Hayden Cross re-joined the App State Baseball staff as the Director of Player Development-Operations and Catching Coordinator in August 2026.
 
Formerly a five-year catcher and graduate assistant for the Mountaineers, Cross returns to Boone after two seasons as the director of player development and catching coach at Murray State, where he helped guide the Racers to the 2025 College World Series, the first appearance in program history.
 
Cross played an important role in Murray State’s historic postseason run while also helping catcher Will Vierling earn a First-Team All-Missouri Valley Conference selection before Vierling was chosen in the 11th round of the MLB Draft by the Philadelphia Phillies. Cross helped develop 20 all-conference selections in two seasons with the Racers.

A 2023 graduate of App State, Cross spent the 2024 season as a graduate assistant on the App State coaching staff. He helped lead App State to a second consecutive 30-win season while working to develop a record-setting offense that hit a program-best 96 home runs and led the Sun Belt with a .919 OPS.
 
As a player, Cross appeared in 177 games across five seasons, making 157 starts. He earned second-team All-Sun Belt honors in 2022, hitting a career-high 16 doubles while leading the team in on-base percentage (.399) and batting average (.305). He capped his five-year run with a career-best seven home runs, 49 RBIs and .948 OPS in 2023, leading App State to its first 30-win season in a decade. He also threw out a league-best 19 base stealers, the most by a Mountaineer catcher since 2018.
 
Cross played alongside his brother Caleb each of his final two seasons with the Mountaineers.