The Official Athletics Website Of Walters State

Mark Allen Bounds joins the Walters State Community coaching staff this year as the Recruiting Coordinator and Assistant Baseball Coach. Prior to Walters State he served as the Pitching Coach for Carson-Newman University (2016-2019) and Columbia State Community College (2014-2015). Bounds spent the 2014 season as the Volunteer Assistant at Murray State University.

Coach Bounds spent four seasons at Carson-Newman serving as the program’s pitching coach. While at Carson-Newman Bounds played a key role in helping to recruit and develop 3 future MLB Draft picks, also during  Bounds time at Carson-Newman the Eagles had 2 recruiting classes ranked inside the Top 20 by Perfect Game finishing 17^th in 2017 class and 3^rd in 2019 class.

The 2019 Carson-Newman hurlers punched out 409 batters, the third-most in the history of a decorated program while notching 15 saves, tied for the second-best campaign at Mossy Creek. Bounds’ star pupil was Friday night starter Greg Valentine who transitioned from a relief role. The right-hander earned second-team All-SAC laurels after posting the eighth-best ERA in the league and sixth-most wins going 8-3 with a 3.62 ERA while setting the school record for career appearances finishing his time with 92. Overall, the unit struck out 9.1 batters per nine innings, good for 40th in the nation.

In 2018, Bounds helped oversee one of the best pitching staffs in school history. As a staff, the hurlers punched out 425 batters on the season to pass the 1999 unit for first with 417, a mark that is 10th in SAC history. Friday starter Dillon Cate was named a first-team All-SAC selection and picked up a spot on the second-team Academic All-American unit. Freshman Matt Bradley finished the season with a 2.14 ERA in 33 2/3 innings pitched, good for the third-lowest clip (min. 25 IP) in program history earning a nod to the SAC's All-Tournament Team.

Bounds mentored Tennessee Tech transfer and Morristown native Will Gardner who spent as a season as a starter and a year as a closer. Gardner was selected in the 21st round, 624th overall by the Pittsburgh Pirates after ranking fifth in the country in saves with 12.

At Columbia State, Bounds was in charge of the Chargers' pitching staff and played a significant role in recruiting potential student-athletes for Columbia State Community College.

Bounds helped coach the Chargers to TCCAA regular season and tournament championships in 2014 and a spot in the NJCAA World Series in Grand Junction, Colo. where they finished sixth. The Chargers were ranked second in the final poll of the regular season while Bounds' best arm Scooter Hightower earned TCCAA Pitcher of the Year honors with a 10-1 record, 2.52 ERA and 86 strikeouts across 104 innings of work. With Bounds’ help, Hightower was even better in 2015, averaging 13.52 strikeouts per nine innings pitched, and was selected in the 2015 MLB Draft in the 15th round, 457th overall by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Bounds joined the Chargers for the 2013-2014 season, after spending the previous year at Murray State University as a volunteer assistant coach for the Racers. During his time there, Bounds worked closely with the pitching staff and assisted with hitting instruction. Bounds also held duties which included first base coaching responsibilities, field maintenance, and was in charge of the player placement to summer collegiate wooden bat leagues.

Coach Bounds is no stranger to the Walters State program, he was a member of the 2008 Senators squad. During his only season at WSCC, the Senators were the TJCAA Regular Season Champions, NJCAA Region VII Champions, and East Central District Champions, thus making it to the 2008 NJCAA World Series in Grand Junction, Colo., where the Senators finished sixth, and finished the year ranked #2 in the final NJCAA Division 1 Poll with a record of 55-8.

Bounds' collegiate playing career took him from Walters State to Milligan College to Austin Peay State University from which he graduated in May 2012 with a B.S. Health and Human Performance – Physical Education K-12 Licensure.

In his two seasons at Austin Peay, the Governors captured back-to-back Ohio Valley Conference Regular Season and Tournament Championships.  APSU advanced to NCAA Regional in Atlanta in 2011 and made it to the NCAA Regional Final in 2012 in Eugene, Ore., facing the Oregon Ducks.

Bounds made 11 appearances on the mound over his two seasons. As a senior Bounds made his first career start against the University of Tennessee, April 24, 2012.  As a junior, he posted a 1-0 record in nine appearances.  He earned the victory by throwing two shutout innings against Illinois State.

In the summer of 2010, Bounds was selected as a Prospect League All-Star while playing for the Slippery Rock Sliders.

Prior to his time with the Governors, Bounds spent one season at Milligan College.  He tossed 11.1 innings in his sophomore season as he helped the Buffaloes to a school record 39 victories.

A Strawberry Plains, Tenn. native Bounds graduated from Carter High School in 2007, a three-sport standout for the Hornets he lettered four years in baseball, three years in basketball and three years in football. He now lives in Knoxville, TN with his wife, Kate.