Faculty and Staff Directory

L. Tom Fleenor,

Head Baseball Coach

Athletic Department

Tom Fleenor is the head coach of the men's baseball program at USC Sumter. He comes to Sumter after seven years as an assistant baseball coach at USC Upstate.

While at USC Upstate, his primary duties included coaching the infielders and hitters and serving as the recruiting coordinator.  Tom also assisted in all phases of the program and served as the third base coach.

Fleenor had his first All-American in Matt Goyea who won the Peach Belt Conference batting title with a .425 average in 2005.  As recruiting coordinator, his classes included two Peach Belt Conference Freshman of the Year selections and four of his former Spartans signed professional contracts. Throughout his entire career, Fleenor has coached over 70 players that went on to sign professionally which have included two first-rounders and seven that have reached the Major Leagues. One of Fleenor's former Spartans, Chris Nowak, was recently named the Most Valuable Player of the AA Southern League Championship Series as his Montgomery Biscuits captured their second title in as many years.

In 2006, the Spartans finished with a 33-24 record and earned a trip to the Peach Belt Conference Tournament, lasting until the next to last day as one of four teams remaining in the event.  The 2005 Spartans finished with their best record as a member of the Peach Belt Conference and NCAA Division II, tallying a 33-21 overall mark and a 14-16 league record.  In 2003, the Spartans recorded their first winning season since joining the Peach Belt in 1992. 

Fleenor came to USC Upstate after two years at Rollins College in Winter Park, FL. While an assistant at Rollins, Fleenor was in charge of coaching the infielders.  The Tars finished third in the highly competitive Division II Sunshine State Conference in 1999 after recording a seventh-place finish the previous year.  The defensive play over that two-year period was also greatly improved decreasing team errors by 40.

Before his stint at Rollins, Fleenor served as the volunteer assistant at the University of Mississippi from 1995-98.  While at Ole Miss, the Rebels set the school record for wins with 40 in 1995.  As a result, Ole Miss earned an invitation to the Atlantic I Regionals in Tallahassee, FL, where the team fell in the championship game to Florida State. Fleenor served as the team’s third base coach his final two seasons.

Fleenor’s coaching experience also includes stints as head coach of the Schenectady (NY) Mohawks of the Northeastern Collegiate League and the Rochester (MN) Honkers of the Northwoods League.  In 1997, Fleenor took the Mohawks to the playoffs with a 24-18 record.  The Honkers claimed the 1999 Northwoods League Championship and the 1998 South Division Championship.  In 2000, the Honkers finished with the best regular season record in the South Division, but were bested in the playoffs.  Under Fleenor’s guidance, the 1998 and 2001 Honkers led the league in team defense.  They led the league in hitting in both 1999 and 2000.  In 2001, his final season in Rochester, Fleenor recorded his 150th victory with the Honkers.  This mark established him as the winningest manager in the organization’s history.  During the summers of 2003 and 2004, he was the field manager of the St. Cloud River Bats of the Northwoods League.  Under his direction, the River Bats won the North Division in both halves of the season and finished second in the playoffs in 2003 while winning the first half championship in 2004.  His team again led the league in batting average in 2004.  Fleenor currently ranks second in Northwoods League history for career wins with 228.

Fleenor graduated cum laude from Tennessee Wesleyan in 1993.  He was a three-time All-Conference and two-time All-District performer.  In 1992 and 1993, he helped his team win back-to-back league championships.

Upon graduation, Fleenor served as an assistant coach responsible for instructing hitters and infielders at Cleveland State Community College in Cleveland, TN.

Fleenor and his wife, Laura, who just completed her master's degree from Converse College, live in Sumter, SC, with their children, Bradley and Anna Grayce.