FROM CBD NEWS SOURCE
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Andy Jenkins, who was a member of Oregon State’s 2005 College World Series and Pacific-10 Conference Championship team, was named to the Beavers’ coaching staff on Thursday, head coach Pat Casey announced.
Jenkins will be the club’s volunteer assistant coach, a position previously held by Nate Yeskie, who was promoted in July.
“First off, I’d like to thank Coach Casey for giving me this opportunity,” Jenkins said. “I’m real excited to be on this staff. Oregon State is home for me. It’s pretty special to be a player, compete in the Minor Leagues and then be able to come back and be a coach where I have such great memories. I’m real excited for the opportunity to get back to Omaha and continue the great traditions we have at Oregon State.”
Jenkins spent the 2012 season as an undergraduate assistant coach with the Beavers and assisted former associate head coach Marty Lees with the team’s catchers and infielders. As a team, Oregon State posted a .975 fielding percentage, good for fifth in the defensive-minded Pac-12 Conference and 30th nationally.
Jake Rodriguez, in his first season as a full-time catcher with the Beavers, threw out a league-best 61 percent of the runners attempting to steal against him. Only Utah’s Parker Morin (33) threw out more than Rodriguez’s 25, but Morin had 84 attempts against to just 41 for the Oregon State backstop.
“When I think of the future of Oregon State baseball, I think of a guy like Andy Jenkins,” Casey said. “He’s a guy who played here and had success. He coached with us last season and it was evident that he would be a guy who would have a huge impact on our program. He’s someone who will have a terrific impact on our young players.”
Said Jacoby Ellsbury, a teammate of Jenkins’ from 2004-05: “Andy is a good friend of mine and is a very hard worker. He will undoubtedly be a very good addition to the program as an assistant coach and I expect big things from him.”
Jenkins joined Oregon State as a player in 2004 and helped guide the club to their second-ever College World Series appearance in 2005. He led the Beavers with a .459 batting average during the 2005 postseason and collected 13 runs batted in on the strength of two doubles, two triples and two home runs.
His .388 average as a senior in 2005 still stands as the ninth-best figure in team history. He also had 56 RBI that season, which led the club, and, after Michael Conforto broke the school record with 76 last season, stands as the 10th-best mark in program history.
Jenkins ended his two-year Oregon State career having played in 98 games, batting .343 with 12 home runs, 15 doubles, 86 RBI and 41 walks while striking out just 44 times in more than 340 at bats.
After his Oregon State career, Jenkins was selected in the 11th round of the 2005 MLB First-Year Player Draft by Florida. He played six seasons in the Minor Leagues with Florida and Texas, reaching the Triple-A level in 2009 and 2010. His six-year career saw him tally 2,341 plate appearances as he batted .268 with 32 home runs, 116 doubles, eight triples and 277 RBI.
“Andy is one of the most motivated and talented athletes I have ever played with,” said former Oregon State catcher Mitch Canham. “Everyone respects him and players feed off of him. He definitely brings out the best in himself and in others. Oregon State is really blessed to have such a wonderful coach joining the staff.”
