Craig Cozart

Craig Cozart is an American college baseball coach who has been the head coach of High Point since the 2009 season. Previously, he was an assistant at UCF.[1]

Craig Cozart
Cozart before his first game as head coach at High Point
Current position
TitleHead coach
TeamHigh Point
ConferenceBig South
Record325–306
Biographical details
Born (1974-03-12) March 12, 1974
Alma materUCF '96 (B.A.)
Playing career
1993–1996UCF
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1997–2008UCF (asst.)
2008UCF (interim)
2009–presentHigh Point
Head coaching record
Overall329–314
TournamentsBig South: 14–15
C-USA: 0–2

Playing career

Cozart played at UCF under head coach Jay Bergman from 1993 to 1996. He was drafted twice, in the 42nd round by the Braves after his junior season and in the 28th round by the Giants after his senior season, but decided not to pursue a professional career. He earned his bachelor's degree from UCF in December 1996.[2][3]

Coaching career

UCF

Cozart began his coaching career under Bergman immediately after graduating, serving as a student assistant in 1997. In 1998, he became a full assistant coach, a position he held through the 2008 season. From 1997 to 2007, the Knights appeared in five NCAA Tournaments.[2]

Partway through the 2008 season, Bergman resigned amid accusations of sexually harassing a UCF equipment manager. Cozart, by that point the associate head coach, served as the interim head coach for the final 12 games of the season. In that stretch, the team went 4–8, winning a C-USA series against UAB and going 0–2 in the C-USA Tournament.[4][5]

UCF hired Terry Rooney to replace Bergman following the season. Cozart was told the following day that his contract would not be renewed. Cozart said to media members after he learned the news, "Really the last two months have been a difficult time because of everything that has been involved. But to get the word that 16 years of your life has ended – it's hard to handle still. ... I want to stay in the game. I'm just in the process of figuring out what capacity that will be."[6]

High Point

Cozart became the head coach at High Point ahead of the 2009 season, after Sal Bando Jr. resigned. From 2009 to 2014, High Point has had two 30-win seasons. It has finished as high as third in the Big South Tournament, doing so in 2010, 2012, and 2014.[7][8][9][10][11]

Head coaching record

Below is a table of Cozart's records as a collegiate head baseball coach.[4][7][8][12]

Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
UCF Knights (Conference USA) (2008)
2008 UCF 4–8[lower-alpha 1]3–3C-USA Tournament
UCF: 4–83–3
High Point Panthers (Big South Conference) (2009–present)
2009 High Point 21–3211–126thBig South Tournament
2010 High Point 31–2915–124thBig South Tournament
2011 High Point 24–329–18T-8thBig South Tournament
2012 High Point 28–3111–13T-7thBig South Tournament
2013 High Point 29–2915–92nd (North)Big South Tournament
2014 High Point 33–2218–93rd (North)Big South Tournament
2015 High Point 29–2614–105thBig South Tournament
2016 High Point 32–2414–10T-2ndBig South Tournament
2017 High Point 30–2312–114thBig South Tournament
2018 High Point 34–2219–82ndBig South Tournament
2019 High Point 27–2714–13T-5thBig South Tournament
2020 High Point 7–90–0Season canceled due to COVID-19
High Point: 325–306142–125
Total:329–314

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

See also

Notes
  1. Finished season as interim head coach.

References
  1. "Craig Cozart". HighPointPanthers.com. High Point Athletic Communications. Archived from the original on August 18, 2014. Retrieved August 18, 2014.
  2. "#38 Craig Cozart". UCFKnights.com. Archived from the original on August 18, 2014. Retrieved August 18, 2014.
  3. "Craig Cozart". Baseball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on August 19, 2014. Retrieved August 18, 2014.
  4. "NCAA Database". NCAA.org. Retrieved August 9, 2014.
  5. Fowler, Jeremy; Hoppes, Lynn (May 3, 2008). "Sources: UCF Baseball Coach Harassed Equipment Manager". OrlandoSentinel.com. Archived from the original on August 18, 2014. Retrieved August 18, 2014.
  6. Hightower, Kyle (June 17, 2008). "New UCF Baseball Coach Terry Rooney Dismisses Assistants". OrlandoSentinel.com. Archived from the original on August 18, 2014. Retrieved August 18, 2014.
  7. "2013 Big South Baseball Record Book". Big South Conference. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved August 18, 2014.
  8. "2014 High Point Baseball Record Book". High Point Athletic Communications. Archived from the original on August 19, 2014. Retrieved August 18, 2014.
  9. Hightower, Kyle (June 30, 2008). "Former Knights Assistant Cozart the New Head Coach at High Point". OrlandoSentinel.com. Archived from the original on August 18, 2014. Retrieved August 18, 2014.
  10. "Mercurio to Coach at High Point". BangorDailyNews.com. Associated Press. September 8, 2010. Archived from the original on August 18, 2014. Retrieved August 18, 2014.
  11. Lyon, Austin (May 31, 2013). "Edgewater first baseman Zach Vandergrift commits to High Point University". MyNews13.com. Archived from the original on August 18, 2014. Retrieved August 18, 2014.
  12. "2014 Big South Conference Standings". D1Baseball.com. Jeremy and Cynthia Mills. Archived from the original on August 18, 2014. Retrieved August 18, 2014.
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