Bucks Baseball selects Junior Weaver as new coach Spigner returns to UCA

MENA, Arkansas (June 12, 2023)– Bucks Athletic Director Jerod McCormick is excited to announce the hiring of Junior Weaver as the new head baseball coach at UA Rich Mountain. Lance Spigner resigned at the end of May to take an assistant baseball coaching job at the University of Central Arkansas.

Weaver comes to UARM as the assistant tournament director and stadium operations for perfect game in Millington, Tennessee, where he oversaw recruiting for tournaments at the USA Baseball Stadium Complex.

With vast experience across all levels of baseball, Weaver has been a high school head coach at Marvell Academy (19911996), Desoto High School (1996-2002), Tunica Institute of Learning (2006-2007), Rossville Academy (2008-2012), and Olive Branch High School (2019-2022). He won a state championship as an assistant at Starkville High School in 1991 and was a state runner-up with his Desoto High School team in 2001 as a head coach.

After a few volunteer college coaching jobs, Weaver became the head baseball coach at Crichton College in 2003. He won the NCCAA National Championship in 2005 and was named as the 2005 NCCAA Coach of the Year, after setting a school record of 37 wins. In 2006, he was inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame. In 2012-2013, he joined the staff at Southwest Tennessee as their third base coach and offensive coordinator. Along with his high school and college coaching stints, he has experience as a Major League Baseball scout for the Cincinnati Reds, Kansas City Royals, Anaheim Angels, and the Baltimore Orioles. gram!”

Weaver attended East Mississippi Community College as a left-handed pitcher in 1986-1988 and graduated from Mississippi State University in 2003 with a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary

Spigner

Lance Spigner, a former University of Central Arkansas Bear, brings more than three decades of coaching experience to the UCA staff. He played for the Bears from 1986-89, playing in 151 career games and hitting .404 as a senior in 1989. He was a starter in the outfield during his four years at UCA and was named to All-Conference while playing for the Bears.

Spigner has 32 years of head coaching experience at the high school and junior college level.

He will coach first base for the Bears, as well as work with defense, assist in base running and hitting.

Athletic Director Jerod McCormick stated, “After my initial phone call with Coach Weaver, I knew he was who we wanted to be our new head baseball coach. He brings a vast experience across all levels of baseball and holds his athletes to the highest standard. Everything he stands for is what we want for our program and student-athletes. I am extremely excited to have Junior Weaver joining UARM to lead our baseball pro- studies (physical education and political science).

Weaver is a current resident of Marion, Arkansas, and has three daughters, Madison, Morgan, and Aubrie.

In other recent additions to the team, Jorge Ramirez announced on social media that he has accepted the hitting coach position for the Bucks baseball.

Spigner was awarded the ABCA Dave Keilitz Ethics in Coaching Award in 2021. He started the baseball program at UA-Rich Mountain in 2019. In his first two seasons, the UARM Bucks were the 2021 Plains District Runner-Ups and the 2022 Region II Champions. He had a 6746 record (41-19 in Region II). He was also named the 2022 Region II Coach of the Year.

He coached previously at Horatio (Ark.) High School from 1991 until 2019, winning five state championships with the Lions.

[Eds. Junior Weaver’s portion of this article and image were originally published by UA Rich Mountain. They have been reprinted by permission.]