BOONE, N.C. – App State head baseball coach
Kermit Smith announced the return of assistant coach Seth McLemore to the team's staff on Thursday.
McLemore helped lead the Mountaineers to back-to-back 30-win seasons in 2023 and 2024 before serving as the hitting coach and recruiting coordinator at Southern Illinois for the past year and a half.
"Mac is as good as there is in this profession," Smith said. "He brings a wealth of experience, energy, and familiarity at a time of the year that it is much needed. He and his wife Courtney will pick up right where we left off – impacting our student-athletes and community in a positive way. It's an exciting day for me to get to share a dugout with him again."
During his first stint in Boone, McLemore helped guide the Mountaineers to back-to-back Sun Belt Tournament semifinal appearances, breaking the single-season home run record both years. App State also finished the 2024 campaign with the most runs scored in a season in program history (484), while also setting records in on-base percentage (.411 – ninth all-time), slugging percentage (.508 – fifth all-time) and hits (576 – seventh all-time).
McLemore helped develop some of the most accomplished players in program history.
CJ Boyd broke App State's career home run record with 35 in two seasons, while
Banks Tolley broke the single-season record for home runs with 26 in 2024 en route to being named the Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year, First Team All-Region and Second Team All-America.
Austin St. Laurent broke the program's single-season runs scored mark and was named First Team All-Sun Belt and Second Team All-Region before being drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 14th round of the 2024 MLB draft.
"I would like to thank Coach Smith and the App State Athletics Department for the opportunity to come back and be a part of App State Baseball," said McLemore. "I believe that this mountain is a special place with special people, and God has opened up the door for us to come back. My family and I are extremely grateful and excited to return to a place we love so much. I'm excited to get back to Boone and get to work."
While at Southern Illinois, McLemore helped the Salukis to a fifth consecutive 30-win campaign, finishing the season with 37 victories, the most for the program since back-to-back 40-win seasons in 2021-22. The 2025 squad set a program and Missouri Valley Conference Tournament record by hitting 10 home runs in its opening-round game against UIC, while senior Matt Schark tied the all-time Saluki home run record with 36 for his career.
The Salukis finished the year among the top 50 teams in the nation in hits, doubles, triples, home runs, batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, walks and runs scored. Southern Illinois' 113 home runs in 2025 were 25 more than in any other season in program history. It also led the MVC and ranked 10th nationally.
Prior to arriving at App State ahead of the 2023 season, McLemore served as an assistant coach at Milligan University, an NAIA program in Elizabethton, Tenn. He helped lead the Buffaloes to a 36-21 record, including two victories in the conference tournament. Under his tutelage, a program-record four Milligan players earned all-conference recognition. The 36 wins were the most for the program since 2009.
McLemore arrived at Milligan after a one-year stop at NCAA Division I Murray State. During the 2021 season, the Racers set a program record with 18 OVC wins to secure the second seed in the Ohio Valley Conference tournament. Murray State reached the OVC title game for the first time since 2003 and finished the season with 33 wins, the fifth-most in program history.
He spent the 2019 and 2020 seasons as an assistant at Central Methodist University. In 2020, the Eagles were ranked No. 10 in the NAIA Baseball Coaches' Top 25 poll before the season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2019, Central Methodist earned an at-large bid to the NAIA Baseball National Championship Opening Round and finished with a 35-15 record.
McLemore played two years at Southwest Tennessee Community College and finished his college career at Central Baptist College in Arkansas. A standout third baseman, McLemore earned all-conference and NCCAA All-America status as a senior at Central Baptist. In 2016, the Mustangs captured the program's first AMC conference title and set a program record with 45 wins.
A native of Pulaski, Tenn., McLemore earned a Bachelor of Science degree in history from Central Baptist. McLemore and his wife Courtney are expecting their first child in March.
