James “Marty” Kinard is in his third season as the head coach of the Claflin University softball team. Kinard is in his ninth season with the program, serving two seasons as the interim head coach (2017 & 2018) and five years as an assistant coach (2012-2016).
In his first season (2017) leading the Lady Panthers, Kinard led his team to the program’s first-ever Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) title along with an SIAC Eastern Division Title. For his efforts he earned the 2017 SIAC Coach of the Year and 2017 Outstanding Tournament Coach.
Kinard's success continued in his second year at the helm, leading his team to a programs best 37 wins. In the team's first season as a member of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA), the Lady Panthers finished undefeated at 18-0, capturing the Southern Division Title and finishing as runner-up in the 2019 CIAA Softball Championship. For his efforts, Kinard was voted the 2019 CIAA Coach of the Year. His three-year record sits at 97-68 for a .588 winning percentage.
Prior to joining the Claflin University staff, Kinard coached baseball at Augusta Christian where he was head JV Baseball Coach and Assistant Varsity Coach for two seasons. As head JV coach, Kinard led Augusta Christian to two region titles, including a 16-2 season his second year, that featured six come from behind wins.
Before coaching at Augusta Christian, Kinard spent two summers working with Edisto High School as well as a summer in Honesdale, Pennsylvania where he was the Director of Baseball winning four tournament championships in different age divisions.
Kinard, a native of Orangeburg, SC played his high school baseball at Edisto High School where he was an all-region pitcher for two seasons and all-state his senior year. He was also a big part of Orangeburg Post 4 American Legion baseball's success for four summers and still holds the record for most games pitched in a season having pitched in 21 of 26 games.
Kinard played two seasons at Claflin University before transferring to USC-Aiken where an injury put a halt to his career. He then transferred back to Claflin to finish his undergraduate studies and earn a Bachelor’s of Science in Human Performance in 2009. In 2014 he earned a Masters of Education in psychology of positive coaching from the University of Missouri.
He is a member of the National Fastpitch Coaches Association where he is th Atlantic Region Representative on the Top 25 Committee and the Heac Coaches Committee where he is the CIAA Representative.
He and his wife Lindsay reside in Orangeburg and they have two sons Easton and Bryce.
