Greene Central alum Blake Herring selected as first head baseball coach at Carteret Community College
Carteret Community College has taken a major step in launching its baseball program, announcing Blake Herring as the first head baseball coach in school history.
Herring arrives at Carteret after a successful decade as head coach at Louisburg College, where he established one of Region 10’s most consistent junior college baseball programs. Since returning to Louisburg in 2015, Herring guided the Hurricanes to more than 250 wins and helped over 100 student-athletes move on to four-year institutions.
“Carteret Community College considers it a homerun to have hired Coach Blake Herring as the first head baseball coach in our new athletics program,” CCC president Dr. Tracy Mancini said in a statement. “His record of excellence speaks for itself, but what truly sets him apart is the character, integrity, and commitment to student success that he brings to our campus and community.”
Under Herring’s leadership, Louisburg produced multiple All-Region 10 selections and major conference award winners, including Player of the Year, Pitcher of the Year, and Defensive Player of the Year honorees. In 2022, former Hurricanes outfielder Trendon Craig was selected in the MLB Draft, continuing the program’s reputation for player development.
Herring said the opportunity to build a program from the ground up at Carteret was a challenge he was eager to take on.
“I feel extremely grateful for the trust that the committee has placed in me to lead the baseball program from its startup to its inaugural season,” Herring said. “Having the Crystal Coast as our backyard is a distinct advantage in recruiting, and I look forward to assembling a quality team that makes Carteret Community College and the community proud to be a Kraken.”
In addition to his head coaching experience, Herring has served as a pitching coach at Carson-Newman University and previously at Louisburg College, developing multiple All-Conference and All-Region pitchers. During the 2015 season at Carson-Newman, one of his pitchers ranked fourth nationally in NCAA Division II strikeouts.
A native of Snow Hill, North Carolina, Herring has strong ties to eastern North Carolina. He was an All-State athlete at Greene Central High School and played collegiately at Lenoir Community College and Campbell University. At Campbell, he led the Camels in wins, innings pitched, starts, and complete games during the 2006 and 2007 seasons.
Athletics Director Scott Lane believes Herring’s background and values make him the right choice to lead the program.
“From the beginning, Blake checked every box we were looking for in a leader to build this program,” Lane said. “He is deeply committed to helping student-athletes succeed beyond the field, and he has a proven track record of building championship-level programs.”
Herring is married to Kelly (Joyner), a New Bern native and elementary school teacher. The couple has two children, Peyton Banks and Carson Blake.
Carteret Community College is expected to continue building toward the launch of Kraken Baseball under Herring’s leadership.
Information and quotes in this story were provided by Carteret Community College.
