FORT WORTH, TX: Texas Wesleyan University Head Baseball Coach
Mike Jeffcoat announced today that nine-year Major League Baseball veteran
Kelly Shoppach will join his coaching staff as an assistant coach this season.
"We are honored and excited to have someone not just with Kelly's experience, but also his passion and enthusiasm joining our staff," Jeffcoat said. "He brings a sincere love of the game along with a strong desire to positively influence our young men. We are elated to have assembled a coaching staff with as much or more Major League experience as any college in the country."
The hire stemmed from a chance meeting between Jeffcoat (a veteran of 10 MLB seasons) and Shoppach, who was coaching at Temple Christian School in Fort Worth following his retirement in 2013. Shoppach's summer league team happened to play a tournament at the Rams' practice facility, Sycamore Park, and the two met and eventually discussed the possibility.
"Obviously I'm lucky to have this opportunity to fulfill one of my life dreams beyond playing," Shoppach commented. "Coaching in college has always been something I wanted to do, and to have the opportunity to coach right here at home was big."
Shoppach, a catcher, played nine seasons for six different MLB franchises. A DFW Metroplex product, he attended Brewer High School before playing three seasons at Baylor University. In his junior year at Baylor, he received the Johnny Bench Award (given to the nation's top collegiate catcher) and was named Big 12 Player of the Year and a 1st-team All-American. That performance led to him being taken in the second round of the 2001 MLB Draft by the Boston Red Sox, and he made his Major League debut for Boston in 2005.
During his career, he caught five Cy Young Award winners in R.A. Dickey, Cliff Lee, David Price, CC Sabathia, and Curt Schilling.
His best offensive season came in 2008 when he batted .261 with 21 HR's and 55 RBI's for the Indians. That season he became the second American League player and eighth overall in MLB history to record five extra-base hits in a game when he recorded three doubles and two home runs (including a game-tying HR in the ninth inning) against the Detroit Tigers.
In 2010, Shoppach caught the first no-hitter in Tampa Bay's franchise history when he called the signals for Matt Garza against the Tigers. The following year, he hit two home runs and drove in five during a 9-0 Tampa Bay victory over the Texas Rangers in game one of the American League Division Series.
Shoppach will complete his bachelor's degree while coaching at Texas Wesleyan.
The Rams are coming off a 39-win season in 2016. The team was ranked as high as 20th nationally and won the Sooner Athletic Conference regular season championship on their way to an appearance in the NAIA National Tournament Opening Round.
