By: Nolan Alexander
KENNESAW, Ga. — Kennesaw State head baseball coach Ryan Coe announced Wednesday the addition of Dax Norris as an assistant coach for the Owls' program.
Norris brings 17 years of collegiate coaching experience, most recently serving as head coach at the University of New Orleans in 2025, where he led the Privateers to the Southland Conference Championship series and coached Bryce Calloway to an All-American season. As the interim head coach, UNO was second in the conference in home runs and slugging percentage. They also finished in the top five in the league in doubles, batting average, and runs scored. On the mound, the pitching staff posted a top 10 single-season strikeout total in program history and led the Southland in strikeouts per nine innings.
"We're excited to welcome Dax to the Kennesaw State baseball family," Coe said. "His track record of developing players, recruiting elite talent, and building championship-caliber programs speaks for itself. Dax is a baseball lifer who brings tremendous experience from the SEC, CUSA, and Southland Conference. His ability to coach all areas of the game and his success in preparing players for professional baseball will be invaluable to our program."
Prior to his head coaching stint, Norris served as pitching coach at New Orleans from 2021 to 2024, guiding staffs that posted three of the top 11 single-season strikeout totals in program history. His pitchers earned All-Southland honors in four consecutive seasons.
Norris spent five seasons at Florida International (2016-2021), serving as pitching coach and recruiter before transitioning to the Panthers' hitting coach. During his tenure, FIU logged a pair of top five nationally ranked recruiting classes, plus another class being the only non-Power 5 school ranked in Baseball America's top 25 recruiting class. When he was the hitting coach, FIU was a mainstay atop the CUSA offensive leaderboards before the COVID-19 pandemic cut the season short. As pitching coach, he developed Logan Allen into the CUSA Freshman of the Year and later became a second-round draft pick by Cleveland and made his Major League debut in April 2023.
During his time at FIU, Norris orchestrated one of the most dominant pitching programs in Conference USA history. His staff led CUSA in team ERA and produced a league-record five Pitcher of the Week selections in a single season. The Panthers' pitching staff shattered more than 10 individual school records and set new program marks for most saves, fewest walks allowed, and most strikeouts in a season. In 2017, six players were selected in the MLB draft, the second-most in school history, while three earned Freshman All-American honors, also a school record.
"Dax is a throwback grinder in the game," said Brian Snitker, former Atlanta Braves manager. "He played the game with everything he had and approaches coaching the same way. He will bring much knowledge and experience to help all student-athletes and staff."
From 2007 to 2016, Norris coached at the University of Alabama, serving as both hitting coach and pitching coach/recruiting coordinator. He helped the Crimson Tide achieve numerous program milestones, including the program's best recruiting class (ranked fourth nationally), an SEC tournament championship runner-up finish, and NCAA Atlanta Regional and Clemson Super Regional appearances. Norris earned SEC Assistant Coach of the Year honors and coached eight All-Americans during his tenure.
Throughout his coaching career, Norris has facilitated the selection of more than 44 players in the MLB draft, with 10 reaching the Major League. His notable draft picks include Spencer Turnbull (pitcher, second round, Detroit), Alex Avila (catcher, fifth round, Detroit), Austin Shenton (infielder, fifth round, Seattle), Jimmy Nelson (pitcher, second round, Milwaukee), and JC Escarra (catcher/infielder, 15th round, Baltimore), all of whom have made MLB debuts.
A former standout catcher at Alabama, Norris earned first-team All-American honors, served as SEC team captain and participated in the 1996 College World Series. He played 11 professional seasons in the Atlanta Braves and Houston Astros organizations, reaching Triple-A with both clubs and earning 2002 Triple-A All-Star honors with the Richmond Braves.
Following his playing career, Norris completed his bachelor's degree in human environmental science from the University of Alabama. A native of LaGrange, Ga., Norris is married to the former Rene' Simpkins and they have a son, Colton Dax Norris.
