FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Former Wake Forest baseball player Grant Achilles has been added to the Demon Deacon coaching staff as a volunteer assistant, as announced by head coach Tom Walter on Wednesday.
"I am excited about the opportunity to be back working at Wake Forest as well as learn from Coach Walter and the rest of the staff," Achilles said. "I am ready to help reestablish the winning tradition that this program stands on."
Achilles joins the Wake Forest staff after spending the last three years at Western Carolina. After serving as an assistant coach in 2008, he was promoted to assistant head coach before the start of the 2009 season.
"Grant completes what I consider to be the best teaching staff in all of college baseball," Walter said. "His experience at Charlotte and Western Carolina and his high energy level make him a perfect fit for our instruction oriented program. Add to it that Grant brings Wake Forest ties and that he and his brothers span almost two decades of WF baseball and he was a `no-brainer’ hire. I consider us very fortunate to have someone of Grant’s caliber on staff."
During his two seasons at WCU, Achilles helped the Catamounts to two winning seasons, including a 35-22 mark in 2009. Along with his work on the field, Achilles also coordinated and oversaw team travel.
Before his tenure at Western Carolina, Achilles spent a season with the Charlotte baseball program, working with the 49er catchers, assisting with the defense and hitters and also serving as the first base coach. Achilles worked with all-Atlantic 10 catcher Kris Rochelle, who was drafted in the 22nd round of the 2007 MLB Draft by the Detroit Tigers.
Achilles helped the 49ers to one of their most successful seasons in program history, finishing with 49 wins and earning a national ranking that rose to as high as No. 19. Charlotte advanced to the NCAA Tournament, playing in the Columbia, S.C., regional.
Achilles has also coached in summer wooden bat leagues. He spent the summer of 2006 as an assistant coach with the Thunder Bay Border Cats of the Northwoods League, helping the team to a runner-up finish. In 2007, Achilles was the associate head coach of the Wilmington Sharks of the Coastal Plain League.
A four-year letterwinner at Wake Forest from 2002-06, Achilles played a variety of positions for the Demon Deacons, including time at first base, second base, right field and catcher. Achilles appeared in 56 games during his collegiate career, including 19 starting appearances.
Achilles played his high school baseball at Heritage High, earning first team all-region and all-state honors during his junior and senior seasons. He led his team to a Region III championship and a berth in the Virginia state title game. A three-year academic all-state selection, Achilles hit .495 with 27 stolen bases in American Legion play in 2001, the same year he earned MVP honors at the World Youth Classic Championship.
A native of Lynchburg, Va., Achilles graduated from Wake Forest in 2005 with a degree in communications. His older brother, Todd, also played collegiately at Wake Forest.
