Salisbury, N.C. —- Catawba College graduate Cole Hales will serve as the Catawba Baseball program's next pitching coach, head coach Jim Gantt announced Friday.

Hales joins the Catawba coaching staff following three seasons as a standout, two-way athlete for the Catawba Indians. He replaces Greg Brown, who left the program to pursue an opportunity outside of athletics.

"We are extremely excited that Cole will stay with our program as our new pitching coach," Gantt said. "Cole being a two-way player through his baseball career will enable him to coach our pitching staff from a hitter's and pitcher's perspective. Cole will also be able to build on Greg Brown's foundation, since he pitched for Greg at Catawba. Cole is a Catawba guy through and through. His competitiveness, intellect and winning desire is going to be a great addition to our program."

Hales earned American Baseball Coaches Association All-American honors following the 2025 season with Catawba, batting .407 with 17 doubles and seven homers, while driving in a team-best 55 runs. He also earned College Sports Communicators First Team Academic All-America honors.

On the mound, Hales recorded 84.1 innings for the Catawba Indians through a variety of roles in his three seasons. He started in 10 of his 43 appearances, but also logged five saves in his career, highlighted by a 4-0 mark across 39 innings in 2024 with three saves and a 3.69 ERA for the South Atlantic Conference and Southeast Regional champion Catawba Indians.

"It's always been a dream of mine to play and coach at Catawba," Hales said. "I've been blessed to play on a high-quality team and now I'm excited to continue the high expectations of Catawba Baseball as a part of our coaching staff."

The Catawba Indians begin their 2026 season and their quest for a third consecutive SAC championship with the team's annual season-opening trip to Florida during the final weekend of January.