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Tom Riginos is in his seventh year with the Tiger program as the hitting and outfielders coach. He also carries the title of associate head coach and recruiting coordinator. Riginos (pronounced rih-JEEN-uhs), who will turn 41 on April 5, 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.
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.
In 2004, Riginos coached Brad McCann, who hit .379 with 16 homers and 65 RBIs. That team also hit 73 homers, 149 doubles, and stole 77 bases.
The 2005 season saw two Tiger hitters earn All-America honors under his watch. Kris Harvey was a first-team 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). 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 in its ACC Championship and College World Series season. Tyler Colvin went from 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 homers with 85 RBIs.
The 2007 Tigers sported a veteran lineup, led by Brad Chalk with a .366 batting average and .483 on-base percentage. D'Alessio added 17 homers, giving him a school-record-tying 59 in his career. He also helped Doug Hogan go from relative obscurity in his first two years to a .350 batting average and 13 homers in 2007.
The 2008 Tigers had a regular lineup of eight underclassmen but still hit 62 homers. He molded Kyle Parker from what should have been his senior year of high school to a First-Team All-ACC season.
In 2007 and 2008, Riginos coached his son Ben, who hit .310 with 13 homers and 49 RBIs in 58 games in 2008. Ben was rated as the #24 college prospect in the nation prior to the 2009 season by Baseball America.
While at Stetson, he recruited eight classes that gained national recognition. He also recruited six All-Americans and 10 freshman All-Americans during his tenure with the Hatters.
As hitting coach, he coached four of the top-five hitting teams in Stetson history, including the 2001 team that hit .324 with 78 homers. It was also 24th nationally in batting average, 12th in slugging percentage, and 19th in homers per game.
Riginos coached five All-Americans and five of the top hitters in Stetson history, including Kevin Nicholson, Sammy Serrano, Frank Corr, and Chris Westervelt. All five were league players-of-the-year and earned 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.
Prior to his nine seasons at Stetson, Riginos spent two years as the top assistant and graduate assistant coach at Eastern Kentucky. He coached the Colonels to a second-place finish in the league in 1992 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 (Clearwater, FL).
Riginos was a four-year letterman (1987-90) for the Hatters, and he helped Stetson to three NCAA Regionals and three Trans America Athletic Conference titles. 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's degree in sports administration from Stetson in 1990. He later earned a master's 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 (21). Riginos was born April 5, 1968 in Tampa, FL.
The Riginos File
Full Name: Thomas Anthony Riginos.
Born: April 5, 1968 in Tampa, FL.
Education: Bachelor of arts degree in sports administration at Stetson (1990)...master of science degree 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)...associate head coach/recruiting coordinator at Clemson (2008).
Family: Wife, Shaileen...the couple has twin girls, Alexandra and Grace (8)...Tom has a son, Ben (21).
