Tom Cantrell is returning for his 26th season at the helm of the University of North Georgia baseball program. Since relaunching the baseball program from the ground up in 2000 Cantrell has had much success with UNG, sporting a record of 856-517 (.623). In his 26 seasons at North Georgia, Cantrell’s clubs have won at least 30 games an impressive 20 times, doing so in eight of the last 10 seasons. Cantrell's teams have amassed 40 or more wins six times which includes a program best 57 wins in 2005. In that span, North Georgia has won 10 separate championships with the most recent being the 2019 Peach Belt Conference Regular Season Championship, the program’s third PBC regular season title. Among the many awards that Cantrell’s teams have received, the North Georgia baseball program has been awarded the Peach Belt Conference Team Sportsmanship award eight times. The Peach Belt Conference Team Sportsmanship Award goes to the team in each sport that exemplifies the spirit of sportsmanship and conducts themselves with a high degree of integrity, character and class.
Cantrell has been recognized for his success on the field and for the impact he has had shaping and mentoring young men by being inducted into the Georgia Dugout Club’s Baseball Hall of Fame in 2016. Along with this prestigious honor, Cantrell has been named the conference Coach of the Year six times. Cantrell was named the GACC Coach of the Year in 2001 and 2003 and the Peach Belt Conference Coach of the Year in 2007, 2015, 2017 and 2019. He was also recognized as the NCAA Division II Southeast Region Coach of the Year twice in 2015 and 2017.
Upon its inception in 2000, the North Georgia baseball program had an unprecedented run of success competing in six straight NAIA regional tournaments including making a regional appearance in its inaugural season. In the program’s first year of eligibility for NCAA postseason play in 2008, Cantrell led the then Saints to their first ever NCAA Division II Regional appearance after winning the Peach Belt Conference Tournament Championship. After being picked to finish 10th in the league play in 2015, the Nighthawks earned their first ever Peach Belt Conference Regular Season Championship finishing 22-8 in the league and eventually reaching the championship game of the 2015 NCAA Division II Southeast Regional. In 2017, the program had a banner year accomplishing many program firsts. North Georgia received its first-ever national No. 1 ranking on March 20 and went on to win its first ever NCAA Division II Southeast Regional title. Upon winning the program’s first NCAA Division II Southeast Regional Championship, North Georgia made the trip to Grand Prairie, Texas, for its first ever NCAA Division II Baseball Championship appearance.
During his time at North Georgia, Cantrell has mentored and developed some of the best talent in the Southeast. Since 2000, North Georgia has produced 17 All-Americans, 63 All-Conference players, 68 All-Region selections and nine Gold Glove winners. Along with these award winners, North Georgia has also produced three Players of the Year, four Freshman of the Year, one Pitcher of the Year, three Elite 16 Award winners and two Peach Belt Conference Male Scholar-Athletes of the Year. Since 2000, Cantrell has sent 16 former North Georgia players on to play professional baseball within an MLB organization.
Prior to his time in Dahlonega, Cantrell spent nine seasons at DeKalb Junior College. He was first an assistant coach before being named the head coach in 1996. Cantrell was recognized for his success at DeKalb by being named the GJCAA College Assistant Coach of the Year in 1995 along with being named the 1998 GJCAA Coach of the Year and the 1998 East Central District Coach of the Year. In his four years as the head coach at DeKalb, Cantrell’s teams had a combined 177-52 (.773) record and produced some of the best players in the country including three NJCAA All-Americans, five NJCAA Academic All-Americans, twenty GJCAA All-Region players and two GJCAA Players of the Year. In those four seasons as head coach, Cantrell's teams won three consecutive conference titles in 1997, 1998 and 1999. In 1998, Cantrell guided DeKalb to its first State Championship since 1987, as well as the East Central District Championship, and made the program’s first JUCO World Series appearance since 1977.
Over his career between DeKalb and North Georgia, Cantrell has produced consistent winners amassing 1,033 career victories against 569 losses for a career winning percentage of .645. Those totals rank Cantrell among the nation’s coaching elite for most wins. Cantrell has also earned a reputation for developing talent, sending a total of 23 former players on to the professional ranks in his coaching career.
Cantrell, a native of Habersham, Georgia, was a two-time All-State shortstop at North Clayton High School. During his time at North Clayton, Cantrell led his team to a third-place finish as a junior in the 1982 State Championships. In his senior campaign in 1983, Cantrell again returned to the state championships, leading his team to a state runner-up finish. Following his senior season at North Clayton, Cantrell went on to DeKalb College where he hit for a .332 average as a freshman and a .362 average as a sophomore, garnering All-Region honors both years. After finishing his collegiate career at DeKalb, Cantrell was taken in the eighth round of the 1985 draft by the Atlanta Braves.
Cantrell spent his first season of professional baseball in Bradenton, Fla. hitting .214 in that first year. After completing his first professional season, Cantrell was sent to Pulaski, Va. where he had a standout year hitting .291. He was named to the Appalachian League All-Star team for his efforts. That same season, he also helped lead the team to the Appalachian League World Series. During his time in Pulaski, Cantrell was managed by former Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers skipper Grady Little.
Cantrell credits Little as well as collegiate coach Doug Casey as the main catalysts that led him into the coaching profession. Cantrell retired from professional baseball in 1987 and started his career as a highly successful amateur coach, coaching former big leaguers Michael Barrett and Adam Everett. In his time as an amateur coach, Cantrell’s teams finished third in the country on three separate occasions.
Throughout his time in the dugout, Cantrell has shaped and inspired the lives of his players with his passion and love for the game of baseball. He currently has over fifty former players in the high school, college and professional coaching ranks including Troy Snitker, the current hitting coach for the Houston Astros and Robby Hammock, the current Major League field coordinator for the San Diego Padres.
Cantrell and his wife, Shannon, have been married for 37 years and currently reside in Dacula, Ga. with their three dogs, Sasha, Sophie and Evie. Together they have one daughter, McKenzie, who received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology in 2014 from the University of Georgia. McKenzie’s first two collegiate years were spent at Alabama where she was a two-year member of the cheer squad. After her second year, she transferred to the University of Georgia to cheer and finish her degree. Cantrell received his Bachelor of Science degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from Liberty.
