Arkansas State Vice Chancellor for Intercollegiate Athletics Chris Pezman announced Wednes-
day that head baseball coach Mike Silva has signed a new agreement that extends his contract to June 30, 2031.
“Our baseball team experienced tremendous growth last year under Coach Silva’s leadership,” said Pezman. “His positive
impact on all areas of our program has been evident and quickly changed the trajectory of A-State baseball. Not only did
we post our best conference winning percentage in over a decade and return to the Sun Belt Conference Tournament for
the first time since 2021, but we did it in one of the top baseball leagues in the country. Considering the substantial gains we made last season, this extension allows us to establish some important continuity and build on the excitement sur-rounding our baseball program, Coach Silva, his staff and our student-athletes.”
Silva completed his first season at A-State in 2025 by leading the Red Wolves to their most victories (26) since 2019 and
back to the Sun Belt Conference (SBC) Tournament for the first time since 2021. In the process, he posted the best all-time
record by a head baseball coach in his first year at Arkansas State.
Picked to finish last among the Sun Belt’s 14 teams in the league’s 2025 Preseason Coaches Poll, the Red Wolves earned
the No. 8 seed in the conference tournament after ending the regular season with their best SBC winning percentage since
2014. Along the way, they collected 14 Sun Belt victories to double their total from the previous season.
“I believe we’ve seen the great potential that exists for our baseball program to be extremely successful here at Arkansas
State, and that’s a testament to our players, athletics and university leadership, community, fan base, alumni and everyone
associated with our program,” said Silva. “I am more excited than ever about the future of our program and the opportunity to be the head baseball coach at A-State. I want to thank Chris, Dr. (Todd) Shields, Dr. (Brendan) Kelly and the Board
of Trustees for their confidence, as well as our community and fans for the fantastic support they provide our student-ath-
letes and coaching staff.”
Last season, A-State won its most conference series (5) since 2017, capping the regular-season with its first road-series win
over Louisiana in 13 years.
Under Silva’s direction, Arkansas State defeated multiple nationally-ranked opponents for the first time since 2019 with
wins over national runner-up Coastal Carolina and then-ranked No. 19 Troy. The Red Wolves claimed their most home
victories (18) in 11 years and saw their NCAA RPI climb from No. 218 in 2024 to No. 144 in 2025.
“I want to congratulate Coach Silva, his staff and our student-athletes on a great year and the job they did advancing our
baseball program,” said A-State Chancellor Dr. Todd Shields. “Their success, along with the strong commitment of many
others associated with the program, has generated a lot of momentum as we look forward to a bright future for A-State
baseball with Mike serving as our head coach. I want to thank our fans for embracing the One Pack’ vision Chris, Dr. Kelly
and I share for not only our baseball program, but our entire athletics department and university.”
The Red Wolves made significant strides in numerous offensive, defensive and pitching statistical categories while ranking
among the top three teams in the Sun Belt in ERA (4.44), shutouts (4), walks allowed per nine innings (3.79), hits allowed per nine innings (8.49), WHIP (1.36) and double plays (44).
Among the many statistical areas where A-State improved from 2024 to 2025 under Silva and his staff were batting aver-
age, hits, doubles, total bases, slugging percentage, fielding percentage, ERA, strikeouts and opponent batting average.
“The manner in which Coach Silva leads our student-athletes and runs our baseball program in a first-class fashion is a
direct reflection of his high character and competitive spirit, qualities we emphasize at Arkansas State,” said ASU System
President Dr. Brendan Kelly. “He has done an outstanding job both on the field and in the community, and we’re excited
about the direction of our baseball program under his leadership.”
Announced as Arkansas State’s sixth head baseball coach on June 13, 2024, Silva’s previous contract was set to expire on
June 30, 2030.
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