# Carlos James

Carlos James (born October 12, 1971) is an American college baseball coach, formerly the head coach of the Arkansas–Pine Bluff Golden Lions baseball program. He was named to that position prior to the 2011 NCAA Division I baseball season.

## Playing career

James was drafted out of high school by the Oakland Athletics in the 1990 MLB Draft, but elected to play college ball at Seminole State College of Oklahoma. He played two seasons with the Trojans, and reached the NJCAA College World Series in both the 1991 and 1992 seasons. He then completed his eligibility at Arkansas. After his time with the Razorbacks, James played a pair of seasons with the Independent, Pine Bluff Locomotives.

## Coaching career

James served as manager of the Arkansas Prospects of Little Rock and APAK Scout Team of Memphis, travelling teams designed to showcase talent to college and professional coaches and scouts. James also served as a scout for the Seattle Mariners. He served as an assistant coach with Arkansas–Pine Bluff from 2000–2004, and also coached local teams in Pine Bluff. He was named interim head coach at Arkansas–Monticello in 2008 before becoming full-time head coach the following season. He improved the struggling program and helped them compete in the Gulf South Conference, as the first African-American to be named head coach in any sport at UAM, and the first for baseball in the Gulf South. In 2011, James became head coach at Arkansas–Pine Bluff, and earned Southwestern Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 2013. and in his fourth season led the Golden Lions to their first ever 2014 SWAC Western Division Championship in school history. James announced via social media on May 28, 2024 that he was leaving Pine Bluff after 14 seasons.

## Head coaching record

This table shows James' record as a head coach at the Division I level.
Statistics overview :
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason |
| Arkansas–Pine Bluff Golden Lions (Southwestern Athletic Conference) (2011–2024) ||||||
| 2011 | Arkansas–Pine Bluff | 11–34 | 7–17 | 5th (West) (5) | |
| 2012 | Arkansas–Pine Bluff | 8–38–1 | 6–18 | 5th (West) (5) | |
| 2013 | Arkansas–Pine Bluff | 21–30 | 13–11 | 2nd (West) (5) | SWAC Tournament |
| 2014 | Arkansas–Pine Bluff | 22–28 | 16–7 | 1st (West) (5) | SWAC Tournament |
| 2015 | Arkansas–Pine Bluff | 25–16 | 14–6 | 1st (West) (5) | Ineligible |
| 2016 | Arkansas–Pine Bluff | 22–25 | 16–5 | 1st (West) (5) | SWAC Tournament |
| 2017 | Arkansas–Pine Bluff | 15–31 | 10–14 | 5th (West) (5) | |
| 2018 | Arkansas–Pine Bluff | 20–25 | 12–10 | 3rd (West) (5) | SWAC Tournament |
| 2019 | Arkansas–Pine Bluff | 8–42 | 3–19 | 5th (West) | |
| 2020 | Arkansas–Pine Bluff | 6–12 | 3–3 | (West) | Season canceled due to COVID-19 |
| 2021 | Arkansas–Pine Bluff | 8–30 | 8–14 | 5th (West) | |
| 2022 | Arkansas–Pine Bluff | 13–36–1 | 9–21 | 5th (West) | |
| 2023 | Arkansas–Pine Bluff | 18–33 | 10–22 | 5th (West) | |
| 2024 | Arkansas–Pine Bluff | 14–35 | 6–21 | 5th (West) | |
| Arkansas–Pine Bluff: | Arkansas–Pine Bluff: | 211–415–2 | 143–188 | | |
| Total: | Total: | 211–415–2 | | | |
| National champion   Postseason invitational champion   Conference regular season champion   Conference regular season and conference tournament champion  Division regular season champion  Division regular season and conference tournament champion  Conference tournament champion ||||||
* ↑ The top four finishers in each of the SWAC's two five-team divisions qualified for the tournament in 2013
* ↑ The top four finishers in each of the SWAC's two five-team divisions qualified for the tournament in 2014
* ↑ Ineligible for postseason play due to APR penalties
* ↑ The top four finishers in each of the SWAC's two five-team divisions qualified for the tournament in 2016
* ↑ The top four finishers in each of the SWAC's two five-team divisions qualified for the tournament in 2018