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Perry Roth is now in his third season as an assistant coach at UAB and is no stranger to the teachings of Brian Shoop, having worked under him for three seasons at Birmingham-Southern before making the move to UAB in 2006. Roth's responsibilities include working with the Blazers' catchers as well as hitting instruction and playing a vital role in the program's recruiting efforts. "Perry handles our hitters," said Shoop. "I think he and I are coming from the same page. I used to handle all the hitting myself, but with all the new rules and administrative duties that a head coach has to focus on, I've really turned the hitting over to Perry, and I think he has done a great job getting our guys ready for the very good pitching we see in the spring." In just his second season at UAB, the Blazers posted some of the best hitting numbers in Conference USA. UAB finished second in the league with a .311 team batting average, and nine Blazers hit better than .300, individually. Roth tutored third-team All-American Ryan Keedy, who turned in one of the best offensive season in school history. Keedy led C-USA with a .423 batting average in addition to setting a school record with 29 doubles. The Blazers' offensive success in 2008 was a continuation of the improvement Roth helped to direct in 2007. He helped the '07 team to a .296 batting average in his first season at UAB, an improvement from a .267 mark the previous year. Several players had career years at the plate while working with Roth for less than a year, including seniors J.R. Bond and Danny Sawyer, who were each named first-team All-Conference USA in 2007 following standout seasons at the plate. In his final season at Birmingham-Southern in 2006, the Panthers had a team batting average of .298, while hitting 52 home runs and driving in 96 more runs than their counterparts. In 2005, Birmingham-Southern's Adam Tucker led the Big South Conference in home runs (25) and was second in RBI (73) and total bases (167). Tucker won the NCAA Statistical Championship for home runs per game, and Florida's Matt LaPorta hit a home run in the College World Series championship series to edge out Tucker in total home runs. Before re-joining Shoop's staff at Birmingham-Southern, Roth spent one season at Bradley where he helped guide the Braves' offense to a .301 team batting average. The team improved in virtually every offensive category upon his arrival, scoring 115 more runs than the previous season, while three Braves hitters received All-Missouri Valley Conference honors, including 2004 MVC batting average leader Jon Smith. In 2003, Roth had his first stint with Shoop at Birmingham-Southern, serving as the Panthers' first base coach. That season, the team posted a 35-16 record in its final year of provisional NCAA membership. In the summer of 2003, Roth led his Athletes in Action team to a runner-up finish in the Alaska Baseball League and a berth in the National Baseball Congress World Series. "Off the field, Perry and I are also coming from the same page," Shoop said. "Coaching is our ministry and our chance to mentor young men and hopefully make a positive difference in their lives. Perry is doing a great job for the UAB baseball program." Before arriving at Birmingham-Southern for the first time, Roth spent three years as an assistant coach at Illinois State from 1999-2002, where he served as the team's hitting and outfield coach in addition to his responsibilities as the program's recruiting coordinator. From 1998-99, he served as the head coach of Springfield Calvary Academy right after being an assistant coach at his alma mater, Greenville College, from 1996-98. As a player, Roth was a two-time letterwinner at Greenville. Both in 1990 and `91, Roth and his Greenville teammates reached the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) championship. Roth graduated from Greenville with a B.S. in physical education in 1997. Born August 15, 1972, the 36-year old Roth resides in Birmingham. |
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