In the summer of 2007, the athletic administration at Embry-Riddle was faced the daunting task of finding someone to take over the very successful Eagle baseball program. Following an extensive national search, Randy Stegall was named the third head coach in the history of Eagle baseball in July 2007.
Stegall inherited a program that was considered a national power, having made five Avista-NAIA World Series appearances in six seasons. Stegall set about building on that tradition of success. In his first season, he led the Blue and Gold to a 44-18 overall and an 18-3 conference record. The Eagles started 2008 league play 3-3, but rebounded for a 15-game winning streak that led to a sixth conference championship in seven years.
The league title gave the Eagles the No. 1 seed for the NAIA Region XIV tournament and they capitalized on the advantage, claiming the regional crown and earning a spot in the 10-team NAIA World Series as the sixth seed. The Eagles went 2-2 at the World Series to finish fifth in the nation. Stegall’s success in his inaugural season with the Eagles earned him Florida Sun Conference and NAIA Region XIV Coach of the Year honors.
Stegall’s second season with the Eagles culminated in a 44-14 record and The Sun Conference regular season and tournament titles. Once again, Stegall was hailed as the conference Coach of the Year. The NAIA introduced a new format to postseason play, eliminating regional and super regional tournaments and introducing a National Championship Opening Round. Stegall and his ballclub showed that they were not only up to the task of hosting a five-team Opening Round tournament, they were also quite capable of winning it, collecting three straight victories to advance to the NAIA World Series. Stegall garnered NAIA-Rawlings East Region Coach of the Year honors for his club’s NAIA National Championship Opening Round crown.
In 2010, the Blue and Gold finished 47-19 overall and finished as the No. 3 team in the nation. ERAU won it’s third consecutive Sun Conference title during the regular season with a 21-6 record, then followed that up with The Sun Conference tournament crown, coming out of the loser’s bracket to beat St. Thomas twice to claim the title.
The Eagles were granted a No. 1 seed in the NAIA National Championship Opening Round and the hosts did not dissapoint, getting a two-out, two-run double from senior Branden Roper-Hubbert in the bottom of the ninth inning against St. Thomas in the championship finale to win a thrilling 3-2 game over the Bobcats, sending ERAU to their ninth NAIA World Series.
Stegall led his team to a 3-2 record in the 10-team event, including a win over national No. 1 Lewis-Clark State. The Eagles would eventually bow out in the semifinals, finishing as the third-best team in the nation, for the second-best finish in program history. Stegall again earned NAIA-Rawlings East Region Coach of the Year honors.
Stegall accomplished additional firsts during the 2011 year, earning his first 50-win season, as well as getting his team ranked No. 1 overall over the final three weeks of the season. The Eagles breezed through The Sun Conference slate with a 24-3 record, the best in conference history. Next, the Eagles blew out all four of their opponents in The Sun Conference tournament, earning a No. 1 seed in the NAIA Opening Round - Daytona Beach bracket. ERAU continued its undefeated postseason, posting two wins over Brewton-Parker (Ga.) en route to the program’s 10th NAIA World Series appearance.
The Eagles entered the 2011 World Series as the No. 1 overall seed, winning their opening game aganst eventual national champion Concordia (Calif.) in convincing fashion. ERAU placed fifth in the 10-team event, ending the 2011 season with a 51-11 overall record.
During the 2012 campaign, the Eagles captured their fifth straight and 13th Sun Conference regular season title and made the 11th trip to the NAIA World Series in program history. Stegall’s squad finished 43-18, the 22nd consecutive winning season in Embry-Riddle history and the 14th 40-win season.
Stegall led the Blue and Gold to the program’s sixth straight Sun Conference regular season title in 2013, compiling the second-best league record in conference history (23-4). The Eagles lost the first game of The Sun Conference Tournament, but rolled through five consecutive elimination games, including three on the final day of the tournament, to claim the squad’s fourth tournament title in Stegall’s tenure.
Embry-Riddle hosted an NAIA National Tournament Opening Round for the fifth straight year in 2013, posting a perfect 3-0 record, becoming one of just two teams to reach the NAIA World Series in every season the Opening Round had been utilized. The Eagles won their first two games at the World Series (a program first), falling to eventual national champion Faulkner and eventual national runner-up Lewis-Clark State to end the season at 50-15, the second 50-win season for Stegall.
The 2014 campaign saw the Eagles once again claim The Sun Conference regular season crown, posting a 22-5 record in league play. The Blue and Gold fell in the title game of the conference tournament, but the Eagles were still chosen to host an Opening Round for the sixth time in as many seasons. After coming out of the loser’s bracket to force a winner-take-all contest against Southern Poly, the Eagles’ postseason run stopped short of the World Series for the first time in Stegall’s time at Embry-Riddle.
