J.D. Davis first joined the EKU baseball program in the summer of 2021 as a graduate manager. He was promoted to a full time assistant coaching position in the summer of 2023.
Davis serves as infield instructor and team defense coordinator.
In 2024, Davis was part of a staff that guided the Colonels to their third straight appearance in the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament. EKU is one of only four programs to qualify for each of the past three league tournaments.
Outfielder Ron Franklin Jr. capped an outstanding 2024 season by earning first team All-ASUN recognition. Tait Nunnally was chosen to the ASUN All-Freshman Team.
In 2022, Davis helped the Colonels win a conference championship. EKU went 38-20 overall and claimed a share of the ASUN Conference West Division Championship with a 20-10 league mark. The 38 wins were the most in a season since 1990. It was EKU’s first conference title since 2012. The Colonels were picked to finish eighth in the ASUN Preseason Poll, but finished tied for the best overall conference record in the league.
EKU followed the championship campaign with 29 more wins in 2023, making it the winningest two-year period for the program since 1989 and 1990.
Two players earned considerable national attention during the 2022 season. Kendal Ewell was a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award, given each year to the top amateur baseball player in the country. He also earned multiple national player of the week honors. Will Brian was chosen as an All-American by three organizations, was a finalist for the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award and then drafted in the 10th round by the New York Yankees.
Ewell and Brian joined catcher Will King on the ASUN All-Conference Team. King also earned a spot on the ASUN All-Tournament team after leading the Colonels to the semifinals.
EKU won 17 more games in 2022 than the season before. As a team, the Colonels set a new record for fielding percentage (97.5 percent).
Accolades poured in after the 2023 season for the Colonels as well. Shortstop Logan Thomason, who helped the team finish fourth in the nation in double plays turned, was selected as the ASUN Defensive Player of the Year. He and King earned all-conference recognition. King was chosen to the ABCA Rawlings Midwest All-Region Team and drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 2023 MLB Draft.
The 2023 Colonels set a new program record for walks drawn in a season, surpassing a mark that had stood for 42 years.
Davis started 121 games over his college career while playing three seasons at The Citadel and one at Nicholls State. He was in the starting line-up for every opening day of his career and played each infield position.
The Goose Creek, South Carolina native earned a degree in physical education from The Citadel in May of 2020 and completed a master’s of business administration in the fall of 2021 at Nicholls State.
While at The Citadel, Davis served as a squad leader with the responsibility of leading six cadets in formations, inspections and academics. He also served as an athletic officer, overseeing 60 cadets and their fitness scores.
During the spring of 2020, Davis served as a volunteer assistant coach at Stratford High School.
Davis played in two summer leagues – the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League and the Southern Collegiate Baseball League. He helped the Mohawk Valley Diamond Dogs capture a division championship.
