In 2012, head coach Jason Stein returned the Colonels to where they have been more than any other team in the Ohio Valley Conference, atop the conference standings. EKU won a share of the regular season championship, its 16th overall. No other current league school has more than 11.
A year after leading a veteran team to the conference championship, Stein (pronounced STEEN) took a young squad to the cusp of an OVC Tournament title in 2013. Despite entering the tournament as the No. 5 seed, the Colonels advanced to the championship round. The Colonels knocked off No. 1 seed Tennessee Tech to advance to the championship round.
Eastern lost its top pitcher to an injury a month into the season, and by the time the tournament started four position starters were freshmen. After starting conference play with a 2-7 record, EKU lost just six of its final 20 league games.
Three of those freshmen – Kenny Hostrander, Kyle Nowlin and Doug Teegarden – earned Louisville Slugger Freshmen All-America honors in their first season under Stein’s guidance. In addition, junior catcher Sean Hagen had one of the top breakout seasons in the nation. Hagen improved his batting average 101 points, his slugging percentage 130 points and his on-base percentage by 62 points. He earned a spot on the Johnny Bench Award watch list and was a semifinalist for the Gregg Olson Award, which is presented to the breakout player of the year.
In 2012, after being picked in the preseason pole to place sixth, Stein led Eastern to wins in each of its final seven conference games, and 10 of its last 11 against OVC foes, to earn the program’s first OVC regular season championship since 2000. After finishing with a 31-23 record, the Colonels have now posted 30-win seasons twice in Stein’s five years as head coach.
Following the conclusion of the regular season EKU garnered two of the four top OVC awards and placed five players on the all-conference team. Matt Fyffe became the first Colonel to earn OVC Pitcher of the Year honors since former All-American and current Colorado Rockies left-hander Christian Friedrich in 2008. Stein took home OVC Coach of the Year honors, the first Eastern Kentucky skipper to do so since his mentor Jim Ward received the honor in 2000.
Nationally, Eastern was the 2012 NCAA Division I statistical champion for home runs per game. EKU, along with Arkansas-Little Rock, averaged of 1.22 dingers per contest. Eastern’s total of 66 home runs tied for second most in the nation. The Colonels also ranked among the top-30 in the country in slugging (4th), doubles (6th) and scoring (23rd).
Individually, Stein coached shortstop Richie Rodriguez to one of the best careers in Colonel history. After starting his career with Freshman All-America honors, Rodriguez capped it by being selected All-America by four different organizations and being drafted in the ninth round by the New York Mets. He was also chosen as one of three finalists from across the nation for the Brooks Wallace Shortstop of the Year Award. The three-time All-OVC performer batted .377 and led EKU in almost every major offensive category in 2012, including home runs, runs scored, hits, doubles, total bases, walks, slugging percentage and on-base percentage. He ranked in the top-30 in the country in slugging percentage, total bases, home runs, runs per game, home runs per game and toughest to strike out. Rodriguez started 216 consecutive games at shortstop, every game of his four-year career. He finished his decorated career as the all-time hits (303), runs (209) and at-bats (865) leader in EKU history. In nearly 1,000 career plate appearances, Rodriguez struck out only 64 times.
Stein picked up his 100th career coaching victory after the Colonels staged a come-from-behind win at Morehead State on April 28, 2012.
In five years at the helm, Stein has produced 26 All-Ohio Valley Conference performers, eight All-America selections and has seen three of his players selected in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.
Stein had been consistently building the foundation for a championship run. In 2011 third baseman Bryan Soloman was named the OVC Freshman of the Year and a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball newspaper. At the 2010 OVC Tournament, then-freshman right-hander Anthony Bazzani led the Colonels to their first postseason victory since 2007 by dominating Murray State, going eight innings and nearly setting a record with 10 strikeouts. EKU qualified for the 2010 OVC Tournament following a regular season in which the Colonels went 31-24, their first 30-win season since 2004. EKU’s offense was one of the best in the country in 2009. The Colonels were 10th nationally in batting average, 10th in scoring (9.2 runs/game), fifth in triples, seventh in stolen bases and fifth in stolen bases per game.
Upon taking over the Colonel baseball program in the summer of 2008, Stein inherited a team featuring just five pitchers with NCAA Division I experience. However, powered by Stein’s philosophy of smart at-bats, aggressive base running and solid defense, the Colonels won 27 games in 2009 and were one win away from making a trip to the OVC Tournament. In his first year on the job, Stein posted the fourth-best winning percentage (.529) of all 23 first-year Division I head baseball coaches in America.
The Colonels’ success under Stein in 2009 was legitimized by postseason awards. Third baseman Jayson Langfels, who won the OVC batting title with a .441 average and led the country with 1.67 RBI/game, was named a second team All-American by collegebaseballinsider.com and an honorable mention All-Ping performer by ping!baseball.com. Meanwhile, outfielder Matt Davis, who was fourth nationally with 1.45 runs/game, was named a Louisville Slugger third team All-American by Collegiate Baseball magazine.
Stein's impact has also stretched outside of the baseball diamond and into the classroom as he was awarded the EKU Coaches Academic Enhancement Award for his emphasis on academics in 2010.
A two-time All-OVC honoree for Eastern Kentucky Athletics Hall of Fame coach Jim Ward from 1992-95, Stein later served as an assistant coach to Ward from 1997-2000 before coming to Richmond from Belmont University where he served seven years as an assistant coach, the last two as assistant head coach.
“To be able to return to my alma mater and coach on the field where I bled and cried as a player is unbelievable,” Stein said. “Every young coach wants the opportunity to take over a program with a history of excellence and winning championships. To inherit such a program to which I already have strong emotional ties is a dream come true.”
