Art Inabinet, 46, is entering his 12th season as head baseball coach at Francis Marion University and his 14th year overall at the university. He owns a 373-208-2 coaching mark at FMU, and a career coaching record of 457-262-2 in 14 seasons at the four-year collegiate level. 

In eight of his 11 seasons as head coach, the Patriots have won 30 games, and six times FMU has earned invitations to the NCAA Division II national tournament.  Eight times during his tenure the Patriots have appeared in the final Top 30 national poll at the conclusion of the season, and dating back to the 2005 season, the Patriots have appeared in 109 of the past 117 national polls.  Eleven Francis Marion players have been chosen in the Major League Baseball draft over the past 10 years, and five are currently playing professionally.

The St. Matthews, S.C., native served as a Patriot assistant for two seasons (1999-2000) before succeeding long-time head coach Gerald Griffin as the second head coach in the program's history. The Patriots posted a combined 37-48 record during Inabinet's two years as Griffin's assistant.

This past season, Francis Marion equaled the school record for wins with a 41-16 mark, won the Peach Belt Conference regular-season crown, received its third consecutive NCAA Tournament bid, and reached the regional title game for the second year in a row.  The Patriots ranked ninth in the final 2011 Collegiate Baseball Newspaper NCAA Division II Top 30 poll, the third such end-of-the-season Top 10 ranking in school history (and the second year in a row).  In addition to Inabinet earning PBC Coach of the Year honors, FMU also achieved a conference first by garnering Player of the Year, Pitcher of the Year, and Freshman of the Year awards. Nationally, the Patriots ranked among the Top 20 in ten statistical categories: second in sacrifice flies (40), third in sacrifice bunts (75), fourth in hits (629) and hit-by-pitches (93), fifth in fewest walks allowed per nine innings (2.41), 11th in fielding percentage (0.971), 14th in fewest hits allowed per nine innings (7.65), 15th in earned run average (2.83), 16th in triples (20), and 17th in runs scored (407).  FMU ranked 21st in win-loss percentage (0.719),  22nd in team batting average (0.323), and 37th in runs per game (7.1).

In 2010, FMU was 40-14, the second-most wins in team history, and the Patriots tied for the PBC’s East Division crown. For the first time, FMU was selected to host the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional Tournament where the Patriots placed second. Francis Marion ended the year ranked 10th in the final Top 30 poll.  At the conclusion of the season, the Patriots were ranked among the Top 20 nationally in six statistical categories, including eighth in sacrifice bunts (56), 13th in earned run average (3.67) and fewest hits allowed per nine innings (8.63), 14th in won-loss percentage (.741), 15th in fielding percentage (.967), and 20th in players being hit-by-pitches (83).

In 2009, FMU posted a 38-15-1 record, finished second during the PBC regular season, won the PBC Tournament title, and earned its fourth national tournament bid in the past seven years, placing third at the regional. The Patriots were ranked 14th in the final Top 30 poll. In the NCAA end-of-the-season team rankings, the Patriots ranked in the top 50 of 13 different categories: including 29th in fielding percentage (.965), 39th in batting average (.333), and 42nd in team ERA (4.34).

In 2008, FMU went 34-20, tied for third in the PBC regular-season standings, and ended the year ranked 27th. The Patriots ranked in the Top 20 nationally in six different statistical categories.  The 2007 Patriot team was 36-18, placed third during the PBC regular season, and ended the year ranked 29th.  Each of the those two seasons saw FMU narrowly miss out on a bid to the Division II national tournament.

In 2006, Inabinet directed the Patriots to a program-best 41-18 record, a No.6 national ranking, and the program's first-ever trip to the NCAA Division II College World Series.  The Patriots were ranked as high as third in the national poll during the 2006 campaign and spent seven weeks in the Top 10. FMU placed second in the Peach Belt regular-season standings.  Following the 2006 season, Inabinet was selected as the ABCA/Diamond Sports Company Coach of the Year for the South Atlantic Region.

In 2005, he led FMU to a 34-16-1 record, a No. 14 national ranking, and an NCAA post-season invitation. During the 2005 campaign, he captured his 200th career win, and FMU's 34 wins was one shy of the then team record. Ten of the 16 losses were to nationally ranked opponents. FMU's team ERA of 3.11 was the lowest for a Patriot staff since 1980 and ranked eighth in NCAA II. The Patriots placed third in the PBC standings. In 2004, Inabinet guided the Patriots to a 29-17 record and a fifth-place finish during the PBC regular season. FMU won 10 of its final 11 contests and spent six weeks in the Division II Top 30 poll, including one week at No. 7, the program's then highest ranking ever. The team's ERA of 3.47 led the PBC and ranked 11th nationally.

In 2003, he directed FMU to a 30-20 mark, a No. 18 national ranking, and a third-place finish at the NCAA's South Atlantic Regional. Picked to finish eighth in the PBC preseason coaches' poll, the Patriots finished third in the PBC with an 18-10 mark, only one-half game away from winning the program's first-ever conference title. The 18 conference wins were a team record.  Playing an extremely tough schedule in 2003, FMU was 10-10 against Top-30 opponents.  In Inabinet's first two seasons at the helm of the Patriots, FMU posted records of 24-27 in 2001 and 26-27 in 2002.

