selections in Antony Paulsen, Mitch Spires, Colten Rendon and Nate Pawelczyk. It was the first time the Eagles landed four or more on the first team since 2006. Hunter Lipscomb took home an All-Tournament selection, All-Academic selection, and Big South RBI leader with 60 on the season. Pawelczyk led the Big South with the best ERA with a 2.23 ERA on the season while Pawelczyk and Rendon both led the Big South in pitching victories with seven. Winthrop led the Big South with a .279 batting average and 34 victories. Winthrop posted a conference leading 17-7 conference record and a 34-24 overall record. Babe Thomas was named to the Johnny Bench Award Watch list while Zach Cook was named to the NCBWA Stopper of the year watch. The 17 league wins were third most by a Winthrop team and it was the 4
th time in program history with 17 or more conference victories. That season the Eagles also had a 10-game win streak (the longest during the Riginos Era and longest win streak since 2006).
In 2018, Riginos won his 200th career game on March 16 in a 15-9 win over Presbyterian College. Mitch Spires earned an All-Conference First Team selection while Tyler Halstead and Nate Pawelczyk were both All-Conference Second Team selection. Zach Peek earned All-Conference Honorable Mention and Hunter Lipscomb took home an All-Tournament and All-Academic selections. Peek was the Big South strikeouts leader with 99 on the season while Daniel Willcutt was the Big South complete games leader with two. The Eagles led all of the Big South in complete games with three. Mitch Spires was drafted in the 28
th round by the Los Angeles Angels.
In 2019, the Winthrop Eagles posted the second most wins in the Big South with a 34-23 overall record and an 18-9 conference record, the second-most league wins in program history. Hunter Lipscomb, Nate Pawelczyk and Colten Rendon all earned All-Conference First Team selections while Spencer Yankle and Zach Peek both earned All-Conference Second Team selections. The Eagles made another appearance in the Big South Championship game but lost once again versus Campbell. Grant English, Matthew Mulkey, and Peek were all named to the Big South All-Tournament Team. Lipscomb once again earned an All-Academic Team selection. Winthrop led the Big South in Fielding Percentage with a .976%, ranking third all-time. The Eagles also led the Big South in batting average with a .291 average, complete games with five, and 13 team saves. Peek once again led the Big South in strikeouts with 91 that season while the Big South saves leader was Rendon with nine saves. Pawelczyk and Peek were both the Big South complete games leader with two complete games each and were both drafted by the Los Angeles Angels and the Chicago White Sox in the 6th and 10
th rounds, respectively.
In 2020, the season was cut short due to Covid-19. The Eagles were off to a hot start with an 11-4 record before the season was canceled. Jason Crumley was named to the All-Academic Team while Colten Rendon was named to the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award Watch list. The 2020 Winthrop Eagles earned the ABCA Team Academic Excellence Award.
In 2021, the Winthrop Eagles posted a 19-27 overall record and 16-21 conference record. Scout McFalls was an All-Conference Honorable Mention while once again Jason Crumley was named to the All-Academic Team selection. Dalton Mims lead the Big South in appearances with 25 during the season and Spencer Yankle was part of the Buster Posey Award Watch list. Colten Rendon was named to the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Watch list. Once again, Winthrop earned the 2021 ABCA Team Academic Excellence Award.
In 2022, the Winthrop Eagles posted an 18-34 overall record and 11-13 conference record. Johnathan Strauss was named to the All-Academic Team selection while Dillon Morton was named All-Conference Second Team selection. Khyree Miller earned All-Conference Honorable mention. Riginos earned his 300th career win on May 15 against NC A&T in a 5-4 victory at home.
In 2023, Winthrop posted an overall record of 28-28 and 15-12 in Big South play and advance to the Big South Tournament for the first time since 2019, going in to High Point as the third seed. Brody Hopkins and Josh Bookbinder were named First and Second Team All-Big South, respectively while Nicholas Badillo was named to the All-Freshman Team. Parker Whittle was named to the All-Academic Team. Following the conclusion of the conference tournament, Will Martin was named to the All-Tournament Team. Hopkins was selected in the MLB Draft by the Seattle Mariners in the sixth round. That was the first time since 2019 that a Winthrop baseball player was drafted. Winthrop also earned the Team Academic Excellence Award from the ABCA for the fourth consecutive year.
Prior to joining the Eagles, Riginos spent eight seasons on the Clemson baseball staff under head coach Jack Leggett. He spent his final three seasons with the Tigers as the associate head coach/recruiting coordinator, and was an assistant head coach from 2003-07.
