University of Memphis Athletics
Riser Names Pemberton as Hitting and Infield Coach, Recruiting Coordinator
Jul 10, 2023 | Baseball
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Memphis Baseball head coach Matt Riser announced the hiring of Ford Pemberton as the program's new hitting and infield coach, as well as recruiting coordinator on Wednesday.
A native of Bossier City, Louisiana, Pemberton comes to Memphis after spending the last two seasons in the same roles under Riser at Southeastern Louisiana.
"My family and I are extremely excited about joining the University of Memphis and its baseball program," Pemberton said. "I'm grateful to continue working with Coach Riser and look forward to working with our staff in putting together a championship club that will play a brand of baseball that the city of Memphis, the university, fans and alumni will all be proud of."
Pemberton helped the Lions' 2022 offense to program top-10 totals in doubles, triples and home runs in his first season. The 70 home runs hit by Southeastern were the fourth-most in program history and the most in over twenty years.
Four players slugged double-digit home runs for the first time in school history in 2022 under Pemberton's guidance. In addition, the Lions logged over 100 doubles for the first time since 2010.
SLU led the nation in batters getting hit by pitch, led by Rhett Rosevear who tied the DI single-season record for HBPs. The Lions set or tied more than 14 Southland Conference Tournament offensive records during its run to the 2022 championship.
Under his tutelage, Southeastern infielders also showed a marked improvement defensively as they helped the Lions produce a program-best .978 fielding percentage during the 2022 season.
He has served as a board member of the Louisiana Baseball Coaches Association since 2022 and was a featured speaker at the 2023 LBCA Convention. In addition, Pemberton is a member of the American Baseball Coaches Association. He served as a speaker at both the Bayou/River Coaches Clinic in 2017 and the LHSAA Coaches Clinic in 2019.
Pemberton made the leap to the collegiate level in July of 2016, joining the Nicholls staff as Director of Baseball Operations and Camp Coordinator before moving onto the coaching staff a year later. A second promotion followed in August 2019 with Pemberton taking over as the Colonels' hitting coach along with a focus on base-running, the squad's catchers and serving as the program's academic liaison.
Pemberton also played a major role in Nicholls' recruiting efforts, practice organization and scheduling.
Prior to Nicholls, Pemberton served as an assistant at C.E. Byrd High School in Shreveport from 2014 to 2016. While at Byrd, he served as an associate scout for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Prior to his time at Byrd, Pemberton spent time as an assistant coach at Zachary High School and Parkview Baptist High School. He helped lead all three schools to the LHSAA State Championship.
He attended Haughton High School and graduated from Louisiana State University in 2013 with a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology and from Arkansas State in 2019 with a Master of Science in Sport Administration.
Pemberton and his wife, Sarah, have a son, John Ford, and a daughter, Cate.
How to follow the Tigers: For complete information on Memphis Tigers Baseball, visit www.GoTigersGo.com and follow the team's social media channels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
A native of Bossier City, Louisiana, Pemberton comes to Memphis after spending the last two seasons in the same roles under Riser at Southeastern Louisiana.
"My family and I are extremely excited about joining the University of Memphis and its baseball program," Pemberton said. "I'm grateful to continue working with Coach Riser and look forward to working with our staff in putting together a championship club that will play a brand of baseball that the city of Memphis, the university, fans and alumni will all be proud of."
Pemberton helped the Lions' 2022 offense to program top-10 totals in doubles, triples and home runs in his first season. The 70 home runs hit by Southeastern were the fourth-most in program history and the most in over twenty years.
Four players slugged double-digit home runs for the first time in school history in 2022 under Pemberton's guidance. In addition, the Lions logged over 100 doubles for the first time since 2010.
SLU led the nation in batters getting hit by pitch, led by Rhett Rosevear who tied the DI single-season record for HBPs. The Lions set or tied more than 14 Southland Conference Tournament offensive records during its run to the 2022 championship.
Under his tutelage, Southeastern infielders also showed a marked improvement defensively as they helped the Lions produce a program-best .978 fielding percentage during the 2022 season.
He has served as a board member of the Louisiana Baseball Coaches Association since 2022 and was a featured speaker at the 2023 LBCA Convention. In addition, Pemberton is a member of the American Baseball Coaches Association. He served as a speaker at both the Bayou/River Coaches Clinic in 2017 and the LHSAA Coaches Clinic in 2019.
Pemberton made the leap to the collegiate level in July of 2016, joining the Nicholls staff as Director of Baseball Operations and Camp Coordinator before moving onto the coaching staff a year later. A second promotion followed in August 2019 with Pemberton taking over as the Colonels' hitting coach along with a focus on base-running, the squad's catchers and serving as the program's academic liaison.
Pemberton also played a major role in Nicholls' recruiting efforts, practice organization and scheduling.
Prior to Nicholls, Pemberton served as an assistant at C.E. Byrd High School in Shreveport from 2014 to 2016. While at Byrd, he served as an associate scout for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Prior to his time at Byrd, Pemberton spent time as an assistant coach at Zachary High School and Parkview Baptist High School. He helped lead all three schools to the LHSAA State Championship.
He attended Haughton High School and graduated from Louisiana State University in 2013 with a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology and from Arkansas State in 2019 with a Master of Science in Sport Administration.
Pemberton and his wife, Sarah, have a son, John Ford, and a daughter, Cate.
How to follow the Tigers: For complete information on Memphis Tigers Baseball, visit www.GoTigersGo.com and follow the team's social media channels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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