Brian Swords

Owner / General Manager / Head Coach 

15th Season 

Coach Swords, a native of Liberty, SC, will enter his 15th year as Owner, General Manager and Head Coach of the Chaos, a position he's held since he founded the team.  He is also the Assistant Head Coach and Transfer Recruiting Coordinator at his collegiate alma mater, Southern Wesleyan University (Central, SC) a position he has held for the last six years.  While at Southern Wesleyan, Swords has been instrumental in recruiting and developing the offense for the Warrior  Baseball program.   Swords has coached at the amateur, high school, and collegiate levels for almost 15 years.  He has served as a baseball instructor, and also a professional baseball scout.  Many of his teams have captured regional and national attention.  Swords has led five teams to regional titles.  His most notable accomplishments were capturing the National Tournament Championship of the Amateur Baseball Association in 2000  and helping lead Southern Wesleyan to their first National Championship in 2007.  Swords served as a junior varsity and varsity coach with his high school alma mater, Liberty High School (Liberty, SC) .  He has also coached and managed teams in the AAU, Stan Musial, and Southeastern Baseball Leagues. In 2003, the Chaos' first year in the Southern Collegiate League, Swords led the team to a 35-15 record, capturing the Southern Collegiate League's Southern Division Championship and the Southern Collegiate League's Regular Season Championship.  Swords is currently serving his third appointment as the Executive Vice-President of the Southern Collegiate Baseball League.  He  is also very involved in his local community, serving in advisory capacities at the local, regional, and state levels for recreational and competitive sport program development.  He also served on a national advisory panel appointed to study athletic programs and their impact on educational achievement in elementary and middle school students.  Originally from Charleston, SC, he now resides in Liberty, SC.

Coaching Experience: 

Education:

Employment:  Tri-County Technical College -Pendleton, SC / Southern Wesleyan University (Assistant Head Baseball Coach) 

Scott Whitlock

Assistant General Manager

11th Season

Coach Whitlock, a native of Liberty, SC, will begin his tenth season with the Chaos.  He has coached teams in the Stan Musial, AAU, and Southern Collegiate Leagues.  He served as one of the original founding coaches of the Carolina Chaos in the early 90's, and worked closely to help  build the Carolina Chaos organization into what it is today.  He was a member of the coaching staff that helped the Chaos capture their first national championship in the national amateur baseball association in 2000.  He served as Assistant Head Coach of the Carolina Chaos in 2003 when the Chaos captured the SCBL Southern Division and Regular Season Championships.  Whitlock served as Assistant Coach with the Chaos from 1996-2001.  In 2002, he was promoted to the position of Assistant Head Coach.  Coach Whitlock works closely with Coach Swords on game days.  His primary responsibilities are with the fielders and hitters on game days.  Known for his wit and straight forward approach to the game, Whitlock is a favorite with players.   Whitlock captures the true essence of  baseball.    Coach Whitlock and his wife, Teresa, have two children, Haley and Kayla.  They reside in Liberty, SC.

Coaching Experience:

Education:  Industrial Engineering, Tri-County Technical College 

Employment:  Fort Hill Natural Gas Authority (Geologist Technician)

Nathan Swords

Assistant Coach / Assistant General Manager

3rd Season

Swords will continue as Assistant to the Chaos GM and Assistant Coach during the 2008 season.  A Chaos veteran by any stretch of the word, Swords began playing with the Chaos in the 9th grade when the Chaos was a traveling high school team.  He went on to play 7 consecutive years with the Chaos, and was the only player to spend his entire high school and college career with the organization.  He will work with the Chaos General Manager and coaching staff to ensure the summer goes smooth, concentrating on day-to-day issues in the front office, as well as serving as Assistant Coach for catchers and outfielders.  In addition, he will serve as third base coach.  He is currently serving as a Assistant Coach at Southern Wesleyan University, and was a member of the coaching staff that helped lead Southern Wesleyan to their first National Championship in 2007.  Swords played his college ball at Southern Wesleyan as a catcher.   He was also an All-Conference academic selection each of the four years he played at Southern Wesleyan.  He is a physical education teacher at nearby Liberty Elementary School.

Coaching Experience:

Education:  Southern Wesleyan University '05 (Physical Education Major)

Employment:  Physical Education Teacher, Liberty Elementary School / Assistant Coach, Southern Wesleyan University

Michael Land

Assistant Coach / Infielders

2nd Season

Michael Land will return to the Chaos for the 2008 season, after serving in the role of Graduate Assistant Coach during 2007.   A native of Calhoun Falls, SC, Land was a standout dual sport prep athlete before enrolling at Southern Wesleyan Univ. in 2003.  During his four-year stint with the Warrior program, Land was a utility player by any definition, as he was credited with playing every position on the field during his college career.  Land rounded out his college career in grand fashion by being the closing pitcher in the Warrior's 2007 National Championship.  Land also spent two seasons with the Chaos, before joining the Morganton Aggies, during the summer of 2006, where he was instrumental in the Aggies capturing the SCBL League Championship.   In 2007, Land made his coaching debut with the Chaos, and assisted in leading a very young team that remained in contention for the SCBL tournament throughout the season.  He accepted a position as Graduate Assistant Coach in 2007 with Southern Wesleyan University, and continues to serve in that position.  He works primarily with the outfielders and serves as 1st base coach.  Land will serve as the Chaos 1st base coach, and also work with the outfielders in 2008. 

Coaching Experience:

Education:   B.S., Physical Education

Employment:  Oconee County School District

Guy Howard

Assistant Coach / Pitching

Team Activities Director

1st Season

Guy Howard will join the Chaos staff for the 2008 season.  A native of Irondale, AL, Howard will finish his collegiate career at Southern Wesleyan University in 2008.  In 2007, Howard was a key component in SWU capturing the NCCAA National Championship.  He served as a member of the team's Leadership Council, and also served as team captain during the 2008 season.  Prior to transferring to Southern, Howard enjoyed success at Faulkner State Community College.   During the summer of 2007, Howard shattered Chaos records a pitcher.  He was named 2- time SCBL pitcher of the week, and went on to participate in the SCBL All-Star game.  Howard will be responsible for coaching the pitchers this season, scheduling the pitching rotation for games, and also working with the team general manager to increase emphasis on the team's initiative of working more in the community and with area youth.   

Education:  B.S., Mathematics, Southern Wesleyan University

Paul Goldstein

Assistant Coach

Strength and Conditioning

4th Season

Education:  B.S., Clemson University '03 (Major:  Health Science / Physical Education)