Alex Raburn - Baseball Coach - James Madison University Athletics

Alex Raburn

Title:
Volunteer Assistant Coach
Email:
raburnaj@jmu.edu
Phone:
540-568-6516

James Madison baseball head coach Marlin Ikenberry announced on August 1, 2022 the addition of Alex Raburn to the coaching staff as a volunteer assistant coach, working primarily with the infielders.

In his second season at JMU, Raburn helped lead the Dukes to their first regional appearance since 2011 as they finished as the runner up in the Raleigh Regional. The season saw the Dukes win their most games since 2011 with a 36-25 record. Working with the infielders primarily, Raburn helped JMU match the second highest fielding percentage in program history for a second straight year as .972. The Dukes finished sixth in the country in double plays, turning the most double plays in a season since 2002 with 59. They averaged just under a double play a game, ranking 11th in the country at 0.97 per game. Through the regional round, Wyatt Peifer was the top infielder nationally in defensive runs saved at 15.08. Peifer went on to be selected to the ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove Team at third base, becoming the first Duke to ever be win a Gold Glove award.

In 2023, Raburn helped the Dukes to a 31-25 record in their first season in the Sun Belt Conference. Working with the infielders and leading the charge on defense, Raburn helped the team put together a .972 fielding percentage, the second highest in program history, while also being one of three teams in the Sun Belt to turn 50 double plays. The Dukes finished the season ranked 21st nationally in double plays turned and 22nd in double plays turned per game at 0.89.

Raburn comes to Harrisonburg after spending the 2022 season with Elon in the same role. While with Elon, he worked with the outfielders that included All-Colonial Athletic Association First Teamer and seventh round draft pick Alex Iadisernia.

Previous to his stop at Elon, the Durham, N.C. native served as a volunteer assistant coach at Rider in 2021. He worked with the hitters and infielders, helping the Broncs win just their third MAAC championship in program history and the first in eleven years. The Broncs earned the No. 4 seed in the Ruston, La. Regional with the title win. Before jumping into the coaching ranks, Raburn was a developmental scout for the Los Angeles Angels.

Before turning to coaching, Raburn played in 133 career games for North Carolina from 2013-16. Between the 2014 and 2015 seasons, he appeared in 77 consecutive games while making starts at six different positions. In 2015, he was one of three players to play in every game as he hit .251 with 11 doubles, one triple and four home runs. Raburn was awarded the Walter Rabb Award in 2014 as the Tar Heels’ most improved player.

His freshman year, UNC won both the ACC regular season and conference tournament titles on the way to the No. 1 national seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Tar Heels won a school record 59 games as Raburn and the Tar Heels played in the College World Series.

Raburn ended his playing career as a graduate transfer at Nebraska after graduating from UNC in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in Exercise Sports Science. As the opening day short stop for the Huskers, he helped the 2017 squad win the Big Ten Championship.