For Immediate Release June 13, 2001
Kelly Dampeer Named Baseball Coach
Radford U. Graduate Led Club Team in 2001
SALEM, VA--Roanoke College Director of Athletics Scott Allison announced on Wednesday that Kelly Dampeer has been named the varsity baseball coach at the school. Dampeer, a 2000 graduate of Radford University, takes over a program that, in 2002, will field a team for the first time since the mid-1950s. The College announced on March 5, 2001 that baseball would return with a limited varsity schedule in 2002 and would then be eligible for the Old Dominion Athletic Conference championship in the spring of 2003. Dampeer was a star baseball player for Radford University in Radford, VA, earning Freshman All-American honors. He was named the Virginia University Division Player of the Year following his sophomore season and was a four-time All-Conference selection. Dampeer holds at least 17 Radford baseball records, including career homeruns.
Following his playing stint with the Highlanders, Dampeer went on to play three seasons in the Cleveland Indians minor league orginization, advancing to the single-A South Atlantic League. He also played in the Appalachian Rookie and New York/Pennsylvania leagues.
In addition to his work on the field, Dampeer, who was the head coach of Roanoke’s club team this past spring, Dampeer has also worked as a teacher in the Roanoke County school system. He taught math and science to children with learning disabilities.
Allison relayed his strong belief that Dampeer was right for the new position, “Kelly proved his ability and aptitude for this position during this past spring with the club team at Roanoke. The players responded well to Kelly and showed great respect for him. He has an excellent knowledge of local high school talent and has the orginizational skills to succeed as a college baseball coach.”
“I’m excited to have the opportunity to be a part of Roanoke College athletics,” Dampeer relayed. “I’m excited also in the fact that the program will be able to tap into the wealth of high school talent in the valley (Roanoke Valley). In the past, many of these players had to leave the area, but now they’ll have the opportunity to continue their athletic and academic careers close to home. I’m looking forward to the challenges of running the team and recruiting quality student-athletes for the school.”