By: Matteen Zibanejadrad
KENNESAW, Ga. – The Chicago Cubs announced the hiring of former Kennesaw State University second baseman Willie Harris as their new third base coach Wednesday.
Before his memorable MLB career, Harris joined the Owls as a transfer from Middle Georgia College, previously Middle Georgia Junior College, in 1998 where he became a First Team Peach Belt All-Conference player and a Third Team American Baseball Coaches Association All-American in 1999.
Originally from Cairo, Ga., Harris reached the Division II World Series with the Owls in 1999, in a season where he hit for a .365 average with 14 home runs and 49 runs-batted-in; he also stole 40 bases in the single season he played for the Owls.
The KSU standout was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 24th round of the 1999 MLB Draft, becoming the first player under Coach
Mike Sansing to be drafted into the MLB. He made his league debut in 2001 and was then traded to the Chicago White Sox.
He hit his first major league home run as a member of the White Sox in 2002 and contributed to the team in both the infield and outfield. He hit a crucial pinch-hit single in Game 4 of the 2005 World Series and scored the only run in the championship-clinching win when Jermaine Dye's RBI single brought the speedy Harris around to score.
After a short stint in Boston, Harris became the starting left fielder for his hometown Atlanta Braves. On July 21, 2007, he became the first Braves' player in over 35 years to go six-for-six in a nine-inning game, according to the Baseball Almanac; he hit two triples that day, the first National League player to hit two triples in a six-hit performance in 118 years.
He would go on to find most of his success the next season with the Washington Nationals, where he hit a career-best 13 home runs. His inside-the-park home run on September 24, 2010 was the first ever hit by a Nationals' player.
He went on to play for the New York Mets and Cincinnati Reds before retiring in 2012.
Harris eventually joined the coaching ranks serving as the White Sox rookie league hitting coach in 2016 with the Great Falls Voyagers before becoming the manager of their advanced-A Winston-Salem Dash affiliate in 2017. He then managed the Giants Double-A club, the Richmond Flying Squirrels, for two seasons until most recently joining the Reds as their minor league outfield and baserunning coordinator.