Prior to joining the FMU staff in 1999, he served as head coach at North Greenville College for six seasons, recording a 155-122 mark (84-54 as a 4-year institution). He guided the Mounties program from junior college status to a four-year program in 1996. After making that transition, North Greenville was 14-21 in 1996, 34-17 in 1997, and 36-16 in 1998, including a pair of second-place finishes in the Mid-South Conference his last two years. In 1995, Inabinet was named the Louisville Slugger "Coach of the Year" for the NJCAA Region X, as the Mounties posted a 31-22 record and won the region title.

Inabinet earned both the B.S. degree in history and the M.A.T. degree in secondary education (social sciences) from Winthrop University. As an undergraduate student, he was a four-year letterman on the Eagle baseball team. Following his playing career, he served as a graduate assistant coach at Winthrop from 1989 to 1991. He also was the head baseball coach at The Catawba School for one year (1992).

Inabinet is director of the annual FMU Baseball Camp held during the summer. He is married to the former Kimberly Reese, and the couple has one child, Reese.

(9-2011)

Robbie Wilson begins his eighth season as assistant coach for the Patriot program.  His responsibilities include working in the areas of hitting and fielding, as well as recruiting. He also serves as the university's coordinator of the Champs Life Skills program.

Wilson, 34, has helped the Patriots to seven 30-win seasons, five NCAA Tournament invitations, and a spot in the final Top 30 poll each of the past seven campaigns (including three Top-10 rankings).

Last season, FMU posted a program-best 41-16 record, won the Peach Belt Conference regular-season championship, and reached the title game of the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional Tournament.  With Wilson in the first base coaching box, the 2006 FMU squad compiled a then program-best 41-18 record, ended the year ranked sixth nationally, and made the program's first-ever trip to the NCAA Division II College World Series.

During the summers of 2007 and 2008, Wilson served as head coach of the Outer Banks Daredevils of the Coastal Plain League.  He guided the Daredevils to a two-year mark of 48-58, and his 2008 squad earned a spot in the Petitt Cup Championship Tournament.

During the summers of 2005 and 2006, he was the head coach of the Allegany Country Nitros of the New York Collegiate Baseball League. He guided the Nitros to a 27-23 record in 2006 and a spot in the league championship series.

Prior to joing the FMU staff, Wilson spent the 2004 season as an assistant coach at Gardner-Webb University. The NCAA Division I Bulldogs compiled a 32-25 record and placed fourth in the Atlantic Sun Conference final regular-season standings.

A native of Chattanooga, Tenn., Wilson is a 1999 graduate of King College, where he was a four-year letterman on the baseball diamond. A center fielder, he was named his squad's most valuable player in 1999. He visited South Africa in 1998 as a member of an Athletes in Action squad.

He also earned a master's degree from East Tennessee State University in 2002. He served as a graduate assistant at ETSU, instructing four collegiate-level physical education classes.

Prior to taking the position at Gardner-Webb, he served as an assistant coach at King for three seasons (2000, 2001, 2002).

An avid Los Angeles Dodgers fan, Wilson has also worked as sports editor and writer for The Chattanoogan.com, and spent one year as assistant to the general manager of the Johnson City Cardinals minor league baseball organization.

He and his wife have one daughter.

(9-2011)

Former Patriot player Jared Barkdoll is entering his third season with the Patriot staff as an assistant coach. His duties at FMU include working with hitters, catchers and recruiting.

He was also recently named the head coach of the Florence (S.C.) RedWolves, a summer-league squad in the Coastal Plain League.

Barkdoll, a native of Greencastle, Pa., was a four-year starter for the Patriots from 2006 to 2009. He finished his career owning the school’s all-time records for RBIs (162) and total bases (364), while tying the all-time mark for doubles (50) and ranking second in base hits (258).  He compiled a .344 average in 206 games with 132 runs scored, 16 homers, a .417 on-base percentage, and a .993 fielding percentage.

He earned a B.S. degree in sociology in 2009.

As a senior, he earned All-Region and All-Conference honors after batting .386 with  three homer and 41 RBIs, despite missing 10 games with an injury.  He compiled a .992 fielding percentage – only two errors and two passed balls in 44 games – while throwing out 12 of 38 runners attempting to steal.

He helped FMU to a four-year record of 149-71-1 and a pair of NCAA Division II National Tournament appearances.  As a freshman in 2006, FMU advanced to the College World Series in Montgomery, Ala., and as a senior, he helped the Patriots to their first-ever Peach Belt Tournament title.

While at FMU, he served on the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). He was a second generation Patriot as his father, Tod, also played baseball at Francis Marion.  Barkdoll was drafted in the 42nd round of the 2005 MLB Draft by the New York Mets.

(9-2011)