Baseball Introduces New Assistant Coach

Assistant coach Max Wright, courtesy of Belmont Athletics.

At just 27 years old, Max Wright became the newest addition to the Belmont baseball staff as he looks to help snap the Bruins' skid of three straight losing seasons.  

Wright knew Bruins assistant head coach A.J. Gaura from his playing days, so when former assistant Will Craig took a job as recruiting coordinator for Duke University, Gaura called Wright about the job opening.

After meeting with the other members of the baseball staff, Wright was struck by the group’s collective experience.

“I thought everyone that I talked to and met had really good things to say about Coach Jarvis, but you don’t stay at one place for 28 years without being well-respected,” said Wright. “Especially me being a younger coach, serving under coaches like Jarvis and Coach Jason Stein, who have been doing it for a really long time, I thought it was a really good opportunity, and I’ve really enjoyed it so far.”  

Despite being an Ontario, Canada native, Wright played college baseball at Indiana State University from 2017 to 2021, then spent three years in the minor leagues with the San Francisco Giants.  

After leaving professional baseball, Wright became the director of baseball operations at Illinois State for one season before coming to Belmont.  

With such a vast “wealth of experience,” as head coach Dave Jarvis described, Wright was a valuable hire. 

While being a former catcher and playing professional baseball helped Wright’s case, it was the Missouri Valley Conference ties that sold Jarvis. 

“My primary motivation was that he played under an outstanding coach, Mitch Hannahs, at Indiana State,” Jarvis said. 

Between his playing days for the Sycamores and coaching the Redbirds, it was apparent to Jarvis that he was hiring someone who knew MVC baseball.  

“I knew he knew the league, knew the other coaches in the league, and I’m excited about Max in a lot of different ways,” Jarvis said. 

For the Bruins, Wright will primarily coach the outfielders and assist with the catchers, while also assisting with the offense and recruiting.  

Additionally, with Wright being in the same shoes as these players not that long ago, Jarvis thinks that his relatability can be a major factor in the team’s culture. 

“A lot of times, my players will relate to a younger coach,” Jarvis said. “Max has a great personality, and I’m excited about the relationship he’ll be able to build with our current student-athletes and him being a part of our culture.”

Wright also provides a great blueprint for Bruins players to follow, as he was both an All-MVC catcher on the field and an All-American in the classroom.

“As a player, I think you can look at a guy like Max and see that he took these steps, and that can give you encouragement and maybe somewhat of a roadmap to try and take those steps yourself,” Jarvis said.

However, for some of Belmont’s best, there may lie something else on the horizon after being done with college baseball: professional leagues.

Between Jarvis, who has developed 29 professional baseball players, and Wright, who was playing professional baseball in the Frontier League as recently as 2024, the Bruins have a wealth of knowledge regarding what it takes to play at the next level.

Wright hopes to pass along his first-hand knowledge to this generation of prospective big leaguers, and he thinks it starts with an attention to detail.

“It’s been instilled in me by coaches and by everything that there are no little things; either it matters or it doesn’t,” Wright said. “I think with these guys, it’s about getting better and really buying into what’s going to help us both as a team and players develop.”

Both men spoke about the team’s culture and how to improve upon a squad that has been 79-99 over the last three seasons, and for Wright, it starts with buy-in. 

“We try to make sure that they are developing and understanding what it takes to play at this level,” Wright said. “So, trying to get that buy-in, and have them understand that they’re going to fail, but really buy-in to what is going to make them better is important.”

Jarvis’s vision for the program includes Wright in a key role, not just as a coach, but also as a mentor and guide for the players.

“I think what he provides is being someone who has great experience, which gives him credibility,” Jarvis said. “But he’s just an outstanding person as well, who is going to pour into these athletes and help them become better players.”

As for Wright, what he wants to get across to the players, more than anything else, is his dedication to them and to the program.

“At the end of the day, I am very passionate and care a lot about our players,” Wright said. “I always want them to know that I am there to help them to get better or for whatever they need.” 

-   

This article was written by Sam Dicus