Cody Ellis
Head Coach
Cody Ellis joined the Spartans in October 2022 as assistant coach, leading the charge in recruiting and as the outfield coach before being promoted as interim head coach in January 2024. Ellis was announced head coach in May 2024.
This is Ellis' second head coaching stint since his first opportunity coaching in 2019. He debuted as a head coach at Patrick Henry Community College (PHCC) in Martinsville, Virginia, leading the program from 2019-22 while also serving as the assistant athletic director of the department.
Ellis will be the fourth coach to lead the baseball program in its 33-year history.
While interim head coach, Ellis was voted the 2024 Southern Conference (SoCon) Coach of the Year as well as 2024 SoCon Sports Media Association (SCSMA) Coach of the Year. After being voted to finish sixth in the SoCon Preseason Poll, Ellis led the Spartans to a 33-21 record and 15-6 conference record for the program's third SoCon Regular Season Title. Ellis also guided the Spartans to two ranked wins this season, including the program's second victory over a No. 1 team defeating Wake Forest, 4-3, on Feb. 20 at the UNCG Baseball Stadium. UNCG also crushed then-ranked No. 13 NC State, 18-3, on March 12 in Raleigh, North Carolina. Ellis coached Caleb Cozart, who was recognized as UNCG's third SoCon Player of the Year this year. Cozart broke UNCG's single-season home run record with 22, a tied for first in single-season RBI with 73, and is second in program history in slugging percentage with a .742 clip.
Following the 2024 SoCon Tournament, UNCG led the SoCon in ERA (5.27), fewest runs allowed (312) and lowest opponent batting average (.266). UNCG ranked nationally at 15th in triples (20), 20th in stolen bases (105) and 23rd in stolen bases per game (1.94). The Blue & Gold averaged 7.90 runs per game and 3.25 extra-base hits per game, while four Spartans had 20 or more throughout the season. The Spartans won eight of their last 11 regular season contests and 10 of their final 12 conference games.
Ellis joined the Spartans after three years at PHCC, starting in August of 2019. Over his three years, he compiled a 92-48 record. He led the 2021 team to a third-place finish in the NJCAA World Series. The 2020 team led the NJCAA in stolen bases with 119 during a shortened season and did so again in 2021 with 271. They also finished fourth in the country with a .962 fielding percentage in 2021.
He joined PHCC after serving as a graduate assistant for the baseball team at the University of Lynchburg, coaching the hitters and outfielders as well as recruiting talent. Ellis was also an assistant coach for the Keene Swampbats of the New England Collegiate Baseball League during the summer of 2017.
Along with his knowledge of college baseball, Ellis brings in experience from working as a manager for Team USA in July 2021. He was responsible for managing and building relationships with the top prospects in the country through the Player Development Pipeline (PDP) league. Along with this, he would also assist in identifying and selecting players for the 2021 18U National Team. He was part of the USA Task Force scouting and evaluating talent across the country. Ellis has since continued to be part of USA Baseball since 2019 through his time as a manager in the PDP and assistant coach in PDP National Training Development Program (NTDP). As a manager for USA Baseball in the PDP League, he coached No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, Jackson Holliday.
Ellis began his coaching career as an assistant coach at PHCC in 2016.
Ellis played baseball for PHCC and was an All-Region outfielder in 2011. He then moved on to play Division I baseball for Norfolk State University where he was named second-team All-MEAC at second base. At Norfolk State, he led the team in 2014 with a .349 hitting percentage. He also played for the Professional Independent Pecos League with the Topeka Train Robbers and the Garden City Wind where he was a 2015 All-Star at first base.
Ellis received his associate's degree in Recreational and Leisure Studies from Patrick Henry Community College in 2012, a Bachelor's of Science degree in Exercise Health and Physical Education from Norfolk State University in 2015 and a Master's degree in Educational Leadership in Higher Education from the University of Lynchburg in 2019.
A native of North Carolina, Ellis is married to his wife, Crystal, and they have one daughter, Wren.
Seth Maness
Pitching Coach
Seth Maness joined UNCG as the Pitching Coach in July 2023.
“Seth's background as a successful college and MLB pitcher will bring a great deal of experience and knowledge to our student-athletes, especially our pitching staff,” stated Coach Godwin. “He will be a tremendous asset to our program as we strive to win championships in the Southern Conference. We are excited to welcome Seth and Coleman, his fiancée, to the Spartan family.”
Maness comes to Greensboro after a stint at Florida State University (FSU) as a graduate assistant and the coordinator of player development at UNC Wilmington (UNCW). Before he took on coaching, he split his time with playing three years in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) and five years in Major League Baseball (MLB).
While at FSU he is gaining his master's degree in coaching with an anticipated graduation in December of 2023. Under the leadership of Head Coach Link Jarrett, Maness was an integral part of the bullpen coaching staff.
Maness later joined the Seahawk's staff as the coordinator of player development in 2021, which included coaching two freshmen All-American pitchers.
Maness began his professional playing career in 2011 with the St. Louis Cardinals selected in the 11th round of the 2011 MLB draft and made his major league debut early in 2013 in relief against Milwaukee.
He pitched four seasons with the Cardinals and was a key part of the pitching staff in their run as the 2013 National League champions. Maness made 215 appearances out of the bullpen in his first three seasons, including a career-high 76 in 2015.
Maness became a free agent in December 2016, later signed with Kansas City as a free agent, and had his last professional appearance in 2019 as a member of the Nashville Sounds, the triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers.
After his professional playing career ended, Maness joined the Canes 17U National team as an assistant coach in 2020, winning the National Elite Championship in Hoover, Alabama in the same year. He coached the Canes American 17U in 2021.
