CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Queens University of Charlotte head baseball coach Jake Hendrick is excited to announce the addition of Nick Melton to the staff as an assistant coach. Melton, a former Queens standout, brings a wealth of knowledge and experience from his previous stint at Cleveland Community College to the Royals program.

"Nick loves Queens," said coach Hendrick. "He wants to see this program be great as much as anyone. We are pumped about what he adds to this staff. Nick will work with infielders, assist Coach Cullinane with recruiting and hitters, and coach first base. Nick really impressed James and I with his work ethic last year at Cleveland Community College, and we are pumped to have him get back to Queens this year."
 
The Shelby, North Carolina native graduated from Queens University of Charlotte with a Bachelor of Arts in Sports Communication in 2022. Melton also received his Master of Business Administration from Gardner-Webb University in 2024. Melton competed at the Division I and II level for five years at Queens, where he played every infield position during his time with the Royals. At the end of his career, Melton was the Royals all-time leader in games played and games started while ranking top five in many categories, including hits (3rd), doubles (3rd), triples (1st), and home runs (4th), as well as runs batted in (3rd), Melton was also the first Royal to collect 100 hits.

Melton began his coaching career as the Recruiting Coordinator and Hitting Coach at Cleveland Community College in Shelby, North Carolina. In his first year in 2023-24, the Yeti offense broke school records in home runs, doubles, and runs scored. In his second year as hitting coach, Melton helped lead Cleveland to a 39-15 record, a school record in wins, along with breaking multiple school records offensively, including batting average, doubles, runs scored, and stolen bases. The Yeti offense finished fourth in the country in stolen bases, recording 197 during the 2025 season. During his two-year tenure, Melton recruited and developed over 30 players who transitioned to the Division I and Division II levels.

The Royals are coming off their third Division 1 season, going 9-44 overall and 7-23 in the ASUN play. Similar to last season, the Royals 2026 schedule features elite opponents, including South Carolina, N.C. State, Georgia, Notre Dame, North Carolina, and Duke. Queens is also set to face in-state foes North Carolina A&T, Charlotte, Elon, Davidson, and Gardner-Webb.
 
Last season, freshman Ryan Brown produced an ASUN All-Freshman campaign after being named D1Baseball Preseason Freshman of the Year. Right-handed pitcher Landry Jurecka also turned in Second Team honors before being selected by the San Diego Padres in the 18^th round of the 2025 MLB Draft.
 
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