Arkansas State Baseball
Head Coach

Tommy Raffo
Head Coach

Tommy Raffo was named head coach of the Red Wolves baseball team on July 1, 2008.

Raffo becomes the fifth head coach in the history of the ASU baseball program after serving as an assistant coach at Mississippi State for the past 15 years.  During his time at Mississippi State, he served as the hitting and outfield coach for a Bulldog program that made three trips to the College World Series.  Under his direction, the Bulldogs posted a team batting average of .300 or better in eight of the past 11 seasons.

During his 15 seasons at Mississippi State, Raffo served as the recruiting coordinator for the Bulldog baseball program, landing 10 straight recruiting classes ranked in the top 33 nationally by Collegiate Baseball.  He coached seven All-America players and four Academic All-Americans.  He was named as the 2007 Southeastern Conference Fellowship of Christian Athletes Coach of the Year, and during his time at MSU, 49 Bulldogs were chosen in the Major League Baseball Draft.

Raffo’s outstanding recruiting at MSU paid dividends for the program as he helped the Bulldogs reach the SEC Tournament 12 times, with two championships to their credit.  Mississippi State also made 11 appearances in the NCAA Tournament during Raffo’s time with the program, winning five regional titles.  The Bulldogs made three appearances in the NCAA Super Regionals and advanced to the College World Series in 1997, 1998 and 2007.  Raffo coached one Johnny Bench Award winner, given annually to the top college catcher in the country, and helped seven hitters finish the season in the SEC’s top five batting averages.

As a player, Raffo was co-captain of the 1990 Mississippi State team that advanced to the College World Series.  He was a two-time Academic All-American and a three-time Academic All-SEC selection.  He was named first-team All-SEC in 1989 and 1990, and in 1990 earned second-team All-America honors from both the American Baseball Coaches Association and Baseball America.

After earning his Bachelor’s of Business Administration Degree from Mississippi State in 1990, he was chosen by the Miami Miracle with the first pick of the eighth round in the 1990 MLB Draft.  While playing in the Reds organization, he was the MVP of the 1991 South Atlantic League All-Star Game, and was Co-Captain of the 1992 Midwest League Champion Cedar Rapid Reds.

A native of Orange Park, Fla., Raffo is married to the former Paula Hawkins of Calhoun City, Miss., and they are the parents of two daughters, Claudia Elizabeth, 15, and Anna Winifred, 13 and a son, Thomas Hanniford “Ford”, 4.