Nathan Baker was tabbed by Director of Athletics E. J. Brophy to continue the recent winning trends with the UWA volleyball program. Baker becomes the 13th head coach in the program’s 29 year history. Baker comes to the Livingston campus after serving as head coach at Tusculum College in Greenville, Tenn. He is a native of Phil Campbell, Alabama, in the northwestern part of the state.

In two seasons as head coach of the Pioneer volleyball program, he complied 48 wins and finished his first season with 23 wins and posted a program best 25 last season. The 23 wins in 2006 was a 14-win improvement from the prior season. TC finished fourth in the Southern Athletic Conference in 2006 with nine wins within the league; the most SAC wins for the program since joining the league in 1998. In 2007, the Pioneers surpassed the previous SAC win total with 11 victories in conference play. Last season, the Pioneers were led by Vivian Lacy, the 2007 SAC Player of the Year along with four All-SAC selections. TC ranked second in the nation in blocks per game and ninth in hitting percentage. He also orchestrated a match as "Dig For the Cure", in which all of the proceeds and funds raised went to breast cancer research. Academically, a member of his team was named SAC Scholar Athlete of the Year along with his team being a recipient of the 2005-06 Game Plan/American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award.

Prior to taking over the TC program, Baker served as assistant coach at NCAA Division I school Campbell University in Buies Creek, N.C. from 2003-06. At Campbell, he assisted with recruiting and travel coordinator along with serving as academic coordinator for the volleyball program. CU had a 12-win turn around in 2004 and posted 14 wins in 2005 for the Atlantic Sun Conference-affiliated school.

Baker began his collegiate coaching career at Colorado Northwestern Community College in Rangley, Co. He started the volleyball program at CNCC in the Scenic West Athletic Conference, known as one of the toughest junior college leagues in the country. While at CNCC, he also served as head softball coach at the school. The volleyball squad posted a team grade point average of 3.2 under the direction of Baker.

He spent time on the coaching sidelines as a student assistant at Martin Methodist College in Pulaski, Tenn., where he earned his bachelors degree in human sciences from MMC. As a member of the Redhawk staff, he learned the fundamentals of the game under former Olympic and professional player Rose Magers-Powell. Coach Powell was a member of the 1984 US Olympic Volleyball team that won the silver medal at the Los Angeles games, the highest finish by an American team.

Baker is a member of the AVCA and the National Fastpitch Coaches Association. He is also active with community service efforts along with American Cancer Society and an advocate for youth volleyball.

He is married to the former Jessica McDougal of Pulaski, Tenn. The couple has two daughters; Emma and Morgan.