Stein has done more than coach winning baseball for his alma mater. Since arriving in 2008, Stein and his staff have raised over half a million dollars to be used for renovations to Turkey Hughes Field. In the summer of 2009, a state-of-the-art synthetic turf infield was installed at the field, a brick backstop was put in place, new nets and poles were installed in the outfield and a hitter’s eye was placed in center field. In the summer of 2010, the brick backstop was extended to enclose a beautiful, newly graded and sodded outfield.
Stein has embraced his role as a head coach in the college baseball community, as he has spoken at numerous state and national coaching conventions. In January of 2010, he was selected to give a talk about base stealing called “Stealing the Big Inning” in front of over 3,000 of the top college baseball coaches in the country at the American Baseball Coaches Association’s national convention in Dallas.
A native of Ashland, Ky., and a graduate of Paul G. Blazer High School, Stein arrived at EKU as a player in 1992. Noted initially for his glove, specifically his ability to turn the double play, Stein proved his worth at the plate as a sophomore when he won the 1993 OVC batting title with a .378 average. The second baseman was named second team All-OVC that year, and was selected to the OVC All-Tournament team after hitting .400 in post-season play.
As a junior, Stein posted a .301 batting average and was named honorable mention All-OVC, despite missing two weeks of the season with an injury. He was second on the team in hits that season with 56, and finished the year on a tear, hitting safely in 17 of his last 20 games. Stein moved to shortstop his senior year, and was just as productive as the previous two seasons. As a co-captain for the Colonels, he earned first team All-OVC honors in 1995. He batted .333 that season, led the team with 76 hits and only struck out five times in 228 at-bats.
Stein finished his Colonel career with a .334 batting average.
In 1996, Stein served as a student assistant under Ward, with his primary on-field duties including working with middle infielders and coaching third base. In 1997, Stein became an assistant coach, and a year later was named recruiting coordinator. As an assistant at Eastern, Stein coached more than 15 All-OVC selections, 10 OVC Player of the Week honorees and seven OVC All-Tournament team selections. The Colonels won the OVC regular season title in 2000, and placed in the top three in tournament play all three years Stein was an assistant.
Stein served as an assistant coach/recruiting coordinator at Belmont from 2001-05, and was named assistant head coach/recruiting coordinator in 2006. In Stein’s tenure at Belmont, he coached 24 All-Atlantic Sun Conference selections, 120 Atlantic Sun Academic All-Conference selections and 16 Atlantic Sun Player of the Week honorees. He recruited or coached nine players selected to play in major league organizations, including the highest draft pick in school history, Blake Owen, who went to the Baltimore Orioles in the sixth round of the 2005 draft. Stein was also responsible for two or more players drafted in back-to-back years for the first time in Belmont’s Division I era.
Stein recruited and coached the 2006 Atlantic Sun Freshman of the Year, Derek Wiley, and also recruited and coached the Atlantic Sun’s first ever dual all-conference selection in Carlo Testa, who was named first team all-conference as a left-handed pitcher and first team all-conference as an outfielder.
With Stein’s help, Belmont reached the final game of 2007 Atlantic Sun Conference tournament. The Bruins broke the school record for wins twice during Stein’s tenure, and they also defeated three nationally-ranked teams.
While Stein was on staff, the Bruins set school records in nearly every single-season offensive category, including most home runs, most RBI, most total bases and most stolen bases. The Bruins swiped 518 bases during Stein’s time, and posted school records of 103 stolen bases in 2002 and 124 in 2005.
Stein earned a bachelor’s degree in ornamental horticulture from EKU in 1997, and received a master’s degree in sports administration from EKU in 1998.
In 2005, Stein married the former Terri Edge. The couple resides in Richmond with their 7-year-old son, Ryker; 4-year-old daughter, Riley; 3-year-old son, Jaxton; and 1-year-old daughter Jacey.
What Others Are Saying About Jason Stein:
“Jason is an excellent hire for EKU because he really has a passion for that program. He has developed his coaching career at Belmont, and I am confident that he is well-prepared to lead the Colonel baseball program.”
--Jim Ward, Former EKU Head Coach
“Jason did a tremendous job for us over the seven years that he was here, not only with coaching but with recruiting as well. He is a tremendous asset that we’ll be losing, and we’ll miss him. However, I’m very excited for him, and I expect big things for the EKU baseball program.”
--Dave Jarvis, Head Coach, Belmont University
“As a former Colonel, I’m extremely happy and excited for EKU that they have hired my former teammate as the new head baseball coach. EKU is not only getting an outstanding coach, but also a quality person in Jason. I’m sure Jason and his players will represent the university in a positive manner on and off the field. No one worked harder as a player, and Jason has taken that approach to coaching as well. His players will play the game the way it is supposed to be played. EKU will be OVC champs in the very near future.”
--Brandon Berger, former EKU and Kansas City Royals Outfielder
“I’ve known Jason since he was a player at EKU, and if I had an all-opponent team, he would be on it. Not because he was the greatest player, but because he was a great competitor. When he was interviewing for the EKU job, I asked him ‘How bad do you want this job?’ and he said ‘This is the only job I’ve ever wanted.’ It is his dream job. Jason is a good coach, a good family man, and he will get the support of the community. EKU, and college baseball in general, is getting a great head coach with him.”
--Steve Peterson, Head Coach, Middle Tennessee State University
“Jason is a very deserving young man, and he’s had a lot to do with Belmont’s success over the past few years. He is a very good recruiter and a very good teacher, and, obviously, he has something invested in that program. Overall, he is a great hire for EKU.”
--Tim Corbin, Head Coach, Vanderbilt University
