By Bob Rose
TIGERVILLE, S.C. – From a distance, North Greenville University looks like a typically small Christian-based college nestled at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
But don’t be fooled. While the school features less than 2,000 students on its campus, there is nothing small about the Trailblazers’ NCAA Division-II baseball program. In what many believe is a first in college sports history (all divisions), NGU boasts four members of its coaching staff who were all significant former Major League players.
It’s a story about an improbable convergence of like-minded baseball “lifers” who love the game and relish the opportunity to pay it forward.
The chief architect of North Greenville’s program is Head Coach Landon Powell, once a first-round Oakland A’s draft pick (2004) who has won 75 percent of his games at NGU during a remarkable 10-year coaching career that includes the 2022 NCAA Division-II National Championship.
On this particular day, Powell and his team were midway through a non-league, three-hour bus trip to Coker University in Hartsville, S.C. The trip, which resulted in a Trailblazers’ 14-7 win that lifted its record to 26-8 (now 38-8), was reminiscent of Landon’s earlier bus rides in the minor leagues. For him, it was a full circle moment.
“Yeah, it does seem that way,” said Powell. “Especially lately. We’ve been on the bus a ton and are playing 32 road games this season (compared to 22 at home).”
Earlier this season, a private donor underwrote a trip to Hawaii, where Powell’s club played Hawaii Pacific and Chaminade.
“It was really a lifetime experience,” Landon added. “A lot of my players hadn’t even been on an airplane before. It was 10 hours in the air to Honolulu.”
But even a trip to a tropical paradise pales in comparison to the experience NGU players have gotten under the tutelage of four Major Leaguers.
And experience is certainly the operative word.
The head coach can offer his players the experience he had in catching Dallas Braden’s historic perfect game in 2010, only the 19th in Major League history. Or being named an All-America at the University of South Carolina and being voted to a College World Series Legend All-Time Team that also featured Barry Bonds, Nomar Garciaparra, Will Clark, Robin Ventura and Dave Winfield.
And Powell’s recruiting coordinator and hitting coach Micah Owings, a six-year big league veteran, can share such stories about the time he was called up to the majors by the Arizona Diamondbacks to fill a starter spot for future Hall of Famer Randy Johnson. Or when he etched his name into baseball’s record book when he became the first pitcher in MLB history to garner four hits, four runs and six RBI at the plate against Atlanta in 2007. His game, in which he pitched seven innings and hit two home runs, is perhaps the greatest pitching-and-hitting performance in the pre-Shohei Ohtani era.
Then there’s pitching coach Darren Holmes, who toiled 14 seasons in the majors with eight different clubs and can regale the North Greenville players with such tales as when he shared a dugout with Derek Jeter, Chili Davis and Andy Petitte in earning a World Series ring with the 1998 Yankees. Or more recently, spending 10 years as a big league bullpen coach for the Colorado Rockies, Baltimore Orioles and Chicago Cubs.
And rounding out the big-league coaching quartet is volunteer assistant Eddie Taubensee, an 11-year MLB veteran catcher who might mention to his young pupils that he batted .311 with 21 homers and 87 RBI for the 1999 Cincinnati Reds.
You would think a low-budget Division-II program would be a very unlikely destination to attract such high-profile coaches. So, Landon, what was your sales pitch?
“I promised them a trip to Hawaii,” he said with a chuckle.
Actually, the remarkable assemblage of three big-league assistant coaches involved serendipity, past relationships and maybe even some divine intervention. Coach by coach, Powell explains:
Taubensee–“I met Eddie when I was still playing. He was involved in Pro Athlete Outreach (a ministry) in Florida, and we developed a friendship. One of his sons (Matthew) was 10 years old back then. He was a left-handed pitcher who eventually progressed and now is in the bullpen here as a reliever. Eddie was just a dad in the stands. Just in passing after one game, he mentioned that he had sold his business in Florida and was thinking of moving to Greenville. He said, ‘if you ever need a volunteer coach, I’m interested.’ I asked him, ‘are you kidding me?’ I knew he had coached in the minors one season (2017 in the Giants’ system), so I jumped on it!
“I told Eddie to just come to practice when you can. He went to one or two practices a week for the first six months. But he started loving it, to the point now that he’s a full-time staff member, doesn’t miss anything, and serves as my bench coach while helping hitters and catchers.”
Holmes– ”I’ve known Darren a long time (Hall of Famer and current FOX broadcaster) John Smoltz and Darren were running a sports training company called Acceleration Sports Institute (ACI) in Greenville, where I trained in the offseason. When Hurricane Helene hit, I took my family to our beach home in South Carolina and went to a hardware store to get my chainsaw repaired. I heard someone at the left of the cash register talking and recognized the voice. It was Darren! He told me he had just been let go by the Cubs and was very much in limbo. Later I called him up and told him my pitching coach would be leaving and wondered if he’d be interested. I told him it was only a 40-minute drive from his home in Asheville (N.C.) so he could sleep in his own bed and look at it as a retirement job. He took the job and tells me now that he loves it.”
