A former Division I standout and head coach at UNC Asheville, Willie Stewart joined the Georgia State staff prior to the 2012 season and helped the squad to immediate success.
 
Stewart oversees Georgia State's hitters and coordinates recruiting efforts.
 
In 2012, after Georgia State graduated nearly 75 percent of its offensive production from the year before, Stewart helped guide a young Panther lineup that featured 12 newcomers with six freshmen. He helped GSU remain in contention for a postseason berth until the season's final day.
 
Stewart also mentored GSU's trio of first-year catchers, seeing junior college transfer Scott Sarratt lead the conference for much of the year and finish with 23 runners caught stealing.
 
The Panther offense posted one of the most thrilling victories of the NCAA season, one that grabbed headlines around the nation. GSU scored 11 straight runs in the bottom of the ninth, including 10 with two outs, to rally for a 13-12 walk-off win over Northeastern in its conference opener.
 
Stewart's efforts on the recruiting trail helped Georgia State secure an outstanding class of newcomers, including 24th-round draft pick Matt Rose and Georgia Class AA Player of the Year Garrett Ford as well as several top junior college prospects.
 
Stewart joined the GSU baseball staff in November 2011 after a successful playing and coaching career in Asheville, where he was most recently the Bulldogs' head coach for five seasons, from 2005-2009.
 
In 2006, Stewart led UNC Asheville to the school's first NCAA Tournament appearance by capturing the Big South conference tournament as the Bulldogs won a school-record 28 games during the year. Baseball America recognized UNC Asheville as one of the most improved programs in the nation under Stewart's guidance.
 
A UNC Asheville alum, Stewart lettered four seasons for the Bulldogs from 1996-2000, earning first-team all-conference honors at second base his senior year. That 2000 season, he batted .300 with 32 RBIs and established a school-record 18-game hitting streak.
 
Stewart then spent three years as an assistant coach with the Bulldogs and one season on the staff at Elon, where he helped guide the Phoenix to the 2002 NCAA Tournament as an at-large selection.
 
Currently, five of Stewart's former players are playing professionally. At Asheville, two players earned all-region honors, five made the all-conference team and one earned Big South Pitcher of the Year honors.
 
Stewart also helped his Bulldogs squad achieve the highest GPA of any male team at UNC Asheville.
 
He remains very active in summer camps and has coached two summer wooden bat league squads.
 
A native of Winston-Salem, N.C., Stewart and his wife Christine have two children, son Kendall and daughter Kailyn.