Wake Forest Baseball Adds New Assistant Coach Ahead of 2026 Season
Former Air Force coaching staff member Tyler Dawson has joined the Wake Forest coaching staff. With other changes in staffing occurring this season, such as the addition of Terry Rooney, the Deacons hope to improve on last season's postseason results.
Wake Forest has had quite an eventful offseason thus far. There has been a lot of turnover both in the coaching staff and the roster overall, creating some uncertainty about what to expect for the upcoming season.
That said, Dawson has a proven track record of success wherever he goes, and he will bring his winning ways to David F. Couch Ballpark, contributing to a team that has been capable of producing great higher-league talent.
Who Is Tyler Dawson?
At Air Force, Dawson was focused on helping hitters and infielders. In 2026, he helped Air Force finish second in their conference standings as they hit .307 as a team and had an OPS of .897, helping them rank in the top 25 in the nation in batting.
In addition, he has a good track record of helping talent succeed at the next level. While at Air Force, he developed Jay Thomason and Sam Kulasingam, both standout players in the Mountain West in 2024. They were both selected in the 2024 MLB Draft, displaying Dawson's ability to develop talent.
Prior to joining Air Force, Dawson was the head coach of Cleveland Community College from 2022-23, where he showed his track record of success, leading them to a 31-23 record. Dawson also played college baseball and football at Bridgewater College, where he studied exercise science.
How Will Dawson Help Wake This Year?
Dawson will make an immediate impact on the new infielders coming into Winston-Salem this year. With freshmen infielders Cole Green and Brady Marshall coming in this year, Dawson will be a great help in developing them both offensively and defensively.
In addition, valuable transfers such as Ryan Costello, Dylan Passo, and Caden Davidson will benefit greatly from being under Dawson's wing. With a good number of valuable players leaving in the transfer portal, such as Luke Costello and JD Stein, these new bats have big shoes to fill, and Dawson will be a key part of ensuring they are up to the challenge.
Overall, Dawson will be a huge help in improving Wake's bats this upcoming season. He has brought success at every stop he has made so far, and Tom Walter is confident in his ability to bring that winning mentality to the Demon Deacons.
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Alex is a junior at Wake Forest University. He is studying decision analytics and computer science, and he’s interested in everything relating to sports. He was born and raised in East Greenwich, a small town in the smallest state, Rhode Island. His specialty is basketball, enjoying both playing and writing about the sport. The majority of his articles when he was a staff writer for The Old Gold and Black were basketball articles. When not writing or studying for his difficult coursework, Alex likes to spend time with friends and family and exercising.
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