CHICAGO, Ill. – A long, winding road through coaching has led to a new, once-in-a-lifetime chance for a former Middle Tennessee baseball coach.
From the 2003-2005 seasons, Andy Haines served as a graduate assistant coach for the Blue Raiders. He turned that into stints with the Gary SouthShore RailCats of the Northern League and the Windy City ThunderBolts of the independent Frontier League before becoming a hitting coach in the Miami Marlins' organization in 2008.
For eight years, Haines managed teams at various levels for the Marlins, including the Gulf Coast Marlins, Jamestown Jammers, Greensboro Grasshoppers, Jupiter Hammerheads and New Orleans Zephyrs.