| THE KEYES FILE |
| Hometown: Newport News, Va. |
| Birthdate: August 7, 1962 |
| Education: B.S., Old Dominon, 1984 |
M.S, Richmond, 1991
|
| Coaching Experience: |
1984-85 Assistant Coach,
George Washington |
1985-91 Assistant Coach,
Virginia Commonwealth |
1991-94 Assistant Coach,
Vanderbilt |
1995-present Head Coach,
Virginia Commonwealth
|
Entering his 13th season as head coach of the Virginia Commonwealth baseball team, Paul Keyes has overseen the most successful era in the program’s 34-year history and has molded the Rams into a consistent contender on the national level.
Keyes has amassed a 441-266 overall mark in his 12 seasons at VCU, ranks among the top 50 active Division I coaches in winning percentage, and became the winningest coach in the history of the Rams’ program when he earned his 330th career victory on May 4, 2003.
VCU had tasted occasional success prior to Keyes’ arrival in 1995, but the Rams have since seen a seven-year run that is unparalleled in school history. Since the start of the 1996 campaign, Virginia Commonwealth has won 351 games, an average of over 35 victories per year, and posted a winning percentage of better than 65 percent. Under Keyes’ direction, Virginia Commonwealth captured back-to-back Colonial Athletic Association titles in 1997 and 1998 and claimed its first ever CAA tournament championship in 2002. The Rams also won the league’s regular season and tournament titles in 2003, which earned VCU a berth in the NCAA tournament for the fifth time in a six year span.
Those accomplishments grew out of a steady rebuilding effort Keyes began during his first year as head coach in 1995. Virginia Commonwealth has racked up winning seasons in each of the last nine years, including 40+ win campaigns in 1998, 1999, 2001 and 2003. Keyes’ 1998 VCU squad won a school-record 46 games and had two players, pitcher Matt Burch and shortstop Brandon Inge, receive All-America honors. Five other Ram standouts, pitcher/first baseman Jason Dubois, outfielder Matt Davis, third baseman Anthony Granato and pitchers Justin Orenduff and Cla Meredith, have also garnered All-America recognition in recent springs. Former catcher Jeff Parrish was named Freshman All-American in 2002, while Harold Mozingo garnered All-America honors last season. Keyes’ accomplishments have been well-recognized by his peers, as the Rams’ skipper was named the CAA’s Coach of the Year three times (1997, 1998, 2003).
The VCU program has reached a level of consistent success under Keyes, as he has surrounded himself with knowledgeable coaches and recruited the top prospects both locally and regionally. During Keyes’ tenure, a total of five Richmond Times-Dispatch metropolitan players of the year have made the decision to stay locally and play for VCU.
Keyes originally came to Virginia Commonwealth as an assistant coach in 1985. In his first tour of duty with the Rams, Keyes served as the pitching and defensive coach for seven years and handled most of the hitting instruction as well. His expertise helped guide Virginia Commonwealth to the first winning season in school history (25-22 in 1987), its first Sun Belt Conference championship and NCAA regional appearance (1988) and a national ranking as high as #18 during the 1989 campaign. Keyes oversaw a Rams defense that finished second in the nation with a .972 fielding percentage during the 1991 season, while his 1989 pitching staff finished third in the country with a 3.14 ERA and his 1988 staff finished fifth overall with a 3.23 ERA.
After departing Virginia Commonwealth in 1991, Keyes served as the pitching coordinator, infield and hitting instructor and recruiting coordinator for Vanderbilt University. In Keyes’ three seasons at Vanderbilt, the Commodores compiled an 89-77-2 overall record, including a second place finish in the 1994 Southeastern Conference tournament, and had eight players drafted in the major leagues.
A native of Newport News, Va., Keyes played his college ball at Old Dominion and earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the university in 1984. He later received his master’s degree in sports administration from the University of Richmond in 1991.
Keyes is married to the former Trisha Parham. The couple has three children, Paul Jr., MacKenzie and Kyle.