Owings–”We knew each other in college (Owings played at Georgia Tech and Tulane). He was running a wood-bat summer league, and I sent a few of our players to him. We met at a game, and he mentioned his goal was to become a college coach someday. I mentioned that we might have an opportunity. It was good timing. Financially, while it wasn’t what he deserved, he was willing to take the job because it got his foot into college baseball.”
Beyond the chance to get back into the game, all three coaches said the biggest attraction was simply the head coach, Landon Powell. The Trailblazer’s skipper inherited a North Greenville program in 2014 that posted a dismal 8-35 record the previous season. Brick by brick, Powell has constructed perhaps the model Division-II program. Earlier this year, he won his 400th game and his 10-year record now stands at 418-138-1. Besides the 2022 National Championship, he has steered his teams to five Conference Carolinas Tournament titles, four regular-season conference trophies and six NCAA Postseason appearances.
“Landon is probably the smartest baseball guy I’ve ever been around,” said Holmes. “I truly mean that. I see it every day. We've been struggling recently, and Landon brought every player in the (batting) cage. He didn’t bring a pencil or pen with him. He just watches every single play and knows what to tell them to make adjustments.”
In calling him the smartest baseball person he’s encountered; it’s certainly high praise. Afterall, it should be noted that Holmes played for such managers as Tommy Lasorda, Joe Torre and Tony La Russa, and played with such teammates as Mike Scioscia, Robin Yount, Paul Molitor, Joe Girardi and Jeter.
Owings, who played for both Dusty Baker and Bob Melvin in the big leagues, echoes Holmes’ view regarding the head coach.
“I've been around a lot of college coaches; he’s one of the best. It’s not only his knowledge of the game. He’s a great leader of his staff and young men. We’re very fortunate and blessed at NGU.”
For the North Greenville players, it’s more than the stories that Powell and his coaches share with them. As one might imagine, the Trailblazers’ daily practices mirror the same workouts and drills that these MLB veterans learned when they were professional players.
“You’re not going to see this many former Major League players on a coaching staff, not even in the minor leagues,” claims Owings. “Landon runs the practices and workouts, and we just join in. We treat our kids like professionals, not only on the field but also stress taking care of your body. That’s what we learned in the pros.”
NGU players also benefit from sophisticated scouting reports on each opponent.
“Matt Williams (assistant) and Eddie Taubensee watch videos and prepare scouting reports, including doing spray charts,” said Powell. “All our coaches are an easy fit. We see the game through the same lens.”
Landon also said his assistants that didn’t play professionally play a vital role.
“When I first started as coach here, we had former college players that were on my staff. Now, three of them didn’t play professional baseball and I like that balance. Maybe some of our players can't understand the Major League lingo, so one of the college coaches might explain in a different way.”
Powell particularly credited Holmes for his team-first cooperation among his coaches, especially Director of Pitching Development JK Love, who pitched for Powell at North Greenville but never played professionally
“Darren treats everybody on the staff as equals” he said. “He’s worked really well together with JK.”
As one might expect, the 2025 players are all ears when any of the former pros speak. The coaches enjoy the receptiveness shown by the team, particularly the head coach.
“It’s amazing,” said Powell. “Some of these kids never watched us as players. But when you play in the majors, they want to listen because they know you're telling the truth.”
Brody Fowler, a sophomore right-handed starting pitcher who has scrolled a 5-2 record and 3.83 ERA with a team-high 44.2 innings and 54 strikeouts this season, compares his coaches favorably among any college staff in America.
“No matter what level, I think we have the best coaching staff in the nation,” he flatly claims. “Up and down the list, we have coaches who were big league players or at the very least, great college players.”
As an aspiring pitcher, Fowler particularly signaled Holmes and Owings in teaching him the finer points of his craft.
“Both pitched in the big leagues, so I know that what they’re telling me has worked for them on the highest level,” he said. “They also have keen eyes and watch everything we do. They can fix a problem with an adjustment almost immediately. It’s pretty cool.”
In talking with the former big leaguers, to a man, you sense the enjoyment they have in reconnecting to the game they love.
Taubensee, while limited physically due to five back surgeries (and a sixth scheduled for next week), is thoroughly enjoying this new chapter in his baseball life. He and his wife moved from Orlando to Greenville to coach his son and a college baseball juggernaut. His son Matthew has been one of the Trailblazers’ shining lights this season, registering a miniscule 1.68 ERA in 14 relief appearances, limiting opposing batters to a .139 batting average and striking out 30 batters in 21.1 innings.
