Chris Finwood

Chris Finwood (born January 20, 1966) is an American baseball coach and former shortstop, who is the current head baseball coach of the Old Dominion Monarchs. He played college baseball at the Virginia Military Institute for coaches Donny White and Paul Maini from 1985 to 1988. He then served as the head coach of the VMI Keydets (1992–1994) and the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (2006–2011). Finwood has coached 61 players who were selected in the MLB Players Draft including 3 major leaguers.

VMI Finwood was a standout shortstop at VMI, where he was named to the SoCon's All-North Division team three times. His .399 batting average remains sixth in school history. He also ranks highly on the program's all-time lists for hits and runs. He began coaching at VMI, serving as an assistant from 1989 through 1991 before being elevated to head coach. In his three years as a head coach, the Keydets went from 2 wins in 1991 to 21 wins in both 1993 and 1994, and played in the 1993 Southern Conference baseball tournament championship game. The Monarchs improved from last to fourth in the CAA in the course of his first two seasons. However, due to the fact that ODU was moving to Conference USA the CAA officials ruled that they were ineligible for the conference tournament after winning 30 games and what would have been the third seed in the conference tournament.

In 2014 Coach Finwood gave ODU its first ever C-USA victory in a 2–1 extra inning win on the road over then 15th ranked Rice Owls for his 300th career win. In just his third season at Old Dominion Coach Finwood lead the Monarchs to their first ever win over the number 1 ranked team in the country with an 8–1 victory over the Virginia Cavaliers at Harbor Park in Norfolk, reached the semifinals of the 2014 Conference USA baseball tournament, and earned an at-large bid in the Columbia, SC Regional of the 2014 NCAA tournament, the school's eighth appearance and first since 2000. The 2014 team finished the year third in the NCAA in double plays turned and first in Conference USA in double plays, doubles, HBPs, runs, stolen bases, and second in triples.

In his four years at Old Dominion to date Finwood has had five players drafted (six picks) in the MLB Draft, two All-Americans, and several All-Conference selections as well as two victories over a #1 ranked team.

Head coaching record