FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE
West Hartford, CT – University of Hartford Director of Athletics Patricia H. Meiser and Head Baseball Coach Jeff Calcaterra announced the hiring of Jerry Shank as an assistant coach on Monday. Shank will serve as the Hawks’ pitching coach and recruiting coordinator.
"I am very excited to announce the addition of Jerry Shank to our staff,” said Calcaterra. “Throughout the search process, Jerry exuded a passion for college baseball and will be a tireless worker and relentless recruiter. I also expect him to quickly develop a mutual respect and unique rapport with our players. I’m looking forward to working with Jerry and the impact he will have on our program"
Shank comes to Hartford after serving as an assistant coach for the last two years at Canisius College. Previously, he spent two seasons at Ohio Valley University as the top assistant coach and recruiting coordinator, while also coaching the pitching staff.
During his two years at Canisius, the Golden Griffins won 77 games (26th-most in the country), the most by any school in the Northeast region. Also, Canisius is one of 30 schools across the nation to win 35-plus games each of the past two seasons.
The Golden Griffins advanced to the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament each of the past two seasons, with the 2008 team winning a program-record 41 games. In 2008, Canisius earned its first regular-season MAAC title since 1994 and won the program’s first postseason game. In 2009, Canisius advanced to the MAAC Championship game for the first time in program history.
While at Canisius, Shank had a pitcher named to all-league teams each of the past two seasons, with Shane Davis becoming the first pitcher in conference history to be named the MAAC Pitcher of the Year and MAAC Rookie of the Year in the same season. He was also a part of the recruitment of two incoming freshmen who were drafted in the 2008 Major League Baseball Draft.
The Fighting Scots appeared in the conference tournament in both of Shank’s seasons at Ohio Valley, winning the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in 2006.
Before his time at Ohio Valley, Shank was the top assistant at Eastern Mennonite University where he worked with the pitching staff.
Shank played four seasons at the collegiate level. He started at Hampden-Sydney College where the Tigers advanced to the conference tournament in 2003 and then transferred to Eastern Mennonite for his final two seasons, where he graduated in 2005 with a degree in history.
