JOHN MELVIN MILLER ATHLETICS
John Melvin University Athletics

Rocke Musgraves currently serves as the John Melvin  Head Baseball Coach.

Musgraves became the 1st head coach of the John Melvin University baseball team in January 2023 after serving the previous six months as an assistant coach. The Miller’s skipper brings a college head-coaching record of 761-444 into this season and an overall record of 1,005-574.   

The JMU Baseball inaugural season offered up a surprise to the college baseball world with the Millers finishing the season with a respectable 19-16 record, including a win over #8 Nationally ranked Delgado CC.  JMU infielder, Nick Webre became the first Miller to sign a professional contract after a stellar season. Musgraves spent the past off-season living out of a suitcase, wearing out the recruiting trail and signing 33 new players to go with 23 quality returners. 

Before his stop at JMU Rocke coached at the NCAA Division I, Division 2, NAIA, and NJCAA levels. Previous to JMU he guided NCAA Division 2 Northwest Nazarene University to several firsts in the program’s history.  The Warriors qualified for their first-ever postseason action in three of his five seasons.  During his tenure NNU played in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Tournament Championship game three times, winning the tournament in 2016.  That season also saw the the Warriors winning their first-ever GNAC Regular Conference Championship, earning Musgraves the GNAC Coach of the Year and NNU Coach of the Year honors.  

Over the five seasons NNU placed five players into Major League Baseball systems – Jamie Mitchell (Tampa Rays), Aaron Vaughn (Houston Astros), Jake Reppert (Philadelphia Phillies), Billy King (Tampa Rays), and Zach Penrod (Boston Red Sox). Colben McGuire signed with the White Sands Pup Fish a Professional Independent team. Under the tutelage of Musgraves two NNU players earned the GNAC Player of the Year award, Tyler Davis (2016) and Billy King (2017).

The 2017 team broke the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Homerun Record with 83 round-trippers in only 54 games.

Before coming to NNU, Musgraves built Louisiana State University - Shreveport into one of the premier baseball programs in the NAIA. Rocke was named the LSUS Athletics Hall of Fame and to the LSUS Baseball Hall of Fame. 

In just his 12th 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.  The 2003 and 2013 finished third at the World Series while the 2012 squad placed 4th.

Musgraves won back-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 the nation 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.  From 2000- 2013 the Pilots sent over 20 players into professional baseball, with one, Jared Mortensen,  reaching the AAA level for the Tampa Bay Rays.

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 27 years and they are the proud parents of Libbi Montana (2003) and Eli Christian (2005).