ELON – Elon baseball head coach Mike Kennedy announced the hiring of Brandon Riley as the program's newest assistant coach Thursday. Riley spent the last two seasons as an assistant coach at Wingate University after playing professionally in the St. Louis Cardinals organization. A Burlington native, Riley was a standout player at Williams High School.
 
"We're thrilled to welcome Brandon Riley back home to join our coaching staff at Elon," Kennedy said. "Brandon is a Burlington native who understands this community and the impact baseball has on it. It's exciting to bring back someone who grew up here, attended Elon Baseball Camps as a youngster, and has experienced baseball at the highest levels. We couldn't be more excited to welcome Brandon and his family to the Elon Baseball family."
 
Riley helped coach and lead a group of Wingate hitters that was among the best in NCAA Division II during his two seasons (2025-26) on staff. In 2026, the Bulldogs led the South Atlantic Conference in batting average (.338), home runs (94), RBI (523) and were second in the conference in doubles (130) on the way to winning 40 games and the SAC Tournament title.
 
"I'm excited to be able to come back home, move my family back to Burlington, and get to work," Riley said. "Elon was my first college baseball game that I ever attended, so being able to come back and try to contribute to success here at Elon is something that is special to us."
 
Prior to his time with Wingate, Riley was both a standout player and undergraduate assistant coach at North Carolina. He played for the Tar Heels from 2016-18, batting .298 with 142 career RBIs across three seasons. Riley earned All-ACC Second Team honors in 2018 before being selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 14th round of that year's MLB Draft. After a five-year professional playing career, Riley returned to Chapel Hill as a student assistant coach with North Carolina's 2024 College World Series team.
 
"Brandon is a class act and will be an incredible mentor for our student-athletes," Kennedy added. "I know our players will benefit from his passion, experience, and commitment to helping them reach their full potential. To see someone who once walked our fields return as a member of our coaching staff is a testament to the impact our program can have and the relationships we've built over the years."
 
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