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Features
About Coach Riginos...
- Tom Riginos is in his sixth year with the Tiger program as the hitting and outfielders coach. He also carries the title of associate head coach. Riginos (pronounced rih-JEEN-uhs), who will turn 40 on April 5 when Clemson plays host to Wofford, coached nine seasons as Stetson's recruiting coordinator from 1994-02, where he also coached the hitters and outfielders. He was responsible for all aspects of the Hatter junior varsity team as well.
- While at Stetson, he recruited eight classes that gained national recognition. His 2002 class included three all-state performers and three highly-rated prospects from the Central Florida area. He also recruited six All-Americans and 10 freshman All-Americans during his tenure with the Hatters.
- Riginos has continued the Tigers' recent success of recruiting top talent from the state of Florida, including the unanimous 2002 National Player-of-the-Year Khalil Greene (Key West). Riginos was a big reason the Tigers signed Andy D'Alessio, a 10th-round draft pick in 2003, along with recent Tigers Stephen Clyne, David Kopp, and Marquez Smith.
- In his first season as the hitting coach at Clemson in 2003, the Tigers batted .309 and sported a consistent lineup from top to bottom. All four starting infielders were named First or Second-Team All-ACC. The Tigers also led the conference in batting average (.326) in ACC regular-season games, 19 points higher than second-place Georgia Tech.
- In 2004, he coached Brad McCann to one of the best offensive seasons by a Tiger in recent history when the third-baseman hit .379 with 16 homers and 65 RBIs. The 2004 Tigers also hit 73 homers, 149 doubles, and stole 77 bases.
- The 2005 season saw two Tiger hitters earn All-America honors under Riginos' watch. Kris Harvey was a First-Team ABCA All-American when he hit 25 homers (tied for second- most in the nation) with 70 RBIs. Taylor Harbin earned second-team All-America honors as a freshman when he hit 28 doubles (second- most in the nation), 10 homers, and 63 RBIs. The consistency showed in the fact that no Tiger hit over .350, but the team still batted .305 with 76 home runs.
- In 2006, Clemson was 19th in the nation in homers per game with 80 in 69 games during its ACC Championship and College World Series season. Under his tutelage, outfielder Tyler Colvin went from being undrafted out of high school to being a first-team All-American thanks to hitting .356 with 13 homers and 70 RBIs. Colvin was also the #13 overall pick of the 2006 draft. D'Alessio was a first-team All-American as well after hitting 23 home runs with 85 RBIs.
- The 2007 Tigers sported a veteran lineup, led by Brad Chalk with a team-best .366 batting average and .483 on-base percentage. Marquez Smith added a .336 batting average, 13 homers, and 56 RBIs, while D'Alessio totaled 17 homers, giving him a school-record-tying 59 career long balls. Riginos also helped catcher Doug Hogan go from relative obscurity during his first two seasons to a .350 batting average along with 13 home runs and 46 RBIs in 2007.
- The 2007 season allowed Riginos to coach his son Ben, a freshman who hit .258 with five homers and 20 RBIs in 58 games (46 starts). Ben is slated to be the everyday starter at first base in 2008.
- As hitting coach at Stetson, Riginos coached four of the top-five hitting teams in school history, including the 2001 squad that hit .324 with a school-record 78 homers. That team also was 24th nationally in batting average, 12th in slugging percentage, and 19th in home runs per game.
- Riginos coached five All-Americans and five of the top hitters in Stetson history, including shortstop Kevin Nicholson, catcher Sammy Serrano, outfielder Frank Corr, and catcher Chris Westervelt. Under his guidance, all five won conference player-of-the-year honors along with multiple All-America accolades.
- Nicholson was drafted by San Diego in the first round of the 1997 draft and made his Major League debut with the Padres in 2001. Serrano batted a school-record .457 in 1998 and was chosen in the second round that same year by the Giants.
- Corr set school and conference records for career doubles (79), homers (53), RBIs (258), and total bases (562). He also set six single-season school records during the 2000 season when he batted .431 with 34 doubles, 18 home runs, and 98 RBIs. Westervelt had a .403 batting average with 18 homers and was a first-team Academic All-American.
- Another Hatter Riginos recruited to Stetson in 2000 was third-baseman Brian Snyder, who became a first-round draft pick by the Athletics in 2003.
- Riginos is no stranger to the Clemson program and Doug Kingsmore Stadium, as Stetson visited Tigertown for a three-game series in 1998.
- Prior to his nine seasons at Stetson, Riginos spent two seasons as the top assistant coach and graduate assistant coach at Eastern Kentucky in Richmond, KY. He helped coach the Colonels to an Ohio Valley Conference second-place finish during the 1992 season while serving as the team's hitting and outfield coach. Prior to his stint at Eastern Kentucky, Riginos spent one season on the coaching staff at his alma mater, Countryside High School in Clearwater, FL.
- Riginos was a four-year letterman for the Hatters between 1987 and 1990, and he helped Stetson to three NCAA Regional appearances and three Trans America Athletic Conference championships. He played 225 games during his career and hit .279, while finishing as one of the top stolen-base leaders in Hatter history with 61. Riginos was also a team captain during the 1990 season.
- The Clearwater, FL native earned his bachelor of arts degree in sports administration from Stetson in 1990. He later earned a master of science degree in physical education/sports administration from Eastern Kentucky in 1993, where he had a 3.36 GPA.
- Riginos is married to the former Shaileen Kelley. The couple has twin girls, Alexandra and Grace, born November 22, 2000. Tom also has a son, Ben (20). Riginos was born April 5, 1968 in Tampa, FL.
- Full Name: Thomas Anthony Riginos
- Born: April 5, 1968 in Tampa, FL
- Education: Bachelor of arts in sports administration at Stetson (1990); master of science in physical education/sports administration at Eastern Kentucky (1993)
- Playing Experience: Four-year letterman at Stetson (1987-90)
- Coaching Experience: Assistant coach at Countryside (FL) High School (1991); graduate assistant coach at Eastern Kentucky (1992,93); assistant coach at Stetson (1994-02); assistant head coach at Clemson (2003-07)
- Family: Wife, Shaileen; the couple has twin girls, Alexandra and Grace (7); Tom has a son, Ben (20)
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