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  Dax Norris

Dax Norris

Player Profile

Position:
Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator
Experience:
5th Year
Alma Mater:
Alabama, 1996

Dax Norris, one of the cornerstones of the University of Alabama's baseball revival in the 1990s under former head coach Jim Wells, enters his fifth season as assistant coach for the Crimson Tide. When Mitch Gaspard was named head coach in 2009, Norris was promoted to the recruiting coordinator for the program.

A hard-nosed player, Norris brings that same work ethic and intensity as the Crimson Tide's pitching coach and recruiting coordinator. After working as the hitting instructor from 2008-10, he took over the pitching staff and tutors the Alabama catchers, beginning with the 2011 season.

"With Dax being a player here, I think everybody remembers the type of player he was. He is the same way as a coach," said head coach Mitch Gaspard. "He is a high energy guy that gives you great effort every day, and he bleeds crimson and white, and was an All-American here. His time as a player here and in professional baseball really brings a wealth of knowledge to our program."

Norris enjoyed an 11-year professional baseball career with the Atlanta Braves and Houston Astros organizations, before joining the coaching ranks in 2007. During his time with the two organizations, he worked with some of the best pitching minds in the game. With the Braves, he worked with former MLB pitching coach Leo Mazzone and All-Star pitchers Greg Maddox, John Smoltz and Tom Glavine, and with Houston's, Andy Pettitte.

Following the 2011 campaign, pitchers Adam Morgan and Nathan Kilcrease and catcher Brock Bennett were selected in the 2011 MLB Draft. Morgan, a junior in 2011, was the Philadelpia Phillies' first pitcher taken when he was picked in the third round. Kilcrease went in the 30th round to the Oakland A's and Bennett was a 33rd round selection by the San Francisco Giants.

In 2010, Norris helped centerfielder Taylor Dugas earn First Team All-American honors by Baseball America, after the sophomore hit .395 with 96 hits, 15 doubles, five triples, 59 walks, and an on base percentage of .525. Dugas was seventh in the country in walks, 17th nationally in on base percentage, and 34th in hits. Junior shortstop Josh Rutledge finished sixth in the country with 107 total hits, and both Dugas and Rutledge were First Team All-SEC selections.

Norris' return to Tuscaloosa paid immediate dividends, as the Crimson Tide was one of the top offensive units in the country in 2009. They ranked in the top-25 nationally in nine offensive categories, including six top-20 marks, home runs per game (7th, 1.84), slugging percentage (7th, .566), home runs (8th, 107), runs scored (18th, 509), runs per game (18th, 8.8), doubles (12th, 142). The Tide also ranked 22nd in hitting (.330), 23rd in doubles per game (2.35) and 25th in total hits (689) in 2009. Following the 2009 season, Norris, along with Gaspard, were named the SEC Assistant Coaches of the Year by SEBaseball.com.

Norris tutored Kent Matthes, the 2009 SEC Player of the Year, who led the nation with a school record 28 home runs. Matthes, a fourth-round draft pick by the Colorado Rockies, hit .358 with 28 home runs and 81 RBI in 2009. That season, Matthes also ranked second nationally in home runs per game (0.50), third in slugging percentage (.858), sixth in RBI per game (1.45), 11th in RBI (81) and 12th in total bases (175). Matthes, who was a finalist for several national awards, was named the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association District III Player of the Year in 2009.

In addition to Matthes, Norris also tutored four players to First-Team All-SEC picks in 2009, including second baseman Ross Wilson, shortstop Josh Rutledge, third baseman Jake Smith. Outfielder Taylor Dugas was an All-SEC Freshman Team selection.

In 2008, Norris worked with All-SEC performers Alex Avila and Brandon May. Avila hit .343 with 17 home runs and 62 RBI as a junior in 2008. He was selected in the fifth round of the 2008 MLB Draft and made his Major League debut with the Detroit Tigers on Aug. 6, 2009. He is the first UA player under Norris to reach the big leagues.

May, who was a 36th round draft pick in 2009 by the Chicago Cubs, hit .347 with 12 home runs and 69 RBI and led the SEC with 39 RBI in 30 league games. In 2008, he hit .365 with five home runs and 50 RBI. Vin DiFazio was a 12th round draft pick by the Texas Rangers following the 2009 season.

Norris began his coaching career at Niceville (Fla.) High School, where he spent the 2007 season working under former UA assistant coach Kevin Berry. Norris worked with the Niceville hitters and catchers and one of his star pupils was former UA pitcher Jimmy Nelson, who earned all-state honors in high school. Following his junior season at Alabama, Nelson was a second round draft pick by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2010.

A journeyman minor leaguer, Norris played 11 seasons with the Atlanta Braves and Houston Astros organizations, reaching the Triple-A level with both clubs. Norris was voted on to the 2002 Triple-A All-Star team. He played in 846 career minor league games and batted .265 (771-for-2,914) with 73 home runs and 421 RBI. He had a career-high 122 hits and 72 RBI for the Greenville (S.C.) Braves (Class AA, Southern League) in 2000 and smacked a career-high 15 home runs in Greenville in 1999. During the off-seasons, Norris played in the Venezuelan and Dominican winter leagues and also ran his own hitting school.

A 23rd-round draft pick by the Atlanta Braves in 1996, Norris was a two-year starter for the Crimson Tide. He batted .283 (72-for-254) as a junior in 1995 with three home runs and 34 RBI in 63 starts. Norris was named to the 1995 NCAA East Regional All-Tournament Team at the Clemson, S.C., where he batted .316 (6-for-19) with two runs scored and five RBI in five games. He also turned in 36 errorless chances behind the plate.

He was elected team captain on the Crimson Tide's 1996 SEC Championship team that finished with a then-school record 50 wins. Alabama also captured the 1996 SEC Tournament championship at the Hoover Met and hosted the school's first-ever NCAA Regional. Norris led UA to its first College World Series appearance since 1983 during his senior year. He batted .370 (105-for-284) with seven home runs and 49 RBI en route to being named First-Team All-American by the Super Smith Team. He was also a First-Team All-SEC honoree and American Baseball Coaches Association All-South Region pick. Following his professional career, Norris completed his bachelor's degree in human environmental science in 2007.

Prior to playing at Alabama, Norris was a two-year starter at Central Alabama Community College in Alexander City, Ala.

A native of LaGrange, Ga., Norris was born Jan. 14, 1973. He is married to the former Rene' Simpkins. The couple welcomed their first child, Colton Dax Norris, in October of 2010.