Wake Forest Athletics
Tyler Dawson Joins Wake Forest Baseball as Assistant Coach
8/17/2026 4:26:00 PM | Baseball
Dawson comes to Wake Forest after spending the last four seasons at Air Force.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Wake Forest head baseball coach Tom Walter has announced the addition of Tyler Dawson to the Demon Deacons' coaching staff.
Dawson joins Wake Forest after spending the past four seasons on the Air Force coaching staff, where he worked primarily with hitters and infielders. During his tenure, Dawson helped guide the Falcons to a Mountain West regular-season championship, multiple All-Conference selections and the development of several professional prospects.
"We are excited to welcome Tyler to Wake Forest," Walter said. "He has done an outstanding job developing hitters and infielders at Air Force, and his experience across multiple levels of baseball will be a tremendous asset to our program. Tyler is an excellent teacher who understands the complete development of a player, from the physical side to the mental and analytical aspects of the game."
Most recently, Dawson helped lead Air Force to a 27-28 record in 2026 and a 15-9 mark in Mountain West play. The Falcons finished second in the conference standings and advanced to the semifinal round of the Mountain West Tournament. Air Force hit .307 as a team with an .897 OPS, ranking among the nation's top 25 in batting average, doubles (127), runs (478), runs per game (8.7) and stolen bases (157).
The Falcons also produced the 2026 Mountain West Player of the Year in Wyatt Hanoian, along with two All-Conference selections. Air Force went 15-2 at home during the season.
In 2024, Dawson helped Air Force capture the first Mountain West regular-season championship in program history after the Falcons posted an 18-12 conference record. Air Force hit .286 with a .468 slugging percentage, totaling 64 home runs, 105 doubles, 20 triples and 332 RBIs. Five Falcons earned Mountain West All-Conference honors, including Co-Player of the Year Jay Thomason and second-team selections Sam Kulasingam and Chase Spencer.
Dawson played a key role in the development of Kulasingam and Thomason, who were both selected in the 2024 Major League Baseball Draft. Kulasingam was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the 13th round, while Thomason was selected by the Minnesota Twins in the 17th round.
Kulasingam finished his Air Force career as the program's all-time leader with 305 hits and tied the school record with 77 doubles. He posted a .377 career batting average and a .470 on-base percentage, the third-best mark in Mountain West history. Thomason holds the conference's all-time home run record with 58 career homers and became the first Falcon to record multiple seasons with at least 21 home runs.
Dawson also helped Kulasingam earn consecutive Tony Gwynn Mountain West Player of the Year honors in 2023 after he hit .426 with a .537 on-base percentage and .655 slugging percentage. Kulasingam recorded 100 hits for the second consecutive season, tied the program's single-season record with 28 doubles and established a school record with 50 walks.
Under Dawson's guidance, Air Force also produced one of the top defensive infielders in program history. Trayden Tamiya earned the first national Gold Glove in Air Force history after posting a .992 fielding percentage at second base, committing just two errors in 243 chances.
Prior to joining the Air Force staff, Dawson served as the head coach at Cleveland Community College from 2022-23. He helped build the foundation of the start-up program, leading the Yetis to a 31-23 record and a runner-up finish in the Region 10 Division II Tournament in 2022.
In addition to his head coaching responsibilities, Dawson oversaw strength and conditioning for the baseball and softball programs while handling hitter and infielder development, recruiting, scheduling and sports information duties.
Dawson previously served as the Director of Operations for Big League Camp, a baseball and softball training and lodging facility in North Carolina, where he managed facility operations and worked with high school and collegiate athletes in hitting, speed and agility.
His coaching experience also includes stops with the Edenton Steamers of the Coastal Plain League, where he served as hitting coach and assisted with outfield development in 2019, and Blacksburg High School in Virginia, where he served as head baseball coach. From 2016-17, Dawson was a member of the Virginia Tech softball staff, working primarily in strength and conditioning.
Dawson began his collegiate playing career at Bridgewater College, where he competed in both baseball and football. He earned a bachelor's degree in exercise science in 2016 and recently completed a master's degree in sports administration with an emphasis in kinesiology from Southeastern Oklahoma State University.
