Tom Walter will enter his fifth season as the UNO baseball head coach in 2009, and he has been the architect of one of the best rebuilding stories in college baseball.

Three years from being devastated by one of the worst natural disasters in U.S. history, the UNO baseball program has not only re-established itself as one of the top programs in the baseball-rich state of Louisiana, but it now holds a place in the national elite.

In 2008, the Privateers received an at-large bid into NCAA Regional play – handing UNO its second consecutive trip to the NCAA postseason. UNO is the only school in Louisiana to achieve back-to-back postseason bids and one of only 36 teams in the country.

Much of that success is due to the 39-year old coach who came to UNO with a plan and has produced a team that has improved in each of his four years.

Under Walter’s watch, the Privateers have set school records for home runs in each of the past two seasons -- including 97 in 2008. The offense, which ranked in the top 10 nationally in numerous categories throughout the year, helped UNO record its most wins (43) since 1996.

The Privateers set school records in four different categories, including home runs, hits (743), runs (581), and RBIs (524).

Seven players, who had never been drafted in their careers, were chosen in the 2008 MLB Draft and 10 players signed professional contracts.

The 2008 success came on the heels of a memorable 2007. The Privateers won the Sun Belt Tournament championship – their first league tournament win since 1979 – and knocked off regional-host Wichita State in the 2007 NCAA Wichita Regional.

In the past two years, UNO has combined to win 81 games and had 13 players sign with professional teams.

"We knew when we hired Tom that success like this would come," said UNO Director of Athletics Jim Miller. "He has helped our program and our department overcome huge obstacles with the program's success on and off the field. It is only going to get better under Tom's leadership."

The efforts have not gone unnoticed by university administration. Following the 2008 season, Maestri Field began a multi-million dollar renovation that will put the facility on par with some of the best facilities in the Sun Belt Conference.

The success should not come as a surprise. Walter came to UNO following an eight-year head coaching stint at George Washington, where he led the Colonials to the 2002 NCAA Tournament.

While leading the Colonial baseball program, 26 of Walter’s players went on to play professionally. In 2002, six Colonials were taken in the MLB draft, which marked the most players taken from the school in a particular year.

He averaged 39 wins per season at GW and is the all-time wins leader at the school with a 275-184 record.

During his tenure at GW, Walter also coached the Cotuit Kettlers in the Cap Cod Baseball League. He served as the head coach for the 1997 and 1998 season, leading the Kettlers to the playoffs in 1997.

In all, Walter coached eight players who went on to the majors and 25 players who signed professional contracts. Included on some of his teams were current big leaguers Aaron Harang (Reds), Chris Capuano (Brewers) and Garrett Atkins (Rockies).He has also served as a head coach of the New Market (Va.) Rebels during the summer of 1994, where he led the team to the Shenandoah Valley League title.

Overall, Walter is 406-298 in his 12-year career.

Prior to being appointed head coach at GW, Walter spent two seasons with the Greensboro Bats. He served in various duties for the New York Yankees Class A affiliate.

From 1992-1994, Walter served as an assistant coach for GW under former Cleveland State head coach Jay Murphy. Working primarily with the Colonials’ hitting and base running techniques, Walter helped guide GW’s 1992 squad to the conference championship and a trip to the NCAA Midwest Regional that year.

A 1991 graduate of Georgetown University, Walter started behind the plate or in the outfield in each of his four seasons with the Hoyas. He was the team captain in 1990 and 1991 and was named to the 1991 Big East Conference All-Academic Team.

After earning his bachelor’s degree in finance from Georgetown, Walter earned his MBA at GW, which he received while serving as an assistant coach.

A native of Johnstown, Pa., Walter and his wife, Kirsten, have two children – Chase and Kasey.