Former Jackson State Tiger Dave Clark has been promoted to third base coach for the Houston Astros.

“He brought a lot of energy to The Dell Diamond and its fans,” said Express president Jay Miller. “You never want to lose a manager like Dave, but we’re happy to see him achieving his goals. Knowing that he’ll be right down the road in Houston makes losing him a little easier to bear.”

Clark, 46, managed the Astros Triple-A affiliate in Round Rock, Texas, last year. Before that Clark had managed the Double-A affiliate in Corpus Christi for three years.

Clark, a Tupelo native, played for the JSU Tigers from 1981-1983. The outfielder was a first round draft pick of the Cleveland Indians in 1983 (11th overall). He made his Major League debut on a September call up in 1986.

Clark played for six Major League teams: Cleveland Indians (1986-1989), Chicago Cubs (1990), Kansas City Royals (1991), Pittsburgh Pirates (1992-1996), Los Angeles Dodgers (1996), Chicago Cubs (1997) and the Houston Astros (1998).

Clark had a career batting average of .264 with 62 homeruns and 284 runs batted in.