Baseball Names Luke Weatherford Volunteer Assistant
Aug 23, 2005 | Baseball
Aug. 23, 2005
NEW ORLEANS, La. - The Tulane University baseball team welcomed a new face to the program as former Arkansas standout Luke Weatherford has been named volunteer assistant, head coach Rick Jones announced Tuesday.
A two-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll, Weatherford will be responsible for working with the outfielders, assisting with hitters and coaching first base. He replaces Matthew Boggs, who left Tulane in July to accept an assistant's position at Duke.
"Luke fits the profile of what this program looks for in the volunteer position - a young man with coaching experience who is still working his way up the ranks," Jones said. "He mirrors the profile of a student-athlete in that he was a solid student at the University of Arkansas.
"He comes highly recommended by each and every person we've had contact with, both as a player and coach. Matthew Boggs did a wonderful job for us in his two years here, and I expect Luke Weatherford to continue that same momentum that Coach Boggs initiated."
Tulane is Weatherford's third stop as a coach. He began his career where he attended junior college, Arkansas-Fort Smith (formerly Westark College), where he served as an assistant from 2003-04. With the Lions, Weatherford served as the infield and hitting coach, coordinated all pregame preparation and helped oversee the strength and conditioning program.
Last season, Weatherford was the volunteer assistant at Southeastern Louisiana University where he worked with the infielders, assisted with hitters and worked with baserunners. Under Weatherford's tutelage, SLU freshman shortstop Steve Clevenger earned first-team All-Southland Conference honors, standing as the only rookie to claim first-team recognition in 2005.
As a player, Weatherford epitomized the term student-athlete in two seasons at both Westark College and Arkansas. He began his career at the junior college level, and earned All-Region and All-Region Tournament honors as a sophomore in 2000. Weatherford also claimed the school's Wayne Layman Leadership Award before accepting a scholarship with the Razorbacks.
At the Division I level, Weatherford played in 88 games from 2001-02 and earned the team's Lon Farrell Academic Award both seasons. As a senior, he helped lead the Razorbacks to the 2002 NCAA Wichita Regional Championship and advance to play in the Super Regionals.
"I'm definitely excited to be a part of a program like Tulane University," Weatherford said. "I look forward to working with Coach Jones, (associate head coach Mark) Kingston and (assistant coach Chad) Sutter and learning as much from them as I possibly can."
Weatherford earned his associate of arts and science from Westark in May 2000 and completed his bachelor's degree in education from Arkansas in May 2003. He is married to the former Tiffany Murphy of Shreveport, La., and the couple plans to reside on the Northshore.
