Kimbel, a Franklin, Tennessee native, returned to Clarksville after three seasons at Evansville when head coach Roland Fanning hired him as the Governors’ hitting coach and recruiting coordinator in July 2022. After leading the Governors to one of their finest offensive seasons in recent history, Kimbel moved into the Governors’ pitching coach role for the 2024 season.
Kimbel began coaching as a graduate assistant at Kentucky in 2018, serving on the same staff as Fanning for two seasons. After earning his master’s degree at Kentucky, Evansville hired him before the COVID-shortened 2020 season. He was the Purple Aces volunteer assistant in 2020, the hitting coach in 2021, and the pitching coach in 2022. While at Evansville, he coached seven All-MVC selections, including 2022 MVC Pitcher of the Year Nick Smith.
Governors’ fans will remember Kimbel for his two seasons as a pitcher during the 2015 and 2016 seasons and his return to serve as the operations assistant in 2017. He made 30 career appearances in the red and white. He joined the Governors after beginning his career at Columbia State Community College, where he made 39 appearances over two seasons.
KIMBEL’S CAREER SUMMARY
AUSTIN PEAY (2022-current)
2024: After transitioning into the pitching coach role, Kimbel helped lead his bullpen to a championship title. Led by his starting rotation, Andrew Devine and Jacob Weaver paved the path to success for the remainder of the pitching staff, finishing the season with a cumulative 7.48 ERA. Devine finished with a 6-0 record with a 2.95 ERA, and Weaver finished 4-3 with a 7.37. Titan Kennedy-Hayes was strong coming out of the pen for the Govs, finishing the season with a 1-1 record and recording seven saves, ranked 12th most in a season in program history. Kimbel saw Kennedy-Hayes and Tyler Hampu as MLB Draft selections at the conclusion of the season. Kennedy-Hayes was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies and Hampu to the Colorado Rockies. Weaver will return for the 2025 season as the Governors Friday starter.
2023: Kimbel joined the Governors coaching staff in July 2022 as the program’s hitting coach and recruiting coordinator. He coached three All-ASUN honorees: outfielder Garrett Martin, designated hitter Lyle Miller-Green, and outfielder Clayton Gray. Miller-Green and Gray became the first Austin Peay teammates since 2013 to record 80 hits in a season. In addition, Miller-Green became only the fourth APSU hitter to record 80 hits and 15 home runs in a season, finishing the year with 84 hits and 16 home runs. The Govs offense ranked among the program’s Top 15 single-season performances in slugging percentage (5th), on-base percentage (14th), runs scored (4th), doubles (2nd), home runs (t-2nd), and walks (11th). After the season, outfielder Garrett Martin, who posted a .709 slugging percentage, was signed as a free agent by the New York Yankees.
EVANSVILLE (2020-22)
2022: He was the Purple Aces pitching coach in 2022 and helped lead the team to a 32-24 record – the program’s first 30-win season since 2014 – and a second-place finish in the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season race. Kimbel helped coach Nick Smith to MVC Pitcher of the Year accolades, and the Purple Aces, who hit a program-record 77 home runs, saw seven players selected to the 2022 All-MVC teams.
2021: Kimbel was Evansville’s hitting coach in a 28-27 campaign after beginning his Evansville career as the volunteer assistant coach in the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season.
KENTUCKY (2018-19)
Kimbel began his coaching career at Kentucky, where he was a graduate assistant for the 2018 and 2019 seasons and served alongside Fanning, a Wildcats assistant coach for three seasons (2017-19).
