Kent State Director of Athletics Joel Nielsen has announced a contract extension for baseball Head Coach Jeff Duncan. The extension is for four years, lasting through the 2020 season.
“I am pleased to announce that Coach Duncan will continue to lead our baseball program,” Nielsen said. “He has kept the tradition of success alive, both athletically and academically. Kent State baseball is sure to remain a nationally-competitive program thanks to his leadership.”
In three years, Duncan has an 111-59 overall record and 54-24 record in conference play. His teams have beaten perennial powerhouses such as Arizona, Baylor and Coastal Carolina during his tenure to keep Kent State a national threat. The program has gone 8-3 against Big Ten opponents the past three years.
Duncan is coming off one of the most successful seasons for the program. The 2016 squad finished 44-14, the third most wins in history, and also claimed a Mid-American Conference regular season title after going 20-4 in conference play. Three Golden Flashes were selected in the MLB Draft, including National Player of the Year and Consensus All-American Eric Lauer, who was the 7th first-round draft pick to come out of Kent State.
In his first season with the Flashes, Duncan led the team to a NCAA postseason appearance after winning the 2014 MAC Tournament. He has earned hardware in all three seasons, as the team earned a MAC East Division title in 2015.
Academics is just as important to Duncan as the team has broke numerous records in the classroom in the past three years. The team had a record eight Academic All-MAC honorees in 2015 and eclipsed that with 11 in 2016. Duncan has had a player earn Academic All-American honors in two straight seasons.
Duncan also stresses the importance of being pillars in the local community. The team has taken part of numerous initiatives in the area to help those who are less fortunate. Student-athletes and coaches have served meals to the homeless in Akron, made holiday baskets at the King Kennedy Center in Ravenna and visited sick children at Akron Children’s Hospital, among other service projects.
Duncan will begin his fourth season with the Flashes this February.
