7/28/25
Riley Nelson is in his first year as an assistant coach at USCA.
"We’re extremely excited to welcome Riley Nelson to our coaching staff at USCA,” head coach Keith Gorman stated. “Riley brings a tremendous amount of experience and knowledge, having spent several years working under legendary head coach Tim Wallace at Spartanburg Methodist. His time there, especially serving as interim head coach, has made him into a well-rounded coach and leader.
“Riley also has a proven track record as a top tier recruiter. His ability to identify and develop talent was a major reason for Spartanburg Methodist’s continued success. We’re confident he’ll have a big impact on our program both on the field and in building our future."
Nelson arrives at USCA after being the interim head coach and recruiting coordinator at Spartanburg Methodist College. There, he worked under Wallace. During his time at SMC, he worked with 35 Division I transfers. Nelson guided the program to as high as No. 17 in NJCAA DI. His teams also improved offensive every season, sporting a .346 batting average and a .975 OPS during his third year. Additionally, Nelson worked with more than 25 first-team all-conference performers.
In addition to his work at SMC, Nelson served as the hitting coach in the Appalachian League during the summers of 2024 and 2025, helping lead the Danville Otterbots to a league championship in 2024. The league is widely recognized for producing top-tier professional talent, with over 120 players signing MLB contracts in the last four years.
His coaching résumé also includes time as Recruiting Coordinator at Lamar Community College (Fall 2023), where he focused on offensive development, and as an Assistant Coach at Guilford Tech Community College (2019–2021), where he helped guide the program to a top-15 NJCAA DII ranking. Since he’s been coaching, 10 of his student-athletes signed MLB contracts.
Nelson earned his bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science from Mayville State University (N.D.) in 2019.
