Josh Reavis begins his fourth season as an assistant coach at Radford, his alma mater, and his second campaign under head coach Karl Kuhn. Reavis serves as the Highlanders' hitting coach and also works with the catchers and infielders.
“In whatever organization you are in, you want people that are invested and have pride in where they are working. Josh Reavis has both,” Kuhn said. “He is a former walk-on player and turned himself into a team captain and leader at Radford. Nothing says you love your organization more than after you play at a school, you continue to coach at that school. Josh Reavis bleeds red and white. He is a Highlander through and through. I don’t know if I’ve met another individual that cares about his alma mater more than Josh Reavis. He is a tireless worker and is going to do wonders with our offense. I know that he and coach Rein together are going to bring in tremendous student-athletes that represent Radford baseball and Radford University the right way.”
Radford's batting average increased to .286 in 2020, the program's best mark under his tenure, while increasing its on-base percentage to .399 and decreasing its strikeout rate from 22.8 percent to 20.8 percent. Colby Higgerson and J.D. Mundy were the Big South's top two hitters, with Higgerson putting up a career-best .431 average and Mundy hitting .385 while leading the conference in home runs, RBIs, total bases and slugging percentage. Reavis' work with the catchers was also noticeable, as Straton Podaras led all of Division I with 14 runners caught stealing while throwing out more than 60 percent of attempted base-stealers.
The 2019 season saw Radford increase production both in batting average hitting .260 as a team and increased RBIs by 80 at 341. After only 194 walks in 2017, Radford offense had over 100 more walks for the 2019 season with 292, while ranking fourth in the Big South in stolen bases with 75.
Reavis also was an instrumental part in leading Kyle Butler and J.D. Mundy to First-Team All-Big South selections. He also lent a helping hand to Spencer Horwitz, who was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 22nd round. Horwitz was an all-conference honorable mention member in 2019.
The 2018 season saw the Highlander offense finish with a .252 average and 267 RBIs, while leading the Big South with 19 triples. After only earning 194 walks in 2017, Radford ranked second in the league with 269 this season.
Reavis was instrumental in the development of Straton Podaras during his sophomore season behind the plate. Hitting .253 with a .403 on-base percentage, Podaras threw out 16 runners in 36 attempts.
Reavis returns to Radford following a two-year stint in the Toronto Blue Jays organization. The former Highlander backstop spent his two seasons between the Northwest League’s Vancouver Canadians and the Appalachian League’s Bluefield Blue Jays.
As a player for Radford, Reavis helped lead the Highlanders to 137 wins and 2015 NCAA Tournament appearance. The Midlothian, Va., native was instrumental in leading the Highlanders to their first Big South Regular Season and Tournament Championships in program history.
"I'm very excited to take this opportunity at my alma mater and continue the tradition of excellence within our program," Reavis added. "Our guys continued to develop throughout the season and really saw how good they could be toward the end of the year. I'm ready to get started and help bring another championship to Radford."
A career .290 hitter, Reavis appeared in 170 games over his four-year career, starting in 147 of them. Reavis tallied 165 hits over the span, driving in 100 runs and scoring 109. The 2015 season saw him drive in a career-best 41 runs on 12 doubles. Over his career, Reavis was hit by 24 pitches, which rank 10th in program history, including getting plunked 13 times his senior season.
Reavis earned a bachelor’s degree in exercise sport and health education from Radford in 2015. He was a 38th round selection by the Blue Jays in the 2015 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.
