Chris Prothro Baseball Camps

Head Coach - Chris Prothro

Chris Prothro was chosen as Eastern Kentucky University’s baseball head coach on Sept. 30, 2020.

It didn’t take long for Prothro to turn the Colonels into champions.  In 2022, EKU went 38-20 overall and claimed a share of the ASUN Conference West Division Championship with a 20-10 league mark.  The 38 wins were the most in a season since the 1990 squad won 42.  It was Eastern Kentucky’s first conference title since 2012.  The Colonels were picked to finish eighth in the ASUN Preseason Poll, but finished tied for the best overall conference record in the league.

Two players earned considerable national attention during the 2022 season.  Kendal Ewell was a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award, given each year to the top amateur baseball player in the country.  He also earned multiple national player of the week honors.  Will Brian was chosen as an All-American by three organizations, including a first team pick by the NCBWA.  He was also a finalist for the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award.

Ewell and Brian joined catcher Will King on the ASUN All-Conference Team.  King also earned a spot on the ASUN All-Tournament team after leading the Colonels to the semifinals.

Brian was ranked by D1Baseball.com as the No. 6 reliever in the nation and Ewell was rated as the 34th-best outfielder.  King was on the Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year Award watch list.

Eastern Kentucky won 17 more games in 2022 than the season before and posted 13 road wins after earning just five in 2021.  Brian broke EKU’s single season individual saves record.  As a team, the Colonels set a new record for fielding percentage (97.5 percent) and total saves (19).

“Words can’t even express how excited I am to lead the EKU baseball program," Prothro said.  "The pieces are in place for a championship level of success.  We have amazing facilities, a first class student-athlete experience and outstanding leadership.”

In his first season, Prothro led the Colonels to victories over No. 15 Georgia Tech and No. 7 Louisville.  EKU also got the tying run to second base in the ninth inning at No. 2 Vanderbilt before falling by two.  Eastern played 14 games against teams that advance to the NCAA Tournament.  Four players earned postseason honors in 2021.

The Colonels improved throughout the season, winning three of their final five conference series.  Over the final 11 games of the season, Prothro’s pitching staff had a 3.34 ERA.  The staff led the league in strikeouts and defensively the 2021 team set what was then a new program record with a .972 fielding percentage.

Prior to taking the head coaching position at EKU, Prothro helped the University of South Alabama capture two conference championships, make two NCAA Regional appearances and compile a 152-104 record in five seasons as an assistant coach.

“I first learned about Chris Prothro several years ago and I’ve been impressed ever since,” said Vice President and Director of Athletics Matt Roan.  “What I believed then and what I know now is that he is high character and possesses the right disposition, baseball intellect, and recruiting abilities to keep our program at a championship level.  He is committed to winning the right way, prioritizes the total student-athlete experience, and he’s a competitor.  Coach will also build strong, personal connections throughout our campus, the community and with the Colonel baseball alumni.”

As the recruiting coordinator at South Alabama, Prothro led the efforts that resulted in the 2018 recruiting class being ranked 25th in the nation.  The 2016, 2017, 2019 and 2020 classes also garnered recognition by national collegiate baseball publications.

Prothro joined the Jaguars staff in July of 2015.  As the program’s hitting instructor, USA ranked first or second in every major statistical category in the Sun Belt Conference in 2017 as well as placing among the national leaders in runs scored per game, walks and home runs.  He instructed two first team All-Sun Belt selections in three consecutive seasons, 2016-18.  Prothro coached five players who were drafted over a three-year span, including the No. 10 overall pick in 2018.

With Prothro on the staff, South Alabama captured the 2016 Sun Belt Conference regular season title and the 2017 Sun Belt Tournament Championship.  The Jaguars won two games in the Tallahassee Regional in 2016 before falling to top-seeded Florida State.  USA beat No. 2 seed Mississippi State in the first round of the Hattiesburg Regional in 2017.  South Alabama finished the 2017 season ranked 26th nationally.

From the summer of 2007 to 2015, Prothro served in a variety of roles at Nicholls State University.  He was the associate head coach and recruiting coordinator from 2011 to 2015.  He spent six seasons as the pitching coach and two seasons as the hitting coach.  In his final two seasons, he helped NSU win 66 games overall and 66 percent of its conference games.  The 2014 and 2015 Nicholls recruiting classes were recognized nationally.

During his tenure as pitching coach, eight pitchers were drafted or signed by MLB organizations.  He tutored the 2014 and 2015 Southland Conference Pitcher of the Year and the 2015 Southland Conference Reliever of the Year.

Prothro was an assistant at North Iowa Community College during the 2006 season.  He also was an assistant coach in the Northwoods Summer Collegiate League in 2006 and 2007, coaching 13 future MLB draft picks.

Prothro earned a bachelor’s of arts degree in history in 2005 at Arkansas State University, where he played for two seasons.  He began his collegiate playing career at Northwestern State University.  Prothro and his wife Candace have two children, Grayson and Rhyan.