Blake Herring
Blake Herring

Bio

Blake Herring enters his 10th season as the head coach of the Louisburg College baseball program, having returned to lead the Hurricanes in the fall of 2015 after a successful four-year stint as pitching coach at Carson-Newman University.

Since taking the helm, Herring has guided the Hurricanes to more than 250 victories and developed over 100 student-athletes who have continued their playing careers at four-year institutions. Under his leadership, Louisburg has produced numerous All-Region 10 honorees as well as Region X Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and Relief Pitcher of the Year award winners. In 2022, outfielder Trendon Craig became the latest Hurricane selected in the MLB Draft, continuing the program’s proud tradition of producing professional-level talent.

Prior to returning to Louisburg, Herring made his mark at Carson-Newman, where he coached several All-Conference and All-Region pitchers. In 2015, All-Region selection Vince Apicella ranked fourth nationally in NCAA Division II strikeouts under Herring’s guidance, while the Eagles’ staff led the league in Pitcher of the Week honors. He also coached Chris Armstrong to second-team All-South Atlantic Conference recognition and helped Robbie Thigpen earn a SAC Gold Glove.

Herring previously served as pitching coach at Louisburg College from 2008–11, where his staffs were among the league leaders in both ERA and strikeouts. He coached back-to-back Region 10 Pitchers of the Year, including one who went on to pitch at South Carolina and another who was drafted in the fourth round by the Chicago Cubs. In just three seasons, he helped send 12 players to Division I programs and numerous others to Division II schools.

Before beginning his collegiate coaching career, Herring was an assistant coach at Millbrook High School in Raleigh, N.C.

A native of Snow Hill, N.C., Herring was a standout student-athlete at Greene Central High School, where he earned All-State honors in baseball and was named Conference Player of the Year. He also excelled in football, earning all-conference and all-area honors as both a junior and senior. Herring played two seasons at Lenoir Community College, helping the Lancers to a fifth-place finish at the NJCAA Division II World Series as a freshman. He then completed his collegiate career at Campbell University, where he led the Camels in wins, innings pitched, starts, and complete games in both 2006 and 2007. In his senior season, he led the Atlantic Sun Conference in complete games.

Herring earned his master’s degree in kinesiology from Georgia Southern University.

He and his wife, Kelly (Joyner), a graduate of East Carolina University and fifth-grade teacher at Laurel Mill Elementary School, live in Louisburg with their two children, daughter Peyton Banks and son Carson Blake.