Earning his bachelor’s degree in accounting at ECU in 2011, playing under Head Coach Billy Godwin, he was a four-time first-team All-Conference USA (C-USA) honoree (2008-11), was named C-USA Pitcher of the Year (2010), and C-USA Freshman of the Year (2008). Maness concluded his career as the program’s all-time leader in wins (38), innings pitched (411.2) and games started (61).
Maness and fiancée Coleman Cox are excited to continue their journey in North Carolina.
Kevin Westlake
Catching Coach
Kevin Westlake has been named the UNC Greensboro baseball team Assistant Coach/Recuriting Coordinator at the start of the 2024 season.
"We are excited Kevin Westlake is joining our program," said head baseball coach Billy Godwin. "He brings a great deal of knowledge to our program. Kevin was a proven winner as a collegiate pitcher at Louisburg and Campbell. He is a great asset to the university, our program and the Greensboro community in which he grew up."
Westlake was a left-handed pitcher for the Campbell Camels from 2018-2021. During his time at Campbell, he made an appearance in the 2019 & 2021 NCAA Regional Tournament. He was a member of the 2019 Big South Regular and Tournament Championship team as well as the 2021 Regular season Championship team.
Prior to his time at Campbell, Westlake was a LHP for Louisburg College. He made an appearance in the Region X Tournament in 2017 and 2018. Westlake was also a site director for Colt Youth Baseball, here in Greensboro.
Kris Taveras
Hitting Coach
Hired in July of 2024, Kris Taveras is heading into his first season as an assistant coach for the UNCG baseball team.
Taveras comes to Greensboro from Young Harris College (YHC), where he was serving as a baseball coach since August of 2017. He was promoted to associate head baseball coach and recruiting coordinator in May of 2024 after being promoted to full-time assistant in the spring of 2021, when he began to lead YHC’s recruiting efforts.
Under Taveras’ leadership, YHC had multiple top-five high school recruiting classes, according to Perfect Game. He was also responsible for recruiting the 2023 Peach Belt Player of the Year, 2024 Conference Carolinas Pitcher of the Year and the 2024 Conference Carolinas Freshman of the Year. On top of that, he also recruited the 2024 Southeast Region Pitcher of the Year as well as two 2024 American Baseball Coaches Association All-American right-handed pitchers, Dylan Beck and Zachary Murray.
With Taveras in the wings, the Mountain Lions broke school records for national rankings in each of the last three seasons, which included being rated as high as No. 5 in the country this past season.
In seven seasons working with the Mountain Lions in Young Harris, Georgia, Taveras helped lead the team to multiple record-breaking seasons. It included a historic run last season to the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional title game backed by a final record of 41-15. Additionally, the 41-win season marked a program record, which was previously set with Taveras helping the Mountain Lions to 39 victories in 2022. Altogether, YHC won a pair of conference championships in 2019 and 2022 as well as reaching the NCAA Tournament in three of the past five seasons (2019, 2022 & 2024).
While working at Young Harris, Taveras spent the summer of 2019 working as an assistant coach for the North Adams SteepleCats in the New England Collegiate Baseball League. Taveras’ one season in North Adams, Massachusetts, was a memorable one that saw him coach in the league’s all-star game. Seven members of the team also went on to sign professional contracts.
Taveras, who graduated from Greensboro College with a bachelor's degree in English communication in 2017, was an outfielder for the Pride baseball team for four seasons (2014-17).
Taveras is a native of Miami, Florida, and obtained certification to coach both in pitching and hitting from OnBase University back in 2021. He lives in Greensboro with his wife, Sara.
Tristan McAlister
Camp Director - Player Development/Director of Operations
Hired in July of 2024, Tristan McAlister is entering his first school year serving as the director of baseball operations at UNCG.
McAlister comes to Greensboro from Mount St. Mary’s University, where he served as the director of baseball operations since July of 2023.
While working with the Mountaineers baseball program, McAlister was responsible for managing, collecting and organizing Trackman data. Additionally, he organized and coordinated events for the team and played a large role in scouting, coaching and skill development through video and written reports.
With McAlister in the wings, the 2024 season saw the Mountaineers achieve their first back-to-back seasons with at least 22 wins since the 2006-07 campaign. The team went on to win a playoff game in their first postseason appearance since 2018. They also set a new standard in the program for stolen bases when they broke their record with 102 on 136 attempts.
While working at Mount St. Mary’s, where he competed as an outfielder from 2022-23, McAlister also got a taste of working in the major leagues while working as an associate scout for the Baltimore Orioles from February to May. He was responsible for recording videos of top MLB prospects and writing evaluation reports. He also assisted the Detroit Tigers with workouts by throwing batting practices, hitting fungos for fielding during practice and setting up/tearing down field setups for MLB prospects.
While McAlister was in school, he offered private lessons to peers as a baseball trainer from June 2021 to May 2023 and mentored professional, college and high school baseball players. He specialized in teaching athletes hitting, stealing bases and defense.
McAlister’s college baseball career began at Patrick Henry Community College under Ellis during the 2020-21 campaign, where he batted .353 and finished the season as a member of the NJCAA World Series All-Tournament Team. While at Patrick Henry, he led the country with 52 stolen bases and was named to the all-region team. McAlister then transferred to compete at Mount St. Mary’s through the 2023 campaign, where he was a .323 hitter to land inside the top 15 in program history as well as finishing top five in stolen bases (37).
During the summer, McAlister competed with the Mystic Schooners (2022) in the New England Collegiate Baseball League as well as with the Winchester Royals (2021 & 2023) and Purcellville Cannons (2023) in the Valley Baseball League.
McAlister is a native of Fredericksburg, Virginia, and earned a bachelor's and associate degree in business in May of 2023.
