Coaching Staff

Tyler Bender 

Assistant Coach

Bender's collegiate career began at LIU Brooklyn in 2013, before moving on to South Florida State College in 2014. Bender's next stop would be for NCAA Division 1 Alabama State University where he spent the 2015 and 2016 seasons. In 2016, Bender graduated from Alabama State with a Bachelor of Science. Bender later obtained his Master's of Science from the University of the Cumberlands in 2020.

Professionally, Bender had stops at Ida Baker High School and Indian River State College before becoming a part of the University of the Cumberlands staff. At Ida Baker High School, Bender spent a season as an assistant coach in 2016. He spent the following season as an assistant coach at Indian River State College where he was part of a staff that coached three MLB draft picks in 2018.

In July of 2018, Bender was named to the University of the Cumberlands staff as the pitching coach. In three seasons, Bender has played a huge role in elevating the Patriots pitching staff. In 2019, Patriots right-hander Zach Hurley was a nationally recognized pitcher, going on to win MSC Pitcher of the Year, among various other accolades. Hurley holds a program record for innings pitched and was a critical piece in the Patriot's post-season success. The Patriots pitching staff ranked in the top ten in the NAIA in both Opponent Batting Average (.215) and Earned Run Average (3.080) during the 2020 season while ranking 23rd in total batters struck out before the COVID-19 shutdown.

In 2021, Bender paved the way for the Patriots pitching staff who were one of the most dominant pitching staff in all of NAIA and UC program history. The pitching staff broke the all-time school’s strikeout record for a single season with 510 strikeouts. The staff also ranked #3 in NAIA for Team ERA (3.39) and 7th in total batters struck out. Bender also coached the MSC Pitcher of the year Thomas Gutierrez and helped lead Senior Colton Easterwood to the program's all-time individual strikeout leader. Easterwood signed a professional contract with the Gateway Grizzlies of the Frontier League

In July 2021, Bender was named as the Pitching Coach and Recruiting Coordinator at Georgia Southwestern State University. In his first year, the Hurricanes had extreme success on the mound. The GSW staff led the Peach Belt Conference in earned run average, strikeouts, opposing batting average, and fewest home runs allowed. The staff also shattered the school record for strikeouts in a season which was 107 more than the previous record, and also broke the school record for lowest opponents batting average in a season. On top of success as a group, Bender also helped develop the program’s first ever First Team All-American pitcher, Jared Donalson. Donalson turned in a historic season winning PBC Pitcher of the Year, Finishing No. 7 in the country in strikeouts, fourth in the country in WHIP, and fourth in the country in ERA.

Palmer Sapp 

Director of Player Development

Sapp enters his first season with the Hurricanes as the Director of Player Development. He will work primarily with the hitters and infielders.

Sapp began his collegiate career at North Greenville University in the 2019 season. Sapp was a part of a conference championship while playing in 12 games.

Following his freshman year, Sapp transferred to Georgia Highlands College for his sophomore season. During the spring of 2020, Sapp played in 21 games prior to the season being called short due to the COVID-19 shutdown. During those 21 games, he helped his team to a 21-4 record while grabbing 23 hits in 57 at bats, with a slash line of .404 /.527 /.719 along with 21 RBI’s, five doubles, two triples, three home runs, and eight stolen bases.

Due to COVID-19, Sapp decided to return to GHC for the 2021 season. During that season, Sapp played in 55 games grabbing 67 hits in 165 at bats finishing the season with a slash line of .406 /.510 /.667 along with 52 RBI’s, 15 doubles, five triples, six home runs, 34 walks, and 11 stolen bases. Sapp helped lead the GHC baseball team to their first Regular Season Conference Championship with a 42-15 overall record and a Top 10 ranking in JUCO. During the 2021 season, Sapp finished the season as the only player in the GCAA Conference to finish Top 10 in all offensive categories throughout the conference. He was named First Team All Conference Shortstop as well as mentioned on the list of Top 150 Juco players in the nation.

Following Sapp’s JUCO career, he played his Junior and Senior seasons at Georgia College and State University. During his two seasons, Sapp was an everyday infielder for the Bobcats. He started 51 games as a Junior and 41 games as a Senior. During Sapp's career at GCSU he batted .290 (.317 in conference play) along with 20 doubles, two triples, and eight home runs.

Sapp graduated from GCSU with a degree in Criminal Justice in the Spring of 2023.

Sapp is the grandson and son of four GSW alumni. His father, Dwayne Sapp, was a student athlete at GSW participating on the baseball, basketball, golf, and tennis teams.

Chris Patterson 

Student Assistant Coach

Patterson enters his first season with the Hurricanes as a student assistant coach.

Patterson has left an indelible mark on the baseball field. In his junior season with the Hurricanes, Patterson appeared in 47 games making 45 starts. He helped lead the GSW to its first ever Peach Belt Conference Championship in 2023. In the PBC clinching series against Flagler College, Patterson went 4-for-7 with two home runs, three RBIs and a stolen base earning him the title of Peach Belt Conference Player of the Week on May 1.

Before his time at GSW, Patterson's journey began at Miami Dade College in 2020. Despite the challenges posed by the Covid-19 shortened season, he made a significant impact, batting .314 with 16 hits, two doubles, and a home run in just 14 games.

During his RS Freshman season in 2021, Chris continued to shine, playing under the guidance of Adrian Morales. He played 28 games, accumulating a .261 batting average, 23 hits, five doubles, and two home runs. His base-running ability was evident with nine stolen bases in 10 attempts, contributing to MDC Sharks' journey to the 2021 NJCAA Division 1 JUCO World Series.

Patterson is a native of Hephzibah, Ga. He was a four-year prep standout at Cross Creek High School where he earned 2019 Region Player of the Year.