Loren Hibbs

Loren Hibbs
Picture of Hibbs in 2010.
Loren Hibbs (49) meets with the umpires and opposing coach at a game in 2010.
Biographical details
Born (1961-05-17) May 17, 1961 (age 62)
Wellington, Kansas, U.S.
Alma materWichita State University
Playing career
1982–1984Wichita State
1984Everett Giants
Position(s)Outfield
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1985–1992Wichita State (asst.)
1993–2019Charlotte
2023Wichita State (Interim HC)
Administrative career (AD unless noted)
2020-2022Wichita State (Dir. of Operations)
Head coaching record
Overall850–706–4
TournamentsNCAA: 3–10
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
2 Metro Conference Regular season Titles (1994, 1995)
4 Atlantic 10 Regular season Titles (2007, 2008, 2010, 2011)
1 Metro Conference Tournament championship (1993)
1 Conference USA Tournament championship (1998)
3 Atlantic 10 Tournament championships (2007, 2008, 2011)
5 NCAA Regional Appearances (1993, 1998, 2007, 2008, 2011)
Awards
C-USA Coach of the Year (1998)
A-10 Coach of the Year (2007)
AAC Coach of the Year (2023)

Loren Hibbs (born May 17, 1961) is an American baseball coach and former player, most recently serving as the interim head baseball coach for Wichita State for the 2023 season.[1] He previously has served as the head baseball coach at Charlotte.

Playing career[edit]

Hibbs played college baseball for Wichita State. During his time as a player with the Shockers, he was on the all-tournament team at the 1982 College World Series and, in 1982, set the NCAA record for runs in a season.[2] After college, Hibbs played a short time in the San Francisco Giants farm system, appearing in 39 games for the Everett Giants in 1984.[3]

Coaching career[edit]

Hibbs served as an assistant with Wichita State from 1985–1992 before being hired by the Charlotte 49ers.[2] At Charlotte, Hibbs won the Metro Conference tournament and an NCAA tournament berth in 1993, the Metro regular season titles in 1994 and 1995, the Atlantic 10 regular season and conference tournament titles in 2007 and 2008, and the Atlantic 10 regular season title in 2010. In 1998 the Niners won a school-record 43 games and reached the NCAA tournament. Charlotte broke the 1998 mark for wins in 2007 with 49 wins, including two wins over NC State in the 2007 NCAA tournament.[4]

On June 14, 2019, Hibbs announced his retirement as head coach of Charlotte baseball to rejoin Wichita State as its director of baseball operations.[5] In December 2022, he was named interim head coach after the resignation of Eric Wedge. Despite taking the reins just months before the 2023 season, he was named the American Athletic Conference coach of the year after leading the Shockers to a 30-25 (13-10 AAC) record, an improvement of a 21-36 overall mark and 9-15 finish in league play in 2022.[6]

On May 30, 2023, Wichita State director of athletics Kevin Saal announced that Hibbs and the rest of the Shockers coaching staff would not be retained for the 2024 season, with the university opting to perform a national search for Wedge's permanent replacement.[7]

Head coaching record[edit]

Below is a table of Hibbs's yearly records as an NCAA head baseball coach.[4][8][9]

Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Charlotte 49ers (Metro Conference) (1993–1995)
1993 Charlotte 26–32 6–11 5th NCAA Regional
1994 Charlotte 31–25 12–5 1st Metro Tournament
1995 Charlotte 36–21 11–7 T–1st Metro Tournament
Charlotte 49ers (Conference USA) (1996–2005)
1996 Charlotte 29–30 11–13 5th C-USA tournament
1997 Charlotte 30–26–1 14–12 5th C-USA tournament
1998 Charlotte 43–19 19–8 3rd NCAA Regional
1999 Charlotte 26–26 13–14 7th C-USA tournament
2000 Charlotte 32–25–1 15–11 4th C-USA tournament
2001 Charlotte 24–31 10–17 8th C-USA tournament
2002 Charlotte 19–35 9–21 11th
2003 Charlotte 21–28 11–15 8th C-USA tournament
2004 Charlotte 20–32 9–21 10th
2005 Charlotte 32–23 13–17 9th
Charlotte 49ers (Atlantic 10 Conference) (2006–2013)
2006 Charlotte 35–20–1 18–9 T–3rd A-10 tournament
2007 Charlotte 49–12 23–4 1st NCAA Regional
2008 Charlotte 43–16 19–8 T–1st NCAA Regional
2009 Charlotte 33–22 16–11 T–4th A-10 tournament
2010 Charlotte 40–16 20–7 1st A-10 tournament
2011 Charlotte 43–16 17–7 1st NCAA Regional
2012 Charlotte 21–32 9–14 10th
2013 Charlotte 37–23 17–7 T–1st A-10 tournament
Charlotte 49ers (Conference USA) (2013–2019)
2014 Charlotte 19–31–1 10–19 T–11th
2015 Charlotte 19–29 11–19 10th
2016 Charlotte 23–32 12–17 8th C-USA tournament
2017 Charlotte 34–24 18–12 T-3rd C-USA tournament
2018 Charlotte 34–24 17–13 4th C-USA tournament
2019 Charlotte 21–31–1 11–18–1 11th
Wichita State Shockers (American Athletic Conference) (2023)
2023 Wichita State 30–25 13–10 3rd American tournament
Total: 850–706–5

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

Personal[edit]

Hibbs's wife, Lisa, is the director of the Athletic Academic Center at UNC Charlotte. His son Tyson Hibbs played for his father as a utility player and pinch runner with the 49ers from 2006 to 2009.[citation needed] He is also the father of two daughters, Erin and Lanie.[10]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "https://twitter.com/GoShockers/status/1663557332385828868?s=20". Twitter. Retrieved 2023-05-30. {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
  2. ^ a b "2012 Wichita State Baseball Record Book". Wichita State Sports Information. p. 79. Archived from the original on 6 February 2012. Retrieved 13 June 2012.
  3. ^ "Loren Hibbs". Baseball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on 17 September 2013. Retrieved 13 June 2012.
  4. ^ a b "Charlotte Baseball Year-by-Year Results" (PDF). Charlotte49ers.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 May 2013. Retrieved 13 June 2012.
  5. ^ "Hibbs Retires After 27 Years; Named WSU Ass't AD". Charlotte49ers.com. UNC Charlotte. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
  6. ^ https://twitter.com/GoShockersBSB/status/1660707245519151113
  7. ^ https://twitter.com/GoShockers/status/1663557332385828868
  8. ^ Nation, Boyd. "Yearly Conference Standings". BoydsWorld.com. Archived from the original on 21 June 2012. Retrieved 13 June 2012.
  9. ^ "2013 Atlantic 10 Conference Baseball Standings". D1Baseball.com. Jeremy Mills. Archived from the original on May 31, 2013. Retrieved May 27, 2013.
  10. ^ "#49 Loren Hibbs". Charlotte49ers.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 13 June 2012.