Shawn Stiffler
Shawn Stiffler (born April 2, 1979) is an American baseball coach and former pitcher, who is the head baseball coach of the Virginia Commonwealth Rams. He played college baseball for the George Mason Patriots from 1998 to 2001 for head coach Bill Brown Stiffler has been a part of the Rams baseball program since 2007, where he spent the first 5 seasons as an assistant to Paul Keyes.
 Stiffler in 2014 | |
| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Title | Head coach |
| Team | VCU |
| Conference | Atlantic 10 |
| Record | 272–171 |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | April 2, 1979 |
| Alma mater | George Mason University |
| Playing career | |
| 1998–2001 | George Mason Patriots |
| Position(s) | Pitcher |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 2002–2006 | George Mason (asst.) |
| 2007–2012 | VCU (asst.) |
| 2012–present | VCU |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 272–171 |
| Tournaments | A-10: 11–8 NCAA: 3–3 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| NCAA Regional: 2015 A-10 Tournament: 2015, 2019 | |
| Awards | |
| A-10 Coach of the Year (2019) | |
Playing career
Stiffler played high school baseball from 1994–1997 at Somerset Area High School, in Somerset, Pennsylvania[1] where he earned All-American honors as a pitcher.[2] He was drafted in the 53rd round by the Minnesota Twins in the 1997 MLB Draft,[3] but elected instead to continue his baseball career at the collegiate level, joining the George Mason Patriots baseball team.[4]
Coaching career
Immediately following his career with George Mason, Stiffler was picked up as an assistant for the George Mason Patriots baseball program. He worked the first two years as the number two assistant before being promoted to the head assistant for the 2004 season.[2] Stiffler was hired as the Virginia Commonwealth's (VCU) pitching coach and recruiting coordinator. As a recruiter for VCU, Stiffler recruited 15 eventual Major League Baseball draft picks. He would serve the role as a recruiter and pitching coach until 2007, where he was promoted to an assistant. In Stiffler's first season as an assistant, the Rams would boast one of their strongest campaigns in program history, winning 27 games and the 2007 CAA Tournament.
On April 11, 2012, Stiffler was named the head coach on an interim basis when Paul Keyes stepped down to health reasons.[5] Stiffler finished the 2012 season out with a 12–9 record, and in December 2012 was promoted to head coach on a full-time basis.[6]
In 2015, Stiffler led his team to the best season in school history. The Rams finished 40–25 overall with Stiffler leading the team to their first NCAA Division I Super Regional appearance, being recognized by both the NCBWA and Collegiate Baseball Coach of the Year.[7]
Heading coaching record
Below is a table of Stiffler's yearly records as an NCAA head baseball coach.[8]
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VCU Rams (Colonial Athletic Association) (2012) | |||||||||
| 2012 | VCU | 12–9[lower-alpha 1] | 8–9 | 5th | CAA Tournament[lower-alpha 2] | ||||
| VCU Rams (Atlantic 10 Conference) (2013–present) | |||||||||
| 2013 | VCU | 28–26 | 12–12 | t-8th | |||||
| 2014 | VCU | 37–20 | 15–10 | 4th | Atlantic 10 Tournament | ||||
| 2015 | VCU | 40–25 | 14–10 | t-4th | NCAA Super Regional | ||||
| 2016 | VCU | 38–19 | 17-9 | 2nd | Atlantic 10 Tournament | ||||
| 2017 | VCU | 35–22 | 21-7 | 1st | Atlantic 10 Tournament | ||||
| 2018 | VCU | 34–23 | 14-10 | t-5th | Atlantic 10 Tournament | ||||
| 2019 | VCU | 39–19 | 19–5 | 1st | Atlantic 10 Tournament | ||||
| 2020 | VCU | 9–8 | 0–0 | Season canceled due to COVID-19 | |||||
| Total: | 272–171 | ||||||||
|
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
| |||||||||
- Took over on an interim basis during the 2012 season.[9]
- 6 of the CAA's 11 teams qualified for the tournament.
References
- Mike Mastovich (July 9, 2015). "Somerset grad Shawn Stiffler honored as coach of the year". www.tridem.com. The Tribune-Democrat. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
- "Stiffler Named Top Assistant on Baseball staff". www.gomason.com. George Mason University. October 27, 2003. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
- "1997 Baseball Draft by Baseball Almanac". www.baseball-almanac.com. Baseball-Almanac, Inc. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
- "44 Shawn Stiffler Bio". George Mason University Athletics. GoMason.gom. Archived from the original on June 6, 2014. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
- "Keyes to Take Medical Leave of Absence". www.collegebaseballinsider.com. College Baseball Insider. April 11, 2012. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
- Bruce Wells (February 26, 2013). "VCU roster a mix of old and new". www.richmond.com. Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
- Chip Brierre (July 8, 2015). "VCU baseball coach Shawn Stiffler earns Coach of the Year honor". www.wric.com. Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
- "2012 Atlantic 10 Conference Baseball Standings". D1Baseball.com. Jeremy Mills. Archived from the original on May 20, 2013. Retrieved May 20, 2013.
- Swing, Jim (November 4, 2012). "Keyes leaves behind lasting legacy at VCU". The Commonwealth Times. CommonwealthTimes.com. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference (Minors)
- Shawn Stiffler Profile on VCUAthletics.com