Russell Raley joined UTRGV as an assistant baseball coach in June of 2017 after three seasons as an assistant coach at Little Rock. He was promoted to associate head coach during the summer of 2018.
Throughout his career, Raley has helped to develop 24 student-athletes that were chosen in the MLB Draft, including 13 infielders.
2021: Raley coached an offense that hit 50 home runs, the fifth-highest single-season total in program history, second in the WAC and 97th in the NCAA … All-WAC honoree Andy Atwood hit 10 home runs, tying for the ninth-highest single-season total in program history … All-WAC honoree Freddy Rojas Jr. earned back-to-back National Player of the Week honors (March 22 and 29) after hitting home runs in six-consecutive game, two shy of the NCAA record … The offense scored 43 runs in five games (8.6 per game) in the WAC Tournament, helping to propel UTRGV to the WAC Tournament Championship Series for first time in program history … Overall, UTRGV scored a WAC-high 371 runs, the 45th-best total in the NCAA, a WAC-leading average of 6.4 per game, the 82nd best in the NCAA … UTRGV hit 107 doubles, ranking second in the WAC and 41st in the NCAA en route to a WAC-best .442 slugging percentage, the 77th-best in the NCAA … UTRGV hit .284, ranking second in the WAC and 61st in the NCAA, while posting a .377 on-base percentage, which ranked second in the WAC and 77th in the NCAA … Defensively, the Vaqueros turned 39 double plays, the 66th-best total in the NCAA.
2020: Raley coached an infield defense that was one of just three in the NCAA to turn a triple play. UTRGV ranked 58th in the NCAA in double plays turned (12). He also coached an offense that ranked 40th in the NCAA in walks drawn (85), 58th in hits (155), 63rd in doubles (31) and sacrifice flies (eight), 64th in runs scored (108), and 66th in on-base percentage (.385).
2019: Raley took over the offense and led the team to the 57th-best on-base percentage in the NCAA and third best in the WAC at .381, a 41-point increase from 2018. UTRGV also increased its batting average by 27 points, from .243 to .270, and its slugging percentage by 24 points, from .338 to .362. UTRGV scored 334 runs, the third-highest total in the WAC after scoring just 243 runs the previous year. Raley’s efforts helped the team win its first WAC championship.
Raley also led the infield to another strong defensive season, as the team ranked 57thin the NCAA in double plays per game (0.82) and 63rdin total double plays (45). UTRGV recorded an overall fielding percentage of .971, the third-best mark in program history.
Raley was responsible for signing NJCAA All-American Conrado Diaz for the 2019 season.
2018: Raley coached one of the best defensive infields in the nation, as UTRGV posted a .980 infield fielding percentage and turned 56 double plays, the 14th-highest total in the NCAA, for an average of 1.04 per game, the sixth-highest total.
Overall, UTRGV posted a .972 fielding percentage, the second-best mark in program history.
2017: Raley engineered a Little Rock offense that led the Sun Belt Conference (SBC) in doubles with 109. Little Rock made the conference tournament for the second-straight year, marking the first time in 17 years the program had accomplished such a feat.
2016: Raley helped Little Rock to the best SBC performance in program history as the team finished third after notching a program record 17 conference wins. Raley coached the team’s hitters to an SBC-best .302 average, including .315 in SBC play, an SBC-best .386 on-base percentage, and an SBC-best .428 slugging percentage. Raley developed Ryan Scott into the nation’s leading hitter with a .435 batting average.
Raley also ran the defense, which posted a program record .975 fielding percentage in 2016 as well as .973 marks in 2017 and 2015.
Prior to joining Little Rock, Raley was an assistant coach at Incarnate Word, working primarily with infielders while assisting with outfielders and hitters. Incarnate Word set a new program record for fielding percentage (.974) in 2014.
Raley spent the 2013 season at Texas Tech, where he was the hitting and first base coach while also working with the team's infielders and outfielders. That season, Texas Tech turned a program record 68 double plays, the sixth best mark in the NCAA, while posting a program record .974 fielding percentage. Raley worked with two Freshmen All-Americans, including Sharyland alum Eric Gutierrez.
A standout second baseman at Oklahoma from 2003-06, Raley spent four years on Oklahoma’s baseball staff from 2008-11, a time that included a College World Series berth in 2010 as part of four-straight NCAA Tournament appearances. Raley assisted with all of the team's hitting instruction.
Raley helped guide Oklahoma to 170 wins (an average of 42.5 per season), ranking in the top three in the Big 12 three times. Oklahoma batted at least .307 in all four seasons and led the Big 12 in 14 offensive statistical categories, including batting average (2011), doubles (2008-09) and both hits and home runs in back-to-back years (2009-10). Oklahoma led the Big 12 in runs scored during Raley’s final three seasons.
Raley also had a successful coaching stint in the Alaska Baseball League, spending 2009 and 2010 as the head coach of the Mat-Su Miners. He led the Miners to back-to-back league titles while earning Coach of the Year honors each season.
Raley had a two-year professional playing career in the New York Yankees farm system, playing second base, shortstop and third base. After being selected in the 21st round of the 2006 MLB Draft, Raley played 43 games in Single-A and Double-A, hitting .264 with nine doubles and 17 RBI.
Raley was one of the top players in the Big 12 during his collegiate playing career. He was a three-time All-Big 12 selection, earning first team accolades in 2004 and second team honors in 2005 and 2006. In 208 games (191 starts), Raley hit .314 with 27 doubles, 103 RBI and 143 runs scored. Raley ranks seventh in Oklahoma history in at-bats (754), eighth in games played (208), and 10th in hits (237).
Raley graduated from Oklahoma in 2007 with a Bachelor of Arts in Human Relations.
A South Texas native originally from Uvalde, Raley, his wife, Chelsey, and their son, Wyatt, now reside in the Rio Grande Valley.
Raley's father, Terry, played professional baseball in the Toronto Blue Jays organization and is a member of the St. Mary’s University Athletics Hall of Fame. He also played for Team USA in 1980.
Raley’s middle brother, Brooks, is currently pitching for the Tampa Bay Rays. He previously played with the Houston Astros, Cincinnati Reds and Chicago Cubs after getting selected in the sixth round of the 2009 MLB Draft out of Texas A&M.
Raley’s youngest brother, Cory, was a two-time All-Big 12 player at Texas Tech and was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in 2012.
