Coastal Carolina Baseball Adds Josh Hopper as Pitching Coach
6/18/2026 11:00:00 AM | Baseball
CONWAY, S.C. – Coastal Carolina head baseball coach Chris Lemonis has announced the hiring of Josh Hopper as the program's pitching coach.
Hopper brings more than two decades of coaching and player development experience to Conway, including the last five-plus years with the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. Most recently, he served as Assistant Director of Pitching Foundations after joining the club as Coordinator of Pitching Development in December 2020. During his time with Pittsburgh, Hopper was a member of the player development staff during the rise of Paul Skenes, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft. He also helped develop 2021 MLB Draft pick Bubba Chandler into one of baseball's top pitching prospects. Before joining the Pirates, Hopper built an impressive collegiate resume during successful coaching stops at Dallas Baptist, UAB and Berry College.
"Josh is one of the most respected pitching coaches in baseball, and we're thrilled to welcome him to Coastal Carolina," Lemonis said. "He has developed pitchers at every level of the game, and his experience in both college baseball and professional player development makes him a tremendous addition to our program. Josh has worked with players at every stage of their careers, and that experience will be tremendously valuable for our student-athletes as we continue to compete for championships and develop players for professional baseball."
Prior to his time in professional baseball, Hopper spent two seasons as pitching coach at Dallas Baptist, helping guide one of the nation's premier programs. In 2019, the Patriots won 43 games, advanced to the championship round of the NCAA Lubbock Regional and ranked among the national leaders in strikeouts, strikeouts per nine innings and strikeout-to-walk ratio while setting Division I-era program records in strikeouts, strikeouts per nine innings, batting average against and hits allowed per game.
Under Hopper's guidance, Dallas Baptist produced All-American MD Johnson and saw three pitchers selected in the 2019 Major League Baseball Draft. Following the shortened 2020 season, left-handed reliever Burl Carraway became the third-highest draft pick in program history when he was selected by the Chicago Cubs with the 51st overall pick in the second round of the MLB Draft.
"I am incredibly excited and grateful for the opportunity to join Coach Lemonis and Coastal Carolina Baseball," Hopper said. "Coastal has established itself as one of the premier programs in college baseball, and the tradition of excellence here is evident. I will miss the relationships with the Pirates organization but look forward to building relationships with our guys, helping them pursue excellence and compete for championships."
Before arriving at Dallas Baptist, Hopper spent nine seasons at UAB, where he helped lead the Blazers to the 2012 Conference USA Tournament championship and the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1991. In 2014, he was named the inaugural Conference USA Assistant Coach of the Year after guiding a pitching staff that posted a 2.87 ERA and ranked No. 24 nationally with nine shutouts.
During his tenure with the Blazers, Hopper helped develop nine Major League Baseball Draft selections, including future Major Leaguer Garrett Whitlock. His pitching staffs set school records in ERA, shutouts and opponents' batting average and produced nine all-conference selections.
Hopper began his collegiate coaching career at his alma mater, Berry College, where he spent five seasons as pitching coach. He helped guide the Vikings to the program's first NAIA World Series appearance in 2009 and a No. 4 ranking in the final NAIA Baseball Coaches Poll. During his time at Berry, Hopper also helped coach future Major Leaguers Collin McHugh and Chris Rearick.
Before transitioning into coaching, Hopper enjoyed a standout playing career at Berry College, earning all-conference honors three times and finishing his career among the school's all-time leaders in wins and strikeouts. Following graduation, he spent two seasons in the New York Mets organization, helping the Mets capture the 1999 Gulf Coast League championship before splitting the 2000 season between the Capital City Bombers of the South Atlantic League and the Pittsfield Mets of the New York-Penn League.
A graduate of Berry College with a bachelor's degree in health and physical education, Hopper earned a master's degree in exercise science from Georgia State University in 2004.
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