William and Mary Coaching Staff

01/01/00

- Head Coach Jim Farr

When Jim Farr was hired as the head baseball coach at the College of William and Mary 13 years ago he was taking the reigns of a program that bore little resemblance to the club that set or tied 17 individual and team records last season. The transformation witnessed by the Tribe faithful under his tutelage is nothing short of phenomenal. Farr has overseen the transformation of playing games on the football practice field and home game parking lot to residing in one of the finest collegiate baseball facilities in the Mid-Atlantic region. From a conference afterthought to a team that is a perennial force in the Colonial Athletic Association. This kind of turnaround doesn’t happen without a strong teacher, leader and motivator calling the shots.
The last five seasons have been the finest in the history of the College’s program. Seven players signed professional contracts, five consecutive 30-win seasons, two years that broke the school record for wins and William and Mary’s first ever CAA baseball championship in 2001, which led to the program’s second NCAA Tournament appearance.
The 2004 season was yet another stepping stone in the Tribe’s rise to national prominence. Although the club came up short of its ultimate goal of a conference championship, the statistical success of last year’s team was unparalleled. The Tribe set numerous school records including wins (37), hits (691), RBI (428), saves (11) and strikeouts (415). Farr led the Tribe out of the gates with a 16-3 mark prior to the start of CAA action. A sluggish middle of the season was quickly forgotten in the wake of an eight-game winning streak to close out the regular season, including conference sweeps of James Madison and Towson.
The 2003 season saw a number of firsts. Senior outfielder Michael Brown set a school record with 20 home runs as he was the first player in school history to be named a first-team All-American. Picher Chris Ray was selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the third round (74th overall) in what was then the highest draft selection in school history.
In 2001, the Tribe marked its place as one of the nation’s top programs, as it advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1983, and in the process, won a then school-record 35 games. Six players were named to the all-conference team, the most ever for the College. Third-team All-America shortstop Brendan Harris was selected in the fifth round of the Major League Baseball Draft by the Chicago Cubs, and made his Major Leauge debut in July. A month later, he was traded to the Montreal Expos in a three-team deal that included Nomar Garciapparra. Another member from that team, first baseman Mike O’Kelly, signed a free-agent contract with the Atlanta Braves. Harris finished his career as the school’s all-time leader in batting average (.362), and he will begin the 2005 season vying for the third baseman’s job with the Washington Nationals.
Along with Harris, Mitch Walk earned honorable-mention Freshman All-America honors after batting .357 on the year. For his team’s efforts, Farr was named the 2001 Virginia SID State Coach of the Year, his first such honor.
Aside from his duties as head coach, Farr focuses much of his practice time molding the William and Mary pitching staff. The experience and expertise that he gained in his years as a professional pitcher with the Rangers’ and Giants’ organizations has turned many young pitchers into top-notch professional prospects. Eight pitchers have signed professional contracts after honing the craft under coach Farr. As recently as the last two Major League Baseball Amateur Drafts, Ray, Bill Bray (1st round, 2004) and Chris Shaver (4th round, 2004) have all been selected in the early rounds and tabbed as top prospects by their respective organizations.
Bray’s selection, the 13th overall pick, is the highest in school history, and he earned a $1,750,000 signing bonus after agreeing to terms. He is the school’s all-time leader in saves with 11.
Shaver returned for his senior season after being selected by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays with the first pick in the 24th round after his junior year. Shaver flourished under Farr’s tutelage, as he was drafted by the Chicago Cubs with the first pick of the fourth round and received a $170,000 signing bouns.
Last season’s staff ERA of 4.56 came up just shy of the school record of 4.40 which was set under the tutelage of Farr in 1993. All 11 of the single season and career records in the College’s record books were set during Farr’s tenure at William and Mary.
A 1978 graduate of Penn State University, Farr was drafted and signed to a professional contract by the Texas Rangers. He pitched professionally from 1978-85 in the Rangers and San Francisco Giants organizations before an elbow injury ended his playing career. Farr reached the major league level for parts of two seasons, highlighted by a 2.50 ERA as a reliever with the Rangers in 1982. He is one of only 12 college coaches in the country to have Major League Baseball experience.
While earning his degree in health and physical education at Penn State, Farr enjoyed an outstanding baseball career, earning numerous Atlantic 10 all-conference honors. Selected in the draft by San Francisco following his junior season at Penn State, he opted to return for his senior season and was selected by Texas the following year. The Chicago White Sox were the first to draft Farr when they selected him directly out of high school in 1974.
The Athens, Pennsylvania native returned to Penn State as an assistant coach and an instructor in the College of Health and Human Development following his professional playing days. He also completed his Master of Science in Exercise and Sport Science at Penn State in 1992.
A member of the Nittany Lions’ staff for three years, Farr moved to Old Dominion as an assistant coach in 1988. As pitching coach and recruiting coordinator, his last three classes at ODU were ranked among the top 25 in the country. Two of his top recruits, Jeff Ware (RHP) and Wayne Gomes (RHP) were first-round draft picks, and both went on to pitch in the major leagues. Regarded as a top recruiter, Farr has developed the Tribe into a legitimate CAA competitor by increasing the talent and skill level on the squad. Many of his former athletes have gone on to play in the professional ranks. Presently there are 11 of Farr’s former Tribe players in professional baseball.
In 1993 Farr organized his first baseball camp at W&M. These camps have developed to the point where they now attract over 500 campers a year. The 2005 squad has 19 players that have attended his camps. Farr also speaks at numerous clinics throughout the east.
Farr and his wife, Susan, a registered nurse, have two daughters, Jessica (20), a junior tennis player at Longwood University, and Danielle (18), a freshman volleyball and tennins player at Christopher Newport University.

