Jerry Edwards is now in the fourth season of his second tenure as an assistant/pitching coach at EKU. Edwards served as the pitching coach at EKU from 1999-2001 under former skipper Jim Ward, and was the interim head coach of the Colonels in between the tenures of Ward and Elvis Dominguez.
“Jerry brings 10-plus years experience as a pitching coach at the college level,” head coach Jason Stein said. “As a recruiter, he is a tireless worker, and he has many connections throughout the country.”
The EKU pitching staff experienced a revitalization under Edwards last season, lowering its season ERA nearly two points from 7.48 in 2010 to 5.61 in 2011. With Edwards' instruction, senior right-hander Stephen Hefler, who transferred to EKU from Kaskaskia College in 2010, dropped his ERA from 8.23 in 2010 to 3.77 in 2011 and transformed into one of the most dominant starting pitchers in the Ohio Valley Conference, becoming just the second EKU pitcher to earn first team All-OVC honors since 1990. Junior right-hander Matt Harris also blossmed under Edwards last season, lowering his ERA from 9.58 in 2010 to a team-best 2.77 in 2011. Against OVC competition, Harris, who started the year in the bullpen but transitioned into a starter later in the season, posted a miniscule ERA of 0.59 while batters hit just .168 against him.
In 2009, Edwards inherited a pitching staff that had lost nine of 14 arms from the previous season. Only two of his pitchers recorded a win in 2008 and none of them worked more than 30 innings. Edwards, however, was able to piece together a staff that year composed primarily of raw underclassmen, freshmen, and career relief pitchers, and that staff was able to produce 31 wins.
One of the raw underclassmen Edwards was able to transform in 2009 was sophomore left-hander Paul Duncan. In 2008, Duncan threw just 14.2 innings and compiled an ERA of 9.20. Under Edwards’ tutelage, however, Duncan recorded a team-high seven wins last season and was one of the OVC leaders with four complete games.
Then, on May 1, Duncan, pitched just the sixth no-hitter in school history against Chicago State. Following the no-hitter, Duncan was named a Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week by Collegiate Baseball magazine and OVC Pitcher of the Week. He was also named to that week’s College Baseball Foundation and Diamond Sports National All-Star Lineup.
In 2010, Edwards developed a relatively unknown freshman right-hander out of Georgia named Anthony Bazzani. Bazzani was knocked around early in the season in starts against High Point and Southeast Missouri. However, under the persistent guidance of Edwards, Bazzani transformed into one of the top pitchers in the OVC by May. He was named OVC Pitcher of the Week after he worked all nine innings, allowed one earned run, scattered seven hits and struck out six against a tough Jacksonville State lineup on May 15. He then led the Colonels to their first OVC Tournament win since 2007 as he dominated Murray State on May 26, going eight innings and nearly setting a neutral site OVC Tournament record with 10 strikeouts. Bazzani finished the season with a 5-3 record, led EKU in innings pitched (77.1) and opponent batting average (.282) and was named to the OVC All-Freshman Team.
Through his recruiting efforts, Edwards has begun to replenish the depth of EKU’s pitching staff. He has brought 37 new faces into to the program in just over three years, and 18 of those faces have been pitchers.
“Jerry is exceptional at finding talented student-athletes from across the country,” Stein said. “And, more importantly, he is great at instructing those student-athletes when they arrive on campus. We are lucky to have such an exceptional teacher of the game on staff.”
Edwards arrived at EKU from Louisburg College in Louisburg, N.C., where he was the pitching coach since 2005. While coaching at the two-year college, Edwards saw nine of his pitchers signed by Division I schools, and two of his pitchers drafted and signed in the top 12 rounds of the MLB Draft.
Before Louisburg, Edwards served as the head coach at Hiwassee College in Madisonville, Tenn. While at Hiwassee, Edwards saw two of his players taken in the MLB Draft.
In between his stints at EKU and Hiwassee, Edwards was an Associate Scout for three years with the Atlanta Braves under the guidance of Area Scouting Supervisor Billy Best.
While serving under Ward at EKU, Edwards helped the Colonels to their most recent OVC regular season championship in 2000.
Before coaching at EKU, Edwards spent two years at North Carolina Wesleyan College as an assistant coach/recruiting coordinator under current North Carolina head coach, Mike Fox. During those two years, he helped lead North Carolina Wesleyan to the 1999 Division III National Championship.
Edwards began his coaching career at the Enfield Academy in Whitakers, N.C. under the tutelage of current East Carolina head coach, Billy Godwin.
Edwards earned his bachelor’s degree in physical education from North Carolina Wesleyan College in 1999, and he earned a master’s degree in physical education/sports administration from EKU in 2001.
He lives in Richmond with his wife Amy and their two children, 12-year old Jacob and 10-year old Claire.
