COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Texas A&M Baseball has named former University of Nebraska player and assistant coach Will Bolt to the staff, Aggie Head Coach Rob Childress announced on Thursday. Bolt previously served a two-year stint as a volunteer assistant coach at Texas A&M in 2006-07.
Bolt’s primary functions will include coordinating the offensive game, mentoring the infielders and serving as third base coach.
“We are making a great addition to our coaching staff,” Childress said. “He has done great things on the coaching track and has been a winner and built an outstanding resume at every stop he has made. Will was an incredible player at Nebraska. He still holds a lot of records and has a great baseball mind. There is a familiarity with College Station with Will having coached two seasons here in the past, so there will be a seamless transition.
In addition to serving as a volunteer assistant under Coach Childress, Bolt was also a four-year starter at Nebraska from 1999-2002, while Childress was serving as an assistant coach under Dave Van Horn.
“This is something I’m truly excited about,” Bolt said. “Having been here early on when Rob (Childress) was first starting out here, I felt like this was a special place. I am honored and humbled that he asked me to return and I look forward to work Rob and Justin (Seely) as they continue to build an elite program.”
The Conroe, Texas native spent the last three seasons as an associate head coach for the Cornhuskers, serving under Darin Erstad. Bolt helped the Huskers get back to the NCAA Tournament in 2014 after a five-year hiatus. Nebraska was one of the top offenses in the Big Ten Conference last season and ranked 19th nationally in hits (623), 30th in triples (19) and 31st in batting average (.293). Nebraska’s defense was also one of the best units in the country in 2014. With a new starter at first base, third base, shortstop, left field and center field, the Huskers ranked 21st in the country with a .976 fielding percentage.
Under Bolt’s watch in 2013, Nebraska’s defense turned in its best performance in school history. The Huskers ranked second in the nation with a .981 fielding percentage, setting school and Big Ten records. The Husker offense improved under Bolt’s tutelage in 2013, ranking in the top three in the Big Ten in eight offensive categories.
Prior to his tenure at Nebraska, Bolt served four years as head coach at Texarkana College from 2008-11. He led the Bulldogs to a pair of Region XIV championships during his four-year stint. Bolt guided the Bulldogs to back-to-back Region XIV championships (2009 and 2010) during a stretch of four straight Regional Tournament appearances and four 30-plus win seasons. Bolt, who was 140-82 (.631) at Texarkana, helped over 20 players sign with Division I schools.
Bolt has been in the collegiate coaching ranks for 10 years, spending the 2005 season as Nebraska’s volunteer assistant during the program’s school-record breaking 57-win campaign, prior to his two years on Texas A&M’s coaching staff. One of the top infielders in Husker history, he finished his playing career holding six school records and caught the final out of the 2001 Super Regional to send Nebraska to its first College World Series.
The Conroe High School product started his coaching career by serving as a graduate manager for the 2004 Huskers, and he was then named head coach for the Parkville Sluggers (M.I.N.K. League) over the summer. Upon being named a volunteer assistant at Nebraska in 2005, Bolt helped direct the Husker infielders and hitters, as NU had its best season in school history. Nebraska compiled a 57-15 record and swept the Big 12 regular-season and tournament championships en route to capturing Nebraska’s first CWS win. Nebraska finished the season with a then-school record .975 fielding percentage.
Bolt headed back to his home state in 2006 and spent two seasons as a volunteer assistant coach at Texas A&M. In 2007, he was on staff when the Aggies advanced to the Super Regionals, while producing a 49-18 overall record and claiming the program’s first Big 12 Tournament championship. In College Station, Bolt specialized in infield work and helped tutor All-Americans Brandon Hicks and Blake Stouffer, who were each drafted in the first five rounds of the MLB Draft.
A member of Van Horn’s first recruiting class, Bolt was a four-year starter and team captain on Nebraska’s 2001 and 2002 College World Series teams. The infielder played an instrumental role in helping Nebraska to four NCAA Regionals, three Super Regionals and back-to-back College World Series appearances. Bolt was the Minneapolis Regional MVP as a sophomore, as he led the Huskers to their first regional title in school history with a .545 batting average. He finished his career holding six school records, including games played (251), games started (242), at-bats (922), hits (281), doubles (56) and assists (639). Bolt remains in the school’s top five in several categories, including doubles (1st, 56), games played (2nd, 251), assists (2nd, 639), hits (3rd, 281) and runs scored (5th, 197). His 639 assists were also the most in Big 12 history.
In the classroom, Bolt was a two-time Academic All-Big 12 honoree and graduated in 2003 with a degree in communication studies before earning his master’s degree in 2006.
Bolt and his wife, Lauren, were married in July of 2005 and they have two sons, Jaxon and Austin.
Story courtesy of Texas A&M Athletics