32  Dave Carter Position: Associate Head Coach Experience: 5th Season

Associate head coach Dave Carter has been instrumental to Utah Valley's success since his return to Orem in 2008. He is entering his fifth season at Utah Valley in 2013 after a five-year stint at the College of Southern Idaho.

Prior to that, Carter coached at Utah Valley from 2000 to 2003 under former head coach Steve Gardner. He also coached with current UVU head coach Eric Madsen at the College of Eastern Utah from 1996-99.

Carter handles recruiting duties and the pitching staff at UVU, and has been key in the program's rapid growth in both areas.

In his first three seasons, Carter has helped to improve the overall team ERA by nearly four full points including a school-record 4.74 ERA in 2011. The '11 staff also set school records for opponent batting average (.292) and with seven shutouts while improving the club's walk-to-strikeout ratio in hitter-friendly Brent Brown Ballpark.

His first full recruiting class included 2011 Great West Conference Pitcher and Newcomer of the Year Jeremy Gendlek, who himself set a school record with a 1.71 ERA in 2011. The top three season ERAs in school history come from the 2011 staff.

Carter began his coaching career in 1994, as a graduate assistant at Southern Utah University before spending two seasons at Southern Idaho, in Twin Falls, Idaho.

From there he went to Eastern Utah to coach alongside Madsen before assisting Gardner for four seasons.

During his coaching career, Carter has coached several players selected in the Major League Baseball Draft, including Baltimore Orioles pitcher Willie Eyre and Brandon Duckworth. He also coached 2010 draft pick and former Wolverine Justin Smith, who is in the 2011 World Champion St. Louis Cardinals organization.

Carter was born in Logan, Utah and graduated from Blackfoot High School where he lettered in baseball and basketball.

He played collegiately at Southern Idaho from 1986-87 and helped pitch the Golden Eagles to a fourth place finish at the Junior College World Series as a freshman.

He finished his college playing career at UNLV where he was part of a team that made it to the NCAA Regionals in each of his seasons in Las Vegas.

After college Carter signed to play professionally in the Montreal Expos organization. He played for Gate City (Pocatello, Idaho) in the Pioneer League in 1990 and the Erie Sailors in the New York Penn League in 1991.

Carter has an associate's degree from Southern Idaho and a bachelor's degree in physical education from Southern Utah.

Carter and his wife Shelby have one daughter, Abby, and one son, Cache.