“For me, the rewarding part is paying it forward," said Taubensee. "Teaching a kid something he doesn’t understand and then seeing him develop into a good player is really great. I had coaches that did that for me. I’m a baseball lifer and want to be involved until the day I die. It just brings a lot of joy, and I want to have it continue in the next generation.”
After a life of cross-country charter flights, big league stadiums and plush team clubhouses, Holmes sounds almost amazed at how much his college role has impacted such a grizzled veteran.
“I’m having so much fun,” said Darren. “When I was in the minor leagues, we were riding buses and didn’t have much money. This kind of reminds me of that. After all these years, I’m a college coach. I can't wait to get up and get to the ballpark. I’m a rookie!”
Listening to Owings, one can tell he feels the same way.
“I do this for the love of the game and the kids,” Micah shared. “I’m very grateful for my time with professional ball, but now I can be home and still give back to the game. The amateur side was so fun to me. It’s purity, the team aspect and camaraderie and pursuing championships. I want these kids to reach their potential.”
Like most students and staff, the former Major Leaguers share a Christian faith with their school. For more than 20 years, Taubensee held bible studies and off-season conferences as part of a Christian ministry for athletes. Each spring training, he would meet with every big league team in Arizona and Florida. And that’s where Powell, a man of deep faith, first became acquainted with him.
For Owings, who worked in the Reds’ organization as a bench coach for the Billings, Montana minor league team briefly, the opportunity to coach baseball at a religious college was ideal, too.
“My faith is way more important than baseball and I want the coaches and players to know that. I want them to see that I represent Christ while showing the intensity and hard work to be successful,” said Micah.
“After I went back to college to finish my degree (online classes at Alabama), I turned down a few volunteer opportunities but when Landon reached out, this place just checked all the boxes. Christian school. Great baseball program. All of us coaches took similar paths and were about the same age. I had also known Eddie through his Professional Athlete Outreach efforts.”
And Owens wants to impart more than baseball knowledge and the physical aspects of the game.
“There is no doubt, hard work and sacrifice matters. But there also needs to be a mental approach because physical development will only carry you so far–in the game and in life. So, I tell them to dream big, go for it. The dream will keep you going. Times can be hard, the slumps and errors. They need to always re-think where the love of the game began. For me, it was playing catch in the backyard with my dad and listening to the Braves game on radio.”
Fowler, the sophomore hurler, expressed his appreciation for attending a faith-based college and playing for such fine coaches who care about shaping the whole person
“It’s fun,” Fowler said. “Everything we do is Christ centered. That’s the motto of the school. I see it every day on campus. Landon and the coaches emphasize to us to be better Christians. I know that they want us to leave this place as better people, not just baseball players.”
While the North Greenville baseball success story is an unqualified success, it does not mean that Powell and his coaches don’t face challenges in sustaining their status as an annual national contender.
Due to their reputation, opposing schools have placed a target on the Trailblazers’ red-and-black jerseys.
“We used to do the hunting but now we’re the hunted,” said Powell succinctly. “But that’s a good problem to have. It teaches us to be ready for everyone’s best effort.”
Another challenge is the change in the recruiting landscape due to major changes at the Division-I level. The advent of the Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) legislation has led schools in the Power Four Conferences to pay college players significant annual sums to attend their schools–something Division-II colleges like NGU simply can’t compete with. Also, in recent years, the NCAA decided to allow Division-I student-athletes to transfer to another school without having to sit out a year.
Yet, Powell and his staff have held their own in attracting quality high school prospects to their program.
“When I share with them the qualifications of our coaches, many of them are blown away,” said the head coach. At the very least, it gets our foot in the door.”
Taubensee cites that exact example with senior catcher Alton Gyselman, a highly regarded Division-I player who transferred to North Greenville from Grand Canyon University.
“When he saw our credentials, he sought us out,” Eddie said. “He came to us already with a big league arm and now has progressed into a really good all-around player.”
At press time, Gyselman was batting a whopping .315 with a slugging percentage of .562 and OPS of .994.
Also, on the head coach’s to-do list is trying to enlist his Big Three former Major Leaguers for another season of coaching.
For Taubensee, the only volunteer of the group, he has already told Powell his non-negotiable contract requirements for another year.
“It’s easy,” he says with a wink. “As long as he doubles my salary every year, I’ll be back.”
Bob Rose is a longtime sports public relations executive who has worked for the San Francisco Giants, Oakland Athletics, the NFL Cardinals, Cal, Stanford and other organizations. Bob works with the Conference Carolinas office to help tell the stories of the tremendous student-athletes, coaches and administrators in Conference Carolinas.