Greg Starbuck enters his 17th season on the Elon coaching staff and his 11th as the associate head coach to Mike Kennedy. Starbuck is Elon’s recruiting coordinator and serves as the primary hitting instructor. He also works with the outfielders and is the primary baserunning instructor.
“Buck” has been instrumental in the success that Elon has enjoyed during its decade as a NCAA Division I member. In each of his previous 16 seasons with the Phoenix, Elon has ranked among the conference leaders in several offensive and defensive categories.
Under Starbuck’s guidance in 2009, Elon set new program records in runs scored (604), hits (711), doubles (137), home runs (138) and RBI (558).
The team has won at least 30 games in 14 of his 16 seasons and has eclipsed the 40-win plateau three times, including a school-record 45 victories in 2006.
Starbuck has coached 45 players that have received first or second-team all-conference honors. He has also coached two Academic All-Americans. During his time, the team has boasted two SoCon Freshman of the Year award winners, two SoCon Pitcher of the Year honorees and three SoCon Player of the Year recipients.
In 2013, the Phoenix won its second SoCon Tournament title and advanced to NCAA Regional play, where it reached the regional finals.
In 2013, Elon’s 19 triples led the league, while its 652 hits and 123 doubles were both second in the SoCon. Under Starbuck’s leadership, Elon finished in the top five in SoCon triples in each of its 11 seasons in the league and in the top five in runs scored and hit-by-pitch in nine out of 11 seasons. The Phoenix placed in the top five in the league in on-base percentage in eight out of 11 campaigns.
Elon finished second in the SoCon with 278 walks drawn in 2011, snapping a streak of six consecutive seasons that the Phoenix had paced the league in that category.
The 2010 team won its fourth SoCon regular-season crown with a 23-7 league mark.
In 2009, the Phoenix took home the regular-season conference title for the second straight year and third time in four years. Elon finished the SoCon season with a 22-3 record and went 41-18 overall. Elon earned a berth as the number two seed into the Atlanta Regional of NCAA Tournament play. The team also collected the program’s first top-25 finish at the Division I level, ranking 24th in the final Baseball America poll.
In 2006, Starbuck was a part of Elon’s first-ever Southern Conference regular-season title with a 21-6 league record. The team also collected its second NCAA Division I Tournament berth in five seasons, participating in the Clemson Regional as the number two seed. In the regional’s opening game, the Phoenix knocked off third-seeded Mississippi State by a 5-4 margin for the first NCAA Division I Tournament victory in any sport at Elon.
During Elon’s historic 100th season of baseball celebrated in 2002, Starbuck helped the squad compile a record of 34-23, including a 13-8 mark in the Big South Conference, good enough for second place in the league. In just its third official season of Division I baseball, the Phoenix received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament and competed in the Clemson Regional.
Starbuck has helped Elon capture four SoCon regular-season titles, two SoCon Tournament crowns and six bids to NCAA Regional play.
Starbuck played collegiately at UNC Asheville as a shortstop for two years after transferring from Montreat Anderson College. He received his bachelor of science degree from Winston-Salem State University in 1991.
Starbuck and his wife, April, have three sons, McGwire, Banks and Jackson, and a daughter, Brettlyn.
