Timothy Douglas Epling (born November 9, 1962) is an American former baseball manager, coach and Christian minister who was the manager of the West Virginia Miners, an amateur collegiate baseball team part of the Eastern Conference of the Prospect League, from 2010 to 2018.
His parents, Doug and Linda Epling, own the Linda K. Epling Stadium in Beckley, West Virginia.
Early life Tim Epling was born on November 9, 1962 in Beckley, West Virginia, to businesspeople Linda and Doug Epling. Doug Epling, a coal baron of three coal mines, owns the Linda K. Epling Stadium in Beckley along with his wife, Linda.
Epling graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in 1981. He attended Methodist University in North Carolina for college.
Baseball career In his college years, Epling pitched for the North Carolina Methodist College baseball team where they finished #3 and #5 in the country in separate seasons from 1981 to 1983.
From 1985 to 1990, he was the field manager of the Liberty High School baseball team, a high school located in Raleigh County, West Virginia. At the high school, he led the baseball program to its first-ever Sectional Championship. In five seasons, he achieved a 101-32 record.
From 2001 to 2008, he served as the head coach of the West Virginia Tech baseball team.
Epling was the manager and coach of the West Virginia Miners, based at the Linda K. Epling Stadium in Beckley; owned by his parents from 2010 to 2018. He came out of retirement in October 2019, and decided to coach with the Miners again solely as a general manager.
In 2023, the West Virginia Miners were defunct.
Miners stats The following are the stats of the West Virginia Miners baseball team during Epling's tenure as manager/head coach: SeasonManagerRecordWin %LeagueDivisionGBPost-season recordPost-season win %Post-season resultNotes2010Tim Epling26–30.4642nd0–0.000Did not qualify2011Tim Epling29–27.5185th1st–1–1.500Won East Division Championship (Slippery Rock) Lost Prospect League Championship (Quincy)2012Tim Epling40–19.6781st1st–3–01.000Won East Division Championship (Chillicothe) Won Prospect League Championship (Dubois County)2013Tim Epling38–22.6332nd1st–4–01.000Won East Division Championship (Chillicothe) Won Prospect League Championship (Quincy)2014Tim Epling38–22.6334th3rd2.00–0.000Did not qualify2015Tim Epling35–24.5933rd2nd2.52–3.400Won East Division Championship (Chillicothe) Lost Prospect League Championship (Terre Haute)2016Tim Epling34–25.5765th1st–4–01.000Won East Division Championship (Kokomo) Won Prospect League Championship (Quincy)2017Tim Epling30–28.5174th2nd6.00–2.000Lost East Division Championship (Butler)2018Tim Epling30–29.5086th3rd7.00–0.000Did not qualify2019Mike Syrett18–42.30011th6th22.00–0.000Did not qualify2020Season cancelled (COVID-19 pandemic)2021Tim Epling23–36.39015th4th12.50–0.000Did not qualify2022Tim Epling20–37.35115th4th16.50–0.000Did not qualifyTotals361–341.51414–6.700
Christian ministry Epling is a co-founder of Destiny Ministries with his wife, Diane. Diane Epling authored a Christian book, Time With God, released in 2022. The ministry has hosted several Christian events in the Beckley area.
Personal life Legal On January 23, 2024, Epling filed a lawsuit against the City of Beckley, citing a violation of West Virginia state code by city officials; arguing "a recent decision to operate under a city manager and weak mayor-style of government violates West Virginia Code."
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