Chris Hart had a chance to play professional baseball right out of high school. He passed, because he already knew what he wanted to do.
Hart, a two-time all-state shortstop at Clearwater Central Catholic, was recently named head baseball coach at North Carolina State, where he has been an assistant since 2005. He replaces longtime coach Elliott Avent, the man who hired him.
The promotion caps a two-decade climb that also landed Hart in the CCC Athletic Hall of Fame in late August.
Hart, who grew up in Palm Harbor, was a switch-hitter who put up big numbers at CCC, enough that the Boston Red Sox drafted him as a senior in 1999. He didn’t sign. Instead, he went to Florida State, where he started as a catcher before moving back to the infield. After an injury cost him time as a sophomore, he finished with two strong seasons.
Unlike some of his teammates, Hart wasn’t chasing the pros.
“I had no intention of turning pro,” Hart said. “At the end of the day I realized I just wasn’t good enough. So never on my mind. I wanted to coach college baseball.”
Coaching runs in the family. Hart’s older brother, Dickie, also played at CCC before starring as a middle infielder at Florida Atlantic, where he was a first-team All-Atlantic Sun pick on a team that tied the NCAA record with 34 straight wins.
Dickie Hart played in the Anaheim Angels’ minor league system, then went 54-33 in three seasons as head coach at Tarpon Springs High, earning Pinellas County Coach of the Year honors twice, before spending more than a decade as an assistant at FAU.
Chris Hart started at St. Petersburg College.
“I knew coaching was what I wanted to do,” Hart said. “I jumped right in at St. Pete, got my foot in the door — was able to live at home so it was an easy decision. A good decision. I was 23 years old, and Coach (Dave) Pano allowed me to do a lot of things, gave me a lot of responsibilities.”
After a year at SPC and a summer coaching in the Shenandoah Valley League, Hart got a tip about an opening at NC State from Mike Bell, now the head coach at Pittsburgh. Several people pushed for his hiring, chief among them Eddie Biedenbach, an NC State alumnus and former college basketball coach.
“I think Eddie went a long way in encouraging them to hire me,” Hart said. “I didn’t really know anybody when I went up there, had no furniture, just moved there and was ready to grind it out.”
He built a reputation as one of the best assistants and recruiters in the country. Baseball America named him its National Assistant Coach of the Year in 2021.
Players Hart helped bring to Raleigh or develop include three-time MLB All-Star Trea Turner, Carlos Rodón, Patrick Bailey and Will Wilson. From 2019 to 2025, 18 Wolfpack players were drafted.
“Trea was the best player, no doubt,” Hart said. “The things he did here, and still does that impacts the program, are very special. From the day he set foot on the campus it was clear that he was a special person – and not just on the field.”
Hart could have left for other jobs along the way. He never felt the need.
“I’ve had plenty of opportunities to leave,” he said, “but something has always kept me here. It’s a very successful program, my family and I love this place. The location, the ACC, all of it. I sit here and say how many people have what I have?”
Todd Vaughan, Hart’s coach at CCC, isn’t surprised by any of it.
“Chris Hart was an extremely talented and intelligent player, and a major player on some of the most talented teams we had,” Vaughan said. “The success Chris has had as a college coach is not a surprise. His experiences as a player at all levels of the game laid the groundwork. And his work ethic, knowledge and competitiveness took care of the rest.”
Hart was one of six inductees in CCC’s 2026 Hall of Fame class.
“It’s always nice to be recognized,” Hart said. “It feels good. I loved playing for Coach Vaughan. Very thankful and appreciative of that school. Really love it. What’s really important to me though is being in baseball and helping young guys. It’s an even better feeling when some of them get drafted and some get to the big leagues. At the end of the day as a coach there’s no better feeling.”
2026 CCC Athletic Hall of Fame inductees
Todd Drum (‘92) — Three-time state champion soccer standout, college and professional athlete, and devoted servant leader.
Chris Hart (‘99) — Record-setting baseball player, MLB draft pick and current NC State head baseball coach.
Kevin Lyons (‘03) — State champion distance runner, two-time county runner of the year and Harvard University student-athlete.
Ryan Orr (‘13) — One of the most decorated golfers in school history and a standout student-athlete at the University of Florida.
Jer’Zhan “Johnny” Newton (‘20) — CCC football standout, consensus All-American at Illinois and current Washington Commanders defensive tackle.
Daniel Krause — Longtime CCC football staff member whose work behind the scenes has helped generations of Marauders succeed.