As Sul Ross State University transitions to NCAA Division II and the Lone Star Conference, the Lobo baseball program welcomes a new leader. Caleb Abney, an experienced coach with a diverse background across all levels of NCAA, high school, and minor league baseball, is set to take over as head coach.
Abney served as the head baseball coach at Lancaster Bible College from 2021 to 2023, a Division III program in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He replaces Ely Gallego, who led the Lobos for the past two seasons.
“It is an honor to join Sul Ross athletics and to be trusted to lead the baseball program into this new era of excellence in Division II competition,” Abney said. “I am so grateful to Amanda Workman and the rest of the athletics staff. They have been exceptional in this process and I am looking forward to rewarding their belief in me. I am excited to collectively chase uncommon excellence for the baseball program, and to help guide and push these young men to realize their highest potential – as people, as students, and as championship-caliber baseball players.”
Abney’s coaching career began at the high school level as a varsity head coach at Westminster Christian Academy in Watkinsville, Georgia. The Kennesaw, Georgia native then coached at his alma mater, Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Georgia, as an assistant coach. He also served as an assistant coach at Division II King University in Bristol, Tennessee, and as a volunteer assistant coach at Division I Austin Peay State in Clarksville, Tennessee.
In addition, Abney was the hitting coach for the Watertown Rapids in the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League and the head coach of the Staunton Braves in the Valley Baseball League, a high-level collegiate summer league.
Abney relishes the opportunity to take on a new challenge in the competitive Lone Star Conference, which features strong programs such as Angelo State, a national title game contender for the past two seasons.
“I love meeting challenges and seeing what I’m made of and challenging others around me to see what they’re made of,” he said. “The excitement around the transition up to a higher level is super intriguing and exciting to me.”
Abney has also gained valuable experience working for three Major League Baseball organizations. His first opportunity came with the Atlanta Braves, where he worked on the business side as a marketing trainee and ticket event team supervisor. In 2015, he worked in player development as a video intern with the Tampa Bay Rays’ Single-A affiliate Bowling Green Hot Rods. Later, he served as the hitting coach for the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels, the Single-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins.
“Just seeing that in three different organizations provides you a more diverse understanding of what those organizations are trying to do,” Abney said. “It just broadens your scope of weapons that you can use to make a program better.”
Sul Ross State Athletic Director Amanda Workman expressed enthusiasm for Abney’s appointment. “We are excited for coach Abney to take the reins of our baseball program. He stood out from a very competitive pool of 56 candidates,” Workman said. “His experience stretches across all three levels of the NCAA as well as several Major League Baseball organizations. His emphasis on developing players both on and off the field and his enthusiasm for Sul Ross State University made him an excellent candidate. He is a great addition to our staff and the Alpine community.”
As a player, Abney was named academic all-conference four times during his career at Covenant College from 2007 to 2011 as a first baseman. He hopes to make an immediate impact and bring success to the Lobo baseball program in the Lone Star Conference.
“I would love to find a way to get the most out of those guys and find a way to inspire them to work in smarter ways to realize their greatest potential,” Abney added. “There’s no reason that we shouldn’t belong. I have every reason to believe that we’re going to be successful in the conference from the start.”
