Kevin Brooks enters his sixth season at the helm of the Angelo State Rams baseball team having established himself as one of the premier coaches in the Lone Star Conference. He has headed the ASU program since it was revived in 2005, and his Rams have finished no worse than tied for second in the regular season standings.
During his tenure at ASU, Brooks has compiled a 206-100 (.673) overall record, including 111-37 (.750) at Foster Field, 159-74 (.682) against LSC opponents and 17-12 (.586) in the postseason. That run also includes the LSC South Division title in 2006, Lone Star Conference and NCAA Division II South Central Regional titles in 2007 and a semifinal appearance in last season's South Central Regional tournament. He has coached 47 All-LSC selections, 14 all-region picks and six All-Americans. He has also prepared his players for the next level as 14 former Rams are currently playing professional baseball.
Under Brooks' guidance in 2007, the Rams finished with a 51-20 mark, setting five individual and seven team LSC records along the way. The program itself also set a new record by reaching the D-II College World Series in only its third season, the fastest such trip in NCAA history. Additionally, Brooks coached three All-Americans, four all-region players, 11 All-LSC South selections, including five on the first team, and the tournament MVP in both the LSC Championship and South Central Regional tournaments.
In just five years, Brooks has molded ASU into one of the top offensive units in the country. In 2009, the Rams finished in the top 10 nationally in several offensive categories, including fourth in walks (301), seventh in hits (711) and home runs (82), and eighth in runs scored (559).
But, the Rams are not all about offense, as pitching and defense have also become identified with Angelo State under Brooks. The Rams have finished no lower than third in the LSC in team ERA, including tops in the league in 2006. They have also never finished lower than fifth in fielding, including a .959 percentage last season that was third in the LSC. The Rams pitching staff boasted the conference's second-best ERA in 2009 while leading the league for the second straight season in walks per nine innings.
Prior to his arrival at Angelo State, Brooks was an assistant coach and head junior varsity coach at Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene from 2000-03. Before that he was a volunteer assistant coach at Texas A&M in 1999, when the Aggies won the Big XII title and advanced to the NCAA Division I College World Series. He also served as an assistant coach at the University of the Incarnate Word from 1994-98.
A graduate of Baylor University with a bachelor's degree in secondary education, Brooks played for the Bears' baseball team from 1988-91. He also holds a master's degree in physical education from Incarnate Word.
Brooks has been a resident of San Angelo since 2000, when his wife, Sally, was named head coach of the ASU Rambelles basketball team. The couple has a daughter, nine-year-old Bailey, and a son, seven-year-old Kannon. Despite their hectic schedules, they are also active in the San Angelo community, including serving as an ambassador family for the March of Dimes and the Children's Miracle Network.