“We had a very strong pool of candidates for our head baseball coaching position, and in Tom Riginos we believe we have hired one of the top coaches on the collegiate level,” said Winthrop's then-athletic director Tom Hickman. “Coach Riginos has had tremendous success in attracting talented players to both Stetson and Clemson, and then developing those players into championship caliber student-athletes. We believe he will continue to bring that success to Winthrop.”
During his time as the recruiting coordinator at Clemson, Riginos brought in consecutive top-20 recruiting classes. The 2009 class was ranked ninth by Collegiate Baseball, while the 2010 recruiting class ranked 29
th nationally by Baseball America.
“I just knew it was going to be the right fit,” said Riginos at his introductory press conference. “Rock Hill is a good area to bring up a family. With my family and my wife’s family and relatives being in Florida, staying in the Southeast was important to me. It’s about family, relationships and contacts, and this is the right fit. The overall program here at Winthrop, the facilities and the size of the school reminded me so much of where I got my start as a player and a coach at Stetson University. Those are my roots and Winthrop is so similar in so many ways.”
In his first season with the Tigers in 2003, the squad posted a .309 team batting average and also led the Atlantic Coast Conference with a .326 average in ACC regular season contests. All four starting infielders that season were named either First or Second-Team All-ACC. The next season saw Clemson continue its offensive progression hitting 73 home runs, and recording 77 stolen bases and 149 doubles.
Over the next two years (2005-06) the Tigers posted four All-Americans, and finished the 2006 campaign 19
th in the country in homers-per-game, clinching the ACC Championship and a spot in the College World Series. Kris Harvey was named First Team All-American in 2005, while Taylor Harbin was a Second Team Freshman All-American member. Tyler Colvin, currently a member of the Chicago Cubs, and Andy D’Alessio were both First Team All-Americans following the 2006 season. D’Alessio would go on to tie the school-record for home runs in a career with 59 in 2007.
Clemson would go 31-27-1 in 2008 and not make the NCAA Tournament, but Riginos developed future first-round draft pick Kyle Parker into a First Team All-ACC member during his freshman campaign. The Tigers also posted 62 homers in that season, despite starting eight underclassmen in the lineup.
The 2009 and 2010 seasons saw Clemson make its way back to the NCAA Tournament. In 2009, the Tigers made it to the Tempe, AZ Super Regional and finished with a 44-22 record. Jeff Schaus earned First Team All-ACC honors, while Ben Paulsen led the squad with a .367 average and 13 home runs to go along with 61 RBI. Clemson returned to the College World Series in 2010 for the first time since the 2006 season after finishing with a 45-25 overall record and 18-12 in the conference en route to the ACC Atlantic Division Championship. The team hit a total of 93 homers in 2010, including 20 by Parker, and Schaus had a team-high 87 RBI. Brad Miller led the Tigers with a .357 batting average.
Before heading to Clemson, Riginos spent nine seasons (1994-02) with head coach Pete Dunn as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Stetson University. He recruited eight classes for the Hatters program that garnered national recognition. Riginos also recruited six All-Americans and 10 Freshman All-Americans during his time at Stetson.
He coached four of the five top hitting teams in Hatter program history, which included the 2001 squad that posted a .324 team batting average and 78 long balls. The team also finished the season ranked 24
th nationally in batting average, 12
th in slugging percentage and 19
th in homers per-game.
Riginos tutored five All-Americans and five of the best hitters in Stetson history including Chris Westervelt, Kevin Nicholson, Frank Corr and Sammy Serrano.
He began his collegiate coaching career as the top assistant and graduate assistant coach for two seasons at Eastern Kentucky under head coach Jim Ward. Riginos was in charge of the hitters and outfielders for the Colonels, and helped coach the team to a second-place league finish during the 1992 season.
“I have been with three head coaches who have probably more than 3,200 wins,” said Riginos.”There are probably not too many assistant coaches that have been under coaches like that. That right there gives me the experience to build the Winthrop program. The one thing that I will promise is that our guys will play hard, they will be competitive and they will represent Winthrop University in a first-class manner. I can guarantee you that.”
As a player, Riginos was a four-year letter winner for the Hatters from 1987-90. He played under Dunn and helped Stetson to three NCAA Regionals and three conference titles. Riginos played in 225 career contests and hit .279, while finishing as one of the top base-stealers in program history with 61. He was also named team captain during the 1990 season.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in sports administration from Stetson in 1990, and later earned a master’s degree in physical education/sports administration from Eastern Kentucky in 1993.
A native of Clearwater, FL, Riginos is married to the former Shaileen Kelley. The couple has twin girls, Alexandra and Grace, and a son, Chatham.
