RICHARDSON, TX (08.19.13) - UT Dallas head baseball coach Shane Shewmake has announced that Sean West has been named the program's new assistant coach. West will also serve as head coach of the UTD men's cross country program.

West, a native of Stone Mountain, Ga., comes to UTD after spending the past four seasons as an assistant coach at Denison University in Granville, Ohio. During his four seasons with the Big Red, West helped guide the program to a pair of 20-win seasons as he worked under two head coaches. This past spring, DU posted a 25-16 overall record, the most wins by the program in five seasons.

"We are very excited to have someone of Sean's caliber joining our coaching staff," said Shewmake, who enters his 13th season at the helm of the Comets. "He brings a wealth of NCAA Division III coaching experience with him and has coached under some of the best in the business while working in the Cape Cod League. He will be a tremendous addition to our coaching staff."

West's delay in his arrival to campus is due to the success of his summer league squad in the Cape Code League as he is the assistant coach of the Cotuit Kettleers under head coach Mike Roberts, former head coach at the University of North Carolina and father of current Baltimore Oriole and two-time all-star Brian Roberts. West is expected to be on campus later this week or early next week.

Out of high school, West attended Palm Beach Atlantic University where he was named the NCCAA South Region Player of the Year as a sophomore. He posted a .416 batting average with 17 stolen bases en route to claiming NCCAA first team All-America recognition. He later transferred to San Diego Christian College where he received his bachelor's degree in communications in 2008. After graduation, West served as SDCC's interim head coach in the fall of 2008 prior to taking the position at Denison.

While at Denison, West primarily working with hitters, infielders and outfields, in addition to serving as the assistant recruiting coordinator for the Big Red. West will serve as the recruiting coordinator for the Comets. In addition to his Cape Cod League experience, West has served as the general manager of the Licking County Settlers of the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League.