Louisville Baseball Adds Vrable as Assistant Coach
August 01, 2014 | Baseball
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Louisville baseball head coach Dan McDonnell announced on Friday the hiring of former Charleston Southern assistant Adam Vrable as an assistant coach with the Cardinals.
Vrable will serve as Louisville's volunteer assistant coach working with the Cardinals' hitters and outfielders while also assisting with the program's recruiting efforts. Vrable spent one season at Charleston Southern, where he served as the hitting instructor for the Buccaneers.
"Adam is one of the top young hitting coaches out there with a background in aggressive baserunning who also has the ability to coach multiple positions on the field," said McDonnell, who led the Cardinals to their third College World Series berth in his eight seasons in 2014. "He brings a lot of energy and enthusiasm to the ballpark every day and that fits perfectly into the way we do things at Louisville."
Vrable's influence was felt in his only season at CSU as the team won 30 games for the first time in 14 years and established a school-single season record with 20 home wins in 2014. The Buccaneers' bats were a big reason why, as CSU led the Big South and ranked 17th nationally with a .298 batting average.
"I would like to thank Coach McDonnell and the University of Louisville for welcoming me to the Cardinals family. This is an exciting opportunity and I am blessed to be joining one of the best programs in college baseball," Vrable said. "I'm looking forward to working with such an elite staff and a talented group of athletes who all share the same goal...Omaha."
Prior to joining the Charleston Southern program, Vrable spent two years on Fred Jordan's staff at The Citadel, where he worked with hitters and outfielders making a big impact in the Bulldogs' 35-25 record during the 2013 season. The Citadel reached the Southern Conference Tournament championship game on the strength of a prolific offense, which ranked third in the country with 66 home runs. Under Vrable's tutelage, the Bulldogs also placed fourth nationally in slugging percentage, 12th in runs, 13th in batting average, and 19th in hits.
"He's an energetic guy who is fired up for the game of baseball. He brings it every day at practice, which really helps the players to improve and get better," said New York Yankees prospect Bo Thompson, who was not only coached by Vrable at The Citadel but also chose him to be his pitcher for the 2013 TD Ameritrade College Home Run Derby. "He's the first one at the field, the last one to leave and he's always willing to go the extra mile. He has a great mind for hitting, but he's also a great guy on and off the field."
A native of Bay City, Michigan, Vrable enjoyed an excellent playing career at Coastal Carolina University helping the Chanticleers to a pair of Big South Championships and No. 1 seeds in the 2005 and 2007 NCAA Regionals. A 2007 graduate of Coastal Carolina with a degree in history, he led his squad with a .324 batting average during the 2006 season. Vrable is married to the former Renee Rasmer of Bay City, Michigan.
Vrable replaces former Louisville assistant coach Kyle Cheesebrough, who was hired as an assistant at Indiana in July.
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