A native of Amherst, Va., Dawson is a certified strength and conditioning specialist through the National Strength and Conditioning Association and also holds certifications from USA Weightlifting and USA Baseball.
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Dawson joins Wake Forest after spending the past four seasons on the Air Force coaching staff, where he worked primarily with hitters and infielders. During his tenure, Dawson helped guide the Falcons to a Mountain West regular-season championship, multiple All-Conference selections and the development of several professional prospects.
"We are excited to welcome Tyler to Wake Forest," Walter said. "He has done an outstanding job developing hitters and infielders at Air Force, and his experience across multiple levels of baseball will be a tremendous asset to our program. Tyler is an excellent teacher who understands the complete development of a player, from the physical side to the mental and analytical aspects of the game."
Most recently, Dawson helped lead Air Force to a 27-28 record in 2026 and a 15-9 mark in Mountain West play. The Falcons finished second in the conference standings and advanced to the semifinal round of the Mountain West Tournament. Air Force hit .307 as a team with an .897 OPS, ranking among the nation's top 25 in batting average, doubles (127), runs (478), runs per game (8.7) and stolen bases (157).
The Falcons also produced the 2026 Mountain West Player of the Year in Wyatt Hanoian, along with two All-Conference selections. Air Force went 15-2 at home during the season.
In 2024, Dawson helped Air Force capture the first Mountain West regular-season championship in program history after the Falcons posted an 18-12 conference record. Air Force hit .286 with a .468 slugging percentage, totaling 64 home runs, 105 doubles, 20 triples and 332 RBIs. Five Falcons earned Mountain West All-Conference honors, including Co-Player of the Year Jay Thomason and second-team selections Sam Kulasingam and Chase Spencer.
Dawson played a key role in the development of Kulasingam and Thomason, who were both selected in the 2024 Major League Baseball Draft. Kulasingam was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the 13th round, while Thomason was selected by the Minnesota Twins in the 17th round.
Kulasingam finished his Air Force career as the program's all-time leader with 305 hits and tied the school record with 77 doubles. He posted a .377 career batting average and a .470 on-base percentage, the third-best mark in Mountain West history. Thomason holds the conference's all-time home run record with 58 career homers and became the first Falcon to record multiple seasons with at least 21 home runs.
Dawson also helped Kulasingam earn consecutive Tony Gwynn Mountain West Player of the Year honors in 2023 after he hit .426 with a .537 on-base percentage and .655 slugging percentage. Kulasingam recorded 100 hits for the second consecutive season, tied the program's single-season record with 28 doubles and established a school record with 50 walks.
Under Dawson's guidance, Air Force also produced one of the top defensive infielders in program history. Trayden Tamiya earned the first national Gold Glove in Air Force history after posting a .992 fielding percentage at second base, committing just two errors in 243 chances.
Prior to joining the Air Force staff, Dawson served as the head coach at Cleveland Community College from 2022-23. He helped build the foundation of the start-up program, leading the Yetis to a 31-23 record and a runner-up finish in the Region 10 Division II Tournament in 2022.
In addition to his head coaching responsibilities, Dawson oversaw strength and conditioning for the baseball and softball programs while handling hitter and infielder development, recruiting, scheduling and sports information duties.
Dawson previously served as the Director of Operations for Big League Camp, a baseball and softball training and lodging facility in North Carolina, where he managed facility operations and worked with high school and collegiate athletes in hitting, speed and agility.
His coaching experience also includes stops with the Edenton Steamers of the Coastal Plain League, where he served as hitting coach and assisted with outfield development in 2019, and Blacksburg High School in Virginia, where he served as head baseball coach. From 2016-17, Dawson was a member of the Virginia Tech softball staff, working primarily in strength and conditioning.
Dawson began his collegiate playing career at Bridgewater College, where he competed in both baseball and football. He earned a bachelor's degree in exercise science in 2016 and recently completed a master's degree in sports administration with an emphasis in kinesiology from Southeastern Oklahoma State University.
A native of Amherst, Va., Dawson is a certified strength and conditioning specialist through the National Strength and Conditioning Association and also holds certifications from USA Weightlifting and USA Baseball.
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