Virginia Commonwealth University

CJ Rhodes joined the VCU Baseball staff as the Director of Operations for the 2021-22 season and will begin his third season back with the Rams and fifth season overall with VCU Baseball.
 
Rhodes previously served on the Rams’ staff as an assistant coach under Paul Keyes during the 2011 and 2012 seasons. In his two seasons at VCU, Rhodes primarily focused on coaching the team’s hitters and catchers while also assisting with daily administrative duties. While at VCU, Rhodes mentored second baseman Vimael Machin, who has since gone on to play in Major League Baseball.
 
Most recently, Rhodes was an assistant coach for Longwood for three seasons from 2019-21. Under Rhodes' direction in 2020, the Lancers were tied for third in the Big South in hits, third in RBI, and fifth in team batting average and slugging percentage before the season was canceled by the Big South due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
Prior to his time in Farmville, Va., Rhodes was a part of the staff at Division III Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Va., for six seasons, serving first as an assistant coach before being promoted to Associate Head Coach for the 2018 season.
 
During his six seasons at Randolph-Macon, Rhodes was a part of 172 victories – the most in a six-year span for the program — including a program-record 38 wins for a Yellow Jackets team that advanced to the Division III College World Series in 2018.
 
Rhodes led all recruiting efforts at Randolph-Macon and assisted in all phases of the program, which included field instruction, strength and conditioning, academic affairs, and camps. The offense thrived under Rhodes’ guidance in 2018 as Randolph-Macon led the Old Dominion Athletic Conference in runs scored (438), hits (547), home runs (54), RBI (380), walks drawn (253), slugging percentage (.491), and team OPS (.912).
 
A native of Williamsburg, Va., Rhodes played four seasons at Division III Virginia Wesleyan College, where he was an all-conference, all-region, and all-state performer, hitting .331 with 48 doubles, 14 home runs, and 125 RBI in 152 career games. Rhodes was a first team all-conference catcher in 2009, and was second team All-South Region after leading his team with a .383 average and .453 on-base percentage. As a junior Rhodes earned second team all-ODAC honors and honorable mention All-South Region accolades by maintaining a .367 average with 23 extra-base hits. Rhodes earned his bachelor’s degree in communications from Virginia Wesleyan in 2009.

He currently resides in Midlothian, Va., with his wife, Amber, and their sons, Jaxon and Tucker.