JOURNAL SPORTS
MONROE – Bossier City native Ford Pemberton officially became the new ULM baseball coach Wednesday and will be introduced today to Warhawks fans and media.
Pemberton, a Haughton High graduate who was an assistant coach at Byrd a decade ago, was cited as the apparent hire Tuesday by college baseball expert Kendall Rogers of D1Baseball.
Noted as a top recruiter and player development specialist, Pemberton will become the 13th head baseball coach at ULM.
Pemberton will be formally introduced at a press conference today at 1:30 p.m. inside Fant-Ewing Coliseum.
“On behalf of the ULM Warhawks family, I am thrilled to welcome Ford Pemberton as our new head baseball coach,” said athletics director John Hartwell. “Coach Pemberton’s reputation as a relentless recruiter, an exceptional player development guy, his valuable relationships with high school and JUCO coaches in Louisiana and surrounding states, and his passion in the pursuit of this opportunity made him a clear choice as the new leader of our baseball program.”
“My family and I are extremely excited about joining the University of Louisiana Monroe and its baseball program,” said Pemberton. “We look forward to building and working with a staff in putting together a championship club and aim to play a brand of baseball that northeast Louisiana, the city of Monroe, the university, fans and alumni will all be proud of.”
Pemberton arrives in Monroe after spending two seasons on the Memphis baseball staff as the team’s hitting coach and recruiting coordinator. While at Memphis, Pemberton guided the Tigers to high-level offensive production and solid infield play. The Memphis infield, coached by Pemberton, turned 49 double plays, which ranked inside the top 20 nationally.
Pemberton coordinated infield defense for the Tigers, who turned 54 double plays, good for 12th nationally. On the recruiting trail, Pemberton signed the No. 5-ranked junior college recruiting class in the nation, according to The JBB.
“ULM couldn’t have made a better hire,” said Memphis coach Matt Riser, who had Pemberton on his staff earlier at Southeastern Louisiana. “This is a dream opportunity for Coach Pem, and I have no doubt he’ll do an exceptional job.
“Pem was my right-hand man for years and played a vital role in building a championship program. He has a sharp baseball mind, unmatched work ethic, and an unshakable will to win. His relentless drive will serve him well, and he will lead Warhawk baseball to new heights.”
Before his time at Memphis, Pemberton served as the hitting coach and recruiting coordinator at Southeastern Louisiana under Riser, who he later followed to Memphis. At SLU, Pemberton assembled JBB’s No. 2 ranked JUCO recruiting class in the nation for 2023. The Lions captured a series victory at No. 11 Auburn and a midweek win at nationally-ranked UL Lafayette during the 2023 season.
Pemberton serves as a board member of the Louisiana Baseball Coaches Association, a position he has held since 2022. He was a featured speaker at the 2023 LBCA Convention. He is also a member of the American Baseball Coaches Association and served as a speaker at the Bayou/River Coaches Clinic (2017) and the LHSAA Coaches Clinic (2019).
Pemberton launched his college coaching career at Nicholls, beginning as director of baseball operations and camp coordinator during the 2017 season before joining the coaching staff in 2018. Pemberton took over as the Colonels’ hitting coach before the 2020 season and coached base running, instructed catchers and served as the program’s academic liaison. He played a major role in recruiting, practice planning and scheduling.
Before Nicholls, Pemberton coached at Byrd under Gregg Williams (2014-16) and served as an associate scout for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Pemberton spent time as an assistant coach at Zachary High School and Parkview Baptist High School under Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame coach M.L. Woodruff, helping lead all three programs to the LHSAA state championships.