Mike Silva joined the Bobcats in 2013 after compiling four years of head coaching experience at the junior college level. Since joining Texas State, Silva has worked primarily with the team’s position players and leading the offense.
Last season, Silva’s offense led the Sun Belt Conference in many major offensive categories during conference play to prove his system is working. Standout hitter Tanner Hill went from four home runs and a .220 batting average in 2014 to .319 and nine home runs in one season of work with Silva.
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In Silva’s first season, the Bobcats adjusted to his philosophies and began to hit their stried before the end of the season. In non-conference play, Texas State only hit .256, but once the team caught on to Silva, the average took a jump. Texas State hit .312 in conference play. Silva led three starters to .300+ seasons and three Bobcat hitters were named All-WAC selections.
Before Texas State, Silva was the head coach at Galveston College for the 2012 season when he led the team to its first regional tournament in five years and first season above .500 in 13 years. His squad was ranked as high as 11th nationally during the season and finished with the ninth-best team grade point average in the country.
Prior to Galveston, Silva spent three seasons at Clarendon College as the team’s head coach. His teams won 111 games during his three-year stint, making Silva the winningest coach in the program’s history. His 2010 team achieved the second highest ranking in school history (15) when he also produced the school’s second All-American, a Rawlings Big Stick Award winner and the conference player of the year.
Silva, a native of Hull, Mass., was an assistant coach at Clarendon in 2008 when the team won 40 games – the second most in school history – and advanced to the regional championship. It marked the second assistant coaching stint for Silva with Clarendon after he also served as an assistant from 2003-05.
Silva also spent one season at Bethany College where he helped the team win 40 games and achieve a ranking of 18th in the NAIA national polls.
Before his coaching days, Silva played at Northwestern Oklahoma State University where he led the team to three straight regional tournaments. He helped the team to a 49-win season in 2001 and the team’s highest national ranking in school history (11th). Individually, Silva finished 19th in the nation in batting average in 2001 with a .426 mark. He then played two seasons of independent baseball before moving into coaching. While playing professionally, Silva was recognized as an All Star for a strong rookie season in the Southeastern Professional Baseball League.
Silva earned his bachelor’s degree in leadership from Bellevue University in Nebraska before receiving his master’s degree in education from East Central University in Oklahoma.
He is married to the former Reagan Page.
