Coach Rocke Musgraves begins his fifth season as the Nighthawks head coach in the 2017-18 academic year.
The Nighthawk skipper brings a college head-coaching record of 686-385 into this season and an overall record of 932-525. Musgraves became the 13th head coach of the Northwest Nazarene University baseball team in August 2013. Since then he has guided NNU to its first postseason berths in each of the last three seasons, with each berth resulting in an appearance in the GNAC championship game. 2016 was also a year of firsts for the program as NNU won its first GNAC regular season title and GNAC tournament title, earning Musgraves GNAC Coach of the Year honors.
Over the past four seasons NNU placed four players into Major League Baseball systems – Jamie Mitchell (Tampa Rays), Aaron Vaughn (Houston Astros), Jake Reppert (Philadelphia Phillies) and Billy King (Tampa Rays). Colben McGuire signed with the White Sands Pup Fish a Professional Independent team. Under the tutelage of Musgraves two NNU players have earned the GNAC Player of the Year award, Tyler Davis (2016) and Billy King (2017).
Before coming to NNU, Musgraves built Louisiana State University - Shreveport into one of the premier baseball programs in the NAIA. In just his 13th season the Pilots gave their coach his 500th collegiate victory, while amassing an overall record of 584-276. His .676 career winning percentage ranked him third in the NAIA of active coaches with more than 500 victories. Over his last 11 seasons at LSUS, the Pilots won more games than any of the Louisiana’s 15 four-year schools that play baseball. During those 11 years the Pilots won at least 40 games 10 times, while earning berths to the NAIA College World Series three times. (2003, 2011 and 2012). All 10 40-plus win seasons resulted in LSUS reaching NAIA’s National Tournament.
Musgraves won back-to-back RRAC Coach of the Year awards in 2011, 2012 and 2013. In 2011, Musgraves was also named 2011 Louisiana Coach of the Year by Louisiana Sports Writers. In 2011 and 2012, Musgraves garnered the Turface Southern Region Coach of the Year award, while also receiving the TPX Conference Award both years. In 2005, Musgraves was named the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Coach of the Year; and in 2003, after winning 52 games, he received the NAIA Regional Coach of the Year award.
In 2012, the Pilots completed one of NAIA’s best winning percentages of all-time with 54 wins against only six losses. After winning the Red River Athletic Conference for the second consecutive year, the Pilots also took home the RRAC Conference Tournament crown for the second consecutive year. After sweeping their three games in the NAIA Opening Round National Tournament the Pilots headed to the prestigious NAIA World series against the top nine teams in the country and the host team, Lewis-Clark State College. The Pilots dropped the first game and then won their next three games in dramatic fashion, pitting them against Tennessee Wesleyan to see who would play in the National Championship Game. Despite the third-place finish, Musgraves was proud of his squad, especially after they were given the Tournament’s Champions of Character Sportsmanship Award. During the season the Pilots led all of NAIA baseball in runs per game (8.9).
Musgraves served as LSU Shreveport's Athletic Director in 2002 expanding the athletic department from just baseball to adding Men’s and Women’s Basketball and Women’s Soccer. Musgraves also served as the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Baseball Chairman during 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2008.
During their stint in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (2001-2011) the Pilots won more games than any other GCAC program and set several conference records: wins, doubles, home runs, runs scored, hit by pitches and offensive walks. They also set two NAIA all-time records for hit-by-pitches and walks in a season.
In 1996, Musgraves joined the staff at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, Louisiana, as assistant baseball coach. While at Nicholls he oversaw practices, served as the NSU Camp Director, maintained the field, and helped recruit the team that made it to the 1998 NCAA Division I Regional National Tournament. Players under Musgraves' tutelage included: Maleke Fowler, the 1996 NCAA leader in stolen bases and Brett Lockwood, who broke Todd Walker's state of Louisiana hitting-streak record.
Musgraves also served as assistant coach at Pima Community College in Tucson from 1993-1995 where he worked with infielders and hitters, including the nation's leading hitter, Erubiel Durazo who went on to play in the Major Leagues for the Oakland A's and Arizona Diamondbacks.
In 1992, as an assistant coach at Salpointe Catholic High School in Tucson, Arizona, his team was ranked ninth in the nation by USA Today. In 1993, he was named assistant coach at Flowing Wells High School in Tucson, which played in the Arizona state championship game.
Musgraves began his coaching career in Fort Macleod, Alberta, Canada in 1988. He experienced success as a head coach in the Montana State American Legion League where he coached the Fort Macleod Royals to 1993 and 1994 Pacific Northwest Regional Championships. His team also won the 1994 Montana State Championship, collecting an overall record of 207-98, which led to Musgraves being named the 1994 Montana State Coach of the Year.
In 1995, his only year in the Saskatchewan Major Baseball League (summer collegiate league), he led the Oyen Pronghorns to their first ever championship with a 32-7 record.
Musgraves received his M.A. from the University of Arizona in 1994 and B.A. from Westmont College in 1988. His college playing career included Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California and Yavapai Community College in Prescott, Arizona.
Musgraves has been married to his wife, Mitzi, for 21 years and they are the proud parents of Libbi Montana (2003) and Eli Christian (2005).
