CANYON, Texas – West Texas A&M didn't have to look far to find the new head coach for Buffalo Baseball as longtime Associate Head Coach Cory Hall has been promoted to the skipper of the Buffs announced on Friday afternoon.
 
"We are so excited that Cory Hall has decided to continue his leadership at WT to become our new head baseball coach. He is a man of character and high values, the past 14 years of work he has put into this program is evident by the success on the field and in the classroom" said Interim Director of Athletics Thompson Mayberry "Our current student-athletes respect Coach Hall and I am excited to see the program enter this new era and continue to grow under his leadership."
 
Hall has spent 14 seasons as the top assistant and pitching coach for the Buffaloes under Matt Vanderburg who accepted the head coaching job at Stephen F. Austin last week. Hall has had four different pitchers (Austin Moore, Josh Payne, Marshall Kasowski, Joe Corbett) drafted in the Major League Baseball Draft during his time in Canyon with multiple other professional players learning under one of the top pitching minds in collegiate baseball.
 
"I am humbled by the opportunity I've been given to lead the WT Baseball program. I am truly blessed to be able to continue to be a part of this great community and I'm excited to continue building on the successes of this program" said Hall "Thank you to Dr. Walter Wendler for having the confidence in me to offer me this position and for making it happen as quickly as he did. I look forward to this challenge and am truly grateful for this incredible opportunity.
 
Hall has seen the Buffs become a regional and national contender during his time in Canyon as WT has registered an overall record of 442-246 over his 14 seasons with two Lone Star Conference Championships (2018, 2021) and seven trips to the NCAA Tournament. Hall has been instrumental in the building of the Buffalo baseball program throughout both of his stints with the Buffs as he continually has helped improve the pitching staff each year.
 
"I have to thank Casey Lish (Senior Associate Athletic Director) and Thompson Mayberry (Interim Director of Athletics) for everything they did through this process to make this a reality" added Hall "I also have to thank my good friend, Matt Vanderburg for asking me to come with him to WT 16 years ago. I wish him, Kat and their family nothing but success and happiness in Nacogdoches. I know he will go there and do great things with the SFA program."
 
Prior to being hired at WT, Hall served as head coach at New Mexico Junior College in 2008 as he led the ThunderBirds to a WJCAC Conference Championship with an overall record of 45-10. The team ranked in the top five nationally and a 3.43 ERA. as Hall earned WJCAC Coach of the Year and had three players drafted. Hall also was an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at NMJC and finished as national runner-up at the 2007 Junior College World Series. Overall, he had 11 pitchers drafted during his time at NMJC.
 
Prior to NMJC, both Hall and Vanderburg were on staff together at Clarendon College. During the 2002 and 2003 seasons, Hall served as pitching coach and recruiting coordinator and was elevated to head coach for the 2004 and 2005 seasons. 
 
In his first year as head coach, his club finished 43-13 to record the most wins in school history while claiming a Division Championship as they were ranked in the Top 10 in the nation marking the first national ranking in program history. The team led the nation in batting average at .374. During his two seasons as head coach, Hall had 21 players sign to play at the university level, eight at Division I. He had eight players drafted or sign professional contracts during that time.
 
Prior to Clarendon, Hall began coaching at his alma mater Northwestern Oklahoma State. While at NWOSU, he served as pitching coach for three seasons (1999-2001) and played a vital role in turning around a program that had not had a winning season in several years.
 
During that time, the team complied three winning seasons with a combined record of 104-53. In his third season, the team finished with a 49-12 record and was ranked as high as seventh nationally, breaking the school-record for wins in a season and qualifying for the regional tournament for the first time in program history.
 
The Leedey, Oklahoma native made a pair of trips to the NJCAA College World Series during his collegiate pitching career. He played two seasons at Seminole State College, helping the Trojans to an overall record of 102-16 followed by one season at Hill College in Hillsboro, Texas. Hall earned his Bachelor's and Master's degree from Northwestern Oklahoma State.
 
What They're Saying About Cory Hall
 
"West Texas A&M hit a homerun with the hiring of Coach Hall, he has been instrumental in helping build Buffalo Baseball into the premiere Division II program that it is today. I'm so excited for Cory and I can't wait to see the WT program continue to excel on the diamond." - Matt Vanderburg, Stephen F. Austin Head Coach
 
"West Texas A&M Baseball lost a great coach and kept a great coach, Matt Vanderburg and Cory Hall were a dynamic duo… Batman and Robin. They both were in a hunt for a national championship for the Buffs and the hunt will continue under Coach Hall. A national title will happen soon for the Tatanka! Sick'em WT!" – Ray Birmingham, Retired Head Coach of the University of New Mexico
 
"Cory is the person who gave me my first job in college coaching, he is outstanding in so many areas that are required to run a championship program. He is an accomplished assistant and head coach and has won at an extremely high level at each one of his stops along his impressive career. Cory is an excellent recruiter, he is as good as it gets at motivating and developing relationships with his players. His assistant coaches will absolute love working for Coach Hall and his players will love playing for him. The community will get to enjoy the investment he and his players will have in Canyon. He is one of the absolute best coaches in college baseball, the future of WT Baseball is in great hands. I would not be where I am today without the leadership and guidance of Cory Hall." – Mike Silva, Arkansas State Head Coach