Assistant Coach Ryan Wheeler

Ryan Wheeler begins his ninth year at William and Mary as one of the most respected assistant coaches in the CAA. Wheeler primarily tutors the Tribe hitters, works defensively with the infield and heads up the recruiting efforts.
As the hitting coach, Wheeler has groomed first team All-Americans the past two seasons in 2003 Detroit Tigers draft pick Michael Brown and last season’s CAA Player of the Year, Chris Rahl. Brown compiled what was then the finest offensive season ever for the College, hitting, .423 with 20 home runs and 66 RBIs, falling one RBI short of winning the CAA triple crown. He was rewarded at the end of the year when he was named first team All-CAA as well as garnering two first-team All-America selections (the first in school history). In just his second year on campus, Rahl put together a season that rivals, if not trumps, Brown’s gaudy 2003 numbers. He tied Brown’s mark of 20 home runs and drove in 70 runs to set a school record. His totals for runs scored (73), hits (89), stolen bases (42) and total bases (174) all are single-season records. Rahl was named first-team All-America by four different organizations as well as being the first sophomore in conference history and the first player in William and Mary history to be named the CAA Player of the Year.
As a unit, the 2004 Tribe offense set school records in batting average (.326) and triples 37. W&M finished the year leading the nation in triples per game, averaging 0.65.
Wheeler’s work has been highlighted on the national stage by Tribe standout Brendan Harris, who spent a portion of last season on the Chicago Cubs major league roster, before finishing the season with the Montreal Expos after a trade. He was drafted in the fifth round of the 2001 Major League Draft by the Cubs following a tremendous career at the College. Harris sill holds William and Mary career records for batting average (.362), doubles (59) and runs scored (185). Of the 18 major single-season and career offensive records for the Tribe, 16 have been notched under the watchful eye of Wheeler.
W&M’s infield defense has routinely been one of the finest in the CAA and in 2001 was ranked in the top-15 in the country in fielding percentage. Last season was a true testament to Wheeler’s all around efforts as William and Mary topped the CAA in team batting average (.336) and fielding percentage (.967). His recruiting efforts have been as strong as his work with in the field as the incoming freshman class for 2004-05 is one of the deepest in recent memory and included eight early signees, the most in the College’s history. A native of Harleysville, Pennsylvania, Wheeler is a 1994 graduate of Penn State with a degree in landscape architecture. He was a four-year standout on the diamond for the Nittany Lions, as well as being named a Big Ten conference scholar-athlete all four years. He started 184 consecutive games for Penn State in the middle infield and was twice named the team’s MVP. Wheeler also received two Big Ten defensive player of the year awards, and was drafted in the 31st round by the California Angles upon graduation.
Wheeler and his wife, Nora, a schoolteacher, have two sons, Jack (2) and Kevin (1). They live in Williamsburg with their dogs Ripken and Mattingly.

Assistant Coach Matt Kirby

Former Tribe catcher Matt Kirby returns to his alma mater for his first season as a full-time assistant coach.
Kirby spent the 2004 season as a volunteer assistant coach at the Virginia Military Institute, where he was responsible for the outfielders, catchers and hitters.
Prior to his stint in Lexington, Kirby was a student-assistant coach for the Tribe as he worked toward his degree in kinesiology.
Kirby, a four-year letterwinner for the Tribe as a catcher and pitcher, enjoyed a fantastic senior season in 2002, batting a career-high .326 with four home runs and 32 runs batted in. Along with pitcher Whitt Farr, Kirby was named one of the Diamond Club’s Most Valuable Players at the conclusion of the season.
A native of King William, Virginia, Kirby served as a student-assistant coach in 2003 while completing his degree requirements. He will work with the Tribe catchers and assist Ryan Wheeler with the hitters and will play a big role in recruiting.
Kirby is single and resides in Williamsburg.

Assistant Coach Jim Labrusciano

Jim Labrusciano enters his second year with the William and Mary coaching staff as a volunteer assistant.
Labrusciano joined the Tribe staff last winter after serving as the head coach at Williamsburg’s Bruton High School in 2003. Prior to becoming the head coach at Bruton, he was the top assistant coach for the previous six seasons.
Labrusciano is a 1997 graduate of Tusculum College in Greenville, Tennessee, where he was a catcher and first baseman.
He will mentor the Tribe’s catchers and first basemen while assisting Ryan Wheeler with the hitters.