The Florence RedWolves announced the signing of Russell Carter from Blinn College in Brenham, Texas, on Saturday as the new coach for the 2010 season.  Carter replaces Chris Kemp who had been named coach back in the fall. Kemp recently accepted a scouting job with the Texas Rangers organization and he will be leaving Spartanburg Methodist College, where he was an assistant coach, to begin his new job. 

“We were sad to lose coach Kemp,” RedWolves general manager Jamie Young said. “We felt that he was going to do a great job for us and was putting together a very talented roster, but we are happy for him in his new position and hope to see him a lot at our ballpark scouting our players for the Rangers.” 

The switch shouldn’t be much of a problem, as Carter, an assistant with the Edenton Steamers last season and in 2007, was high on the RedWolves’ list when they orginally began searching for a new coach.  “Kemp and Carter were neck and neck in our original deliberations for our 2010 coach, so we were very glad to find out that coach Carter was still available and has agreed to become our coach,” Young said. “Both Carter and Kemp were assistant coaches in our league last summer, so Carter, like Kemp, understands how the CPL operates and will fit in easily as a head coach.”

A native of Richardson, Carter played college ball for Coach Tom Hager at Jamestown College in Jamestown, N.D., where the team won the 2004 regional championship and a berth in the NAIA World Series. Prior to his time at Jamestown, he spent two years at Southwestern University in Georgetown. His senior year at Jamestown he hit .397. He was a member of three conference championships during his four-year college career.

Carter began his collegiate coaching career in 2005 at the University of Texas at Dallas where he served as the pitching coach. During his tenure at UT-Dallas, the team finished second in the ASC East division in 2006 while placing third in the West Regional in 2007.

In 2007, Carter and the Steamers won both the first and second half championship while having six players selected in the Major League Draft and two others signing professional contracts.

“Coach Carter and Kemp have a lot of the same philosophies in coaching and the roster that we have put together fits into the style that Carter has,” Young said. “I have been in constant contact with coach Carter over the last few days, and he has hit the ground running. After the holidays, he will be making contact with all of the coaches and the players that we have lined up to come to Florence.”