CONWAY, S.C. – Coastal Carolina head baseball coach Chris Lemonis has announced the hiring of Tony Skole as the program's general manager.

Skole brings more than 25 years of collegiate head coaching experience to Conway, along with an extensive background in player evaluation, recruiting and program leadership.

"Tony has spent his career building successful programs and identifying talented players," Lemonis said. "He's someone I have known and respected for a long time. The experience he brings will be invaluable as we continue to shape our roster and position Coastal Carolina Baseball for long-term success. We're excited to welcome Tony and his family to our program."

Skole joins the Chanticleers after working with IMG Academy Baseball since 2024. Beginning in 2025, he led IMG Academy's Black squad to a combined 42-8 record over the last two seasons, including a 22-4 mark in 2025 and a 20-4 record in 2026, while overseeing the development of numerous Division I commits and professional prospects.

Prior to his time at IMG Academy, Skole spent seven seasons as the head coach at The Citadel, his alma mater. Before returning to Charleston, he served as the head coach at East Tennessee State for 18 seasons, becoming the program's all-time winningest coach with 471 victories. He guided the Buccaneers to an Atlantic Sun Conference championship and an NCAA Regional appearance in 2013.

Skole began his collegiate head coaching career at Lincoln Memorial, where he recorded 95 wins in three seasons from 1997-99.

"The opportunity to join Coach Lemonis and become part of the tradition at Coastal Carolina was an easy decision," Skole said. "This program has established itself as one of the premier brands in college baseball. I'm looking forward to helping build a roster that reflects the standard that Coastal has set and supporting our coaches and student-athletes in every way possible."

In addition to his collegiate coaching experience, Skole served as an assistant coach for the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team in 2019.

Skole is a 1991 graduate of The Citadel, where he lettered in baseball and football before being inducted into The Citadel Athletic Hall of Fame in 2011. As a third baseman, he helped the Bulldogs win two Southern Conference championships and reach the 1990 College World Series. On the football field, Skole started 35 consecutive games as a defensive back, helped The Citadel make two NCAA I-AA playoff appearances and was voted a team captain for the 1990 season.