A former assistant and associate head coach in the college baseball realm, Noah Sanders has been named the newest assistant coach on head coach Cindy Ball-Malone’s staff ahead of the spring 2025 season.
Sanders joins the Knights following seven seasons with the Little Rock Trojans baseball team in Little Rock, Arkansas, first as an assistant coach from 2018 through the 2022 seasons before he was promoted to the program’s associate head coach in the summer of 2022.
“I’m really excited for him to bring his baseball background of being able to plan and prepare for numerous pitchers and different approaches,” Ball-Malone said. “I feel like our game is turning more toward that baseball strategy, so having that in our inner circle is going to be huge for us.”
Working primarily with the team’s offense, Sanders helped lead his team to great success throughout his tenure in Little Rock. In posting the team’s second 30-win campaign in as many seasons as a member of the Ohio Valley Conference in 2024, Little Rock finished the year with an aggregate .274/.355/.432 line, accompanied by 60 home runs and 116 doubles, a mark that ranked fifth-most in a single season in program history.
“Talking to Coach Bear about the program, and her passion and vision for the program was something that was very interesting to me,” Sanders said. “The overall opportunity to come in and work with a staff and a team that has been so close to going to the Women’s College World Series, and is knocking on the door of being able to do that in years to come is something that was very intriguing.”
Little Rock boasted five players with at least 10 doubles in 2024, led by Nico Baumbach’s 22, and three players who eclipsed 100 total bases, led again by Baumbach (120).
The Trojans in 2023 recorded the second-most home runs in program history (63), as well as the third-most triples (16) and total bases (860), fourth-highest slugging percentage (.466), and fifth-most total hits (552).
“He did a lot with the offense at Little Rock, and he also had a hand in defense, game strategy, and recruiting,” Ball-Malone continued. “He’s going to help us from all of those angles, and bringing that work ethic from his past in baseball will be very helpful as well.”
Under Sanders’ guidance, a handful of players reached personal career milestones during the 2023 campaign, highlighted by Baumbach’s program-record 52-game on-base streak. Tyler Williams set the Trojans’ all-time career records for triples (15) and stolen bases (350), and Ty Rhoades posted the highest batting average and most doubles by a Little Rock freshman in a single season since 2010.
In 2022, Sanders helped lead the Trojans to some of the best offensive numbers during his tenure, including a team batting average of .286, an OPS of .805 and the fewest team strikeouts since 2016. That squad’s effort was led by Canyon McWilliams, who ranked second in the Sun Belt with a .382 batting average, the ninth best in program history, while Noah Dickerson slotted in eighth in the conference with a .354 mark.
“As any sports team, we’re in the business of entertainment,” Sanders added. “We want to be able to give the fans something that they want to see and come back and see. Offensively, it’s going to be a fast-paced game. We want to have players who can challenge the fences while also being able to shorten the field and play the situational game as well, and do it at a really high level.”
He also has provided key insight for the team’s baserunning strategies, as the 2022 Trojans stole 68 bags, the most for the program since 2014. Williams paced the Trojans with 21, tied for third most in the Sun Belt.
A trio of Trojans who reached double-digit doubles paced the squad’s offense in 2021, highlighted by Williams’ .288/.316/.512 line that featured a team-leading 105 total bases.
Prior to the suspension of the 2020 season due to COVID-19, Little Rock's offense enjoyed a hot start to the season. Catcher Kale Emshoff led the Sun Belt in batting average, home runs and slugging percentage to begin the season, and was among the national leaders in many statistical categories, leading into his signing with the Kansas City Royals following the season.
Sanders helped bring the Little Rock offense to new heights throughout the Trojans’ prolific 2019 season at the plate. The team’s 54 home runs represented its highest single-season total since 2013, and drew 89 hit-by-pitches, which marked the most for the program since 2010.
“I loved his ability to connect with players and fellow coaches, and his excitement for what our sport is doing and where we’re going,” Ball-Malone said. “He is excited for what we have here and what we can be doing at UCF and our ability to get to the World Series.”
Sanders mentored Riley Pittman during his illustrious four-year career as a Trojan, who would become Little Rock’s all-time home run leader (27) and earned First Team All-Sun Belt honors in his senior season. Pittman and outfielder Troy Alexander both went on to sign professional contracts after their collegiate campaigns under Sanders, with Pittman signing with the Milwaukee Milkmen and Alexander signing with the St. Paul Saints.
In total, Sanders has recruited and/or coached 21 players who have been selected in the MLB Draft and a total of 24 players who went on to play professional baseball. Two notable draftees include Tyler Zuber, who was selected in the sixth round of the 2017 MLB Draft by the Kansas City Royals, and Peyton Culbertson, who was selected in the eighth round of the 2018 draft by the Miami Marlins.
Sanders has mentored eight players on their way to receiving First Team All-Sun Belt honors, including Pittman, who earned First Team NABC/Rawlings All-Region and Second Team CoSIDA Academic All-American recognition. Sanders also coached 2018 Sun Belt Newcomer of the year Kyle MacDonald, 2015 Louisville Slugger Third Team All-American Zach George, and 2015 First Team College Sports Madness Matt Burgess.
Sanders came to Little Rock from in-state rival Arkansas State, where he served as the assistant coach during the 2016 and 2017 seasons after aiding as the Red Wolves’ volunteer assistant coach for three seasons from 2013-15.
“Having already worked with our administration was a big sell for me as well, because he understands the vision we have here with our athletic department,” Ball-Malone noted. “He was at Arkansas State when Terry Mohajir, Rich Zvosec and Abby Wilson were all there, so he knows them well and understands their vision.”
In 2017, Sanders handled first base coaching duties and assisted head coach Tommy Raffo with the offense. The squad’s offense tied for the most home runs during the Raffo era with 34, and the team also recorded the highest runs per game (6.02) and RBI per game (5.40) in the BBCOR bat era, which began in 2011.
The squad stole 62 bases as well, which fell one shy of tying the most during the Raffo era. Sanders saw three of his hitters earn Sun Belt Player of the Week honors — the most in a single season at Arkansas State since 2006.
Before Arkansas State, Sanders served as an assistant coach at Crowder College in the fall of 2012 where he was the team’s hitting instructor, worked with the catchers, and assisted in recruiting.
“I’m looking forward to creating new relationships. I’ve created relationships and networked in the baseball community for nearly 15 years, so being able to do that on the softball side is something that’s really exciting to me,” Sanders added. “Being able to coach these high-level athletes who play at such a high level with an opportunity to win and compete for a national championship is something that’s very exciting.”
Sanders served a two-year stint at his alma mater Arkansas-Monticello during the 2011 and 2012 seasons and helped six players attain all-conference honors. He was the team’s recruiting coordinator and worked with hitters, catchers and outfielders.
As a player, Sanders spent two years at Itawamba Community College in 2006 and 2007 before transferring to the University of West Alabama for two seasons (2008-09). He spent the final year of his playing career at Arkansas-Monticello in 2010.
Sanders earned a bachelor’s degree in general studies from Arkansas-Monticello. He and his wife, Bailie, have two kids, Kannon and Kendall.