In Embry-Riddle’s final season in the NAIA, Stegall again led the Eagles back to the World Series after capturing the program’s fifth Sun Conference Tournament title and sixth NAIA National Championship Opening Round crown. ERAU advanced to the semifinals for the third time in the Stegall era, falling to eventual national champion, Lewis-Clark State. The Eagles went 41-19, marking the eighth 40-win season under Stegall and saw two players drafter in Tyler Cyr (10th round) and Zac Grotz (28th round).
Stegall came to Embry-Riddle from Indiana Tech where he spent two seasons as the Warriors’ head coach, compiling a 69-44-2 overall record. In 2006, the Warriors were 29-29-1 overall, were third in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference and finished second in the Region VIII tournament.
A year leater, Stegall guided the Warriors to a 40-15-1 record and the WHAC regular season and tournament titles, earning him league Coach of the Year honors. Indiana Tech was also ranked 20th in the final NAIA poll.
Prior to coaching at Indiana Tech, Stegall spent five years as the top assistant coach to Woody Hunt at Cumberland University in Tennessee where he worked primarily with hitters and infielders. During his time at Cumberland, the Bulldogs won three conference championships, two regional titles, two super regional titles and made two straight trips to the Final Four at the NAIA World Series. In 2004, the Bulldogs defeated Oklahoma City to capture the school’s first NAIA World Series crown.
Stegall has coached seven first-team All-Americans, 11 second-team All-Americans and 19 honorable mention All-Americans during his time at Embry-Riddle, Indiana Tech and Cumberland.
Stegall began his collegiate career playing at the University of South Carolina where he earned honorable mention All-Southeastern Conference honors in 1995. After two seasons with the Gamecocks, Stegall transferred to Cumberland (Tenn.) where he set the school single-season record in hitting (.479) and finished fifth in the nation in runs scored (87), hits (113) and total bases (201) as a junior. His performance that year earned him Mid South Conference and Regional Player of the Year honors. He was also a first team All-American and was the runner-up to the NAIA Player of the Year.
Stegall was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 25th round of the 1998 Major League Baseball draft. During his four years as a professional baseball player, Stegall played for the Billings Mustangs, Clinton Lumberkings, Rockford Reds, Dayton Dragons and the Chattanooga Lookouts.
In 1998, he earned All-Pioneer League honors after finishing ninth in the league in batting (.316) and hits (83). In 2000, he led the Midwest League in doubles (43), which was second in all of minor league baseball, and tied for fourth in batting average (.311), the second best among all Cincinnati Reds minor leaguers. He was also selected to the Midwest League All-Star game in 2000.
Stegall is a native of Orlando, Fla. where he played high school baseball at Lake Brantley High School, and was inducted into the Lake Brantley High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2005. He earned his bachelor’s degree in History/Geography from Cumberland in 2002 and a Master of Science degree in Social Studies Education from Nova Southeastern. He resides in DeLand, Fla. with his wife Laura and daughters Sarah and Ashtyn, and son Brady.
Coaching Highlights
• Seven NAIA World Series appearances (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015)
• Eight conference regular season titles (Indiana Tech, 2007; Embry-Riddle, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014)
• Two NAIA Regional titles (Indiana Tech, 2007; Embry-Riddle, 2008)
• Five Sun Conference Tournament Championships (2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2015)
• Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Coach of the Year (2007)
• Five-time Sun Conference Coach of the Year (2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2014)
• Nine 40+ winning seasons
• Two 50+ winning season
• Has produced 18 All-Americans and 19 Honorable Mention All-Americans
• 19 players selected in the MLB Draft
Randy Stegall
Record at ERAU: 360-135 (.727)
Career Record: 429-179-2 (.705)Â
| Year | -Overall- | -Conference- | Honors |
| W-L-T | Pct. | W-L-T | Pct. |
| 2006 | 29-29-1 | .500 | 9-6 | .600 | |
| 2007 | 40-15-1 | .723 | 16-6 | .727 | WHAC Coach of the Year |
| 2008 | 44-18 | .709 | 18-3 | .857 | FSC & Region XIV Coach of the Year |
| 2009 | 44-14 | .759 | 20-4 | .833 | TSC Coach of the Year, NAIA-Rawlings East Region Coach of the Year |
| 2010 | 47-19 | .712 | 21-6 | .777 | NAIA-Rawlings East Region Coach of the Year |
| 2011 | 51-11 | .822 | 24-3 | .888 | TSC Coach of the Year, NAIA-Rawlings East Region Coach of the Year |
| 2012 | 43-18 | .705 | 21-6 | .777 | TSC Coach of the Year, NAIA-Rawlings East Region Coach of the Year |
| 2013 | 50-15 | .769 | 23-4 | .852 | NAIA-Rawlings East Region Coach of the Year |
| 2014 | 40-21 | .656 | 22-5 | .815 | TSC Coach of the Year |
| 2015 | 41-19 | .683 | 19-8 | .704 | NAIA-Rawlings East Region Coach of the Year |
| Totals | 429-179-2 | .705 | 193-51 | .791 | |
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