Coaching Staff
Justin Parker
Interim Head Baseball Coach
Justin Parker enters his first season on the Mississippi State baseball coaching staff, serving as the pitching coach.
Parker joins the Diamond Dawgs staff after spending the last two seasons as the pitching coach at the University of South Carolina. Before joining the Gamecocks, Parker spent three years as the associate head coach/pitching coach at Indiana University.
Parker is widely regarded for his prowess in producing top-quality arms that are selected in the MLB Draft. Nine of the 20 pitchers drafted under his watch have gone in the first 10 rounds.
South Carolina
Parker guided the Gamecocks to 608 strikeouts, which stood as the 17th most in the NCAA (5th SEC) in 2023. Under Parker's guidance, the South Carolina pitching staff tallied 10.1 strikeouts per nine innings, the 20th-best mark in the nation and sixth in the SEC. The Gamecocks also had the 12th-best earned run average in the nation (2nd SEC) at 4.19. Parker helped Jack Mahoney, who had not pitched since 2021, to seven wins and a 4.16 ERA in 17 starts in his junior season. James Hicks had a team-best eight wins and a 3.48 ERA while allowing zero runs in starts in the SEC Tournament and NCAA Regional in Columbia.
During his first season (2022) in Columbia, Parker helped a staff riddled by injuries to 501 strikeouts in 479 innings pitched. He helped Noah Hall, who started in the bullpen, to 76.2 innings pitched and a 3.18 ERA in 10 SEC contests. Will Sanders ranked in the top 10 in the SEC in innings pitched, ERA and strikeouts on his way to a 7-3 overall record and a 3.43 ERA. Cade Austin was named a Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball, making 27 appearances with a 5-2 record and a 3.17 ERA.
Indiana
Parker spent three seasons as the associate head coach/pitching coach at Indiana. His staff with the Hoosiers had a 3.17 ERA and struck out 462 batters in 383 1/3 innings pitched as Indiana went 26-18 with a Big Ten-only schedule in 2021. Four pitchers from Parker's staff were selected in the 2021 MLB Draft including McCade Brown, who was selected in the third round by the Colorado Rockies and Gabe Bierman, a seventh-round pick by the Miami Marlins.
In the shortened 2020 season, Parker helped lead the Hoosiers to a 9-6 record overall, beating No. 11 LSU, No. 30 South Alabama and No. 17 East Carolina. On the mound, the Hoosiers posted a team ERA of 3.56, striking out 134 batters in 129 innings pitched.
In 2019, Parker helped guide the Hoosiers to the 2019 Big Ten Regular-Season title – the seventh in program history and the first for IU since 2014. Indiana earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, finishing the season with an overall record of 37-23 and a Big Ten mark of 17-7. A school-record 10 Hoosiers were selected in the 2019 MLB Draft, including a second-round selection.
UCF
Parker served as the pitching coach at UCF for two seasons. During the 2018 campaign at UCF, Parker's staff posted a 3.32 ERA – only the eighth sub-3.50 ERA season in school history. Pitchers struck out 556 batters - good for second in program history - while the Knights set a new program record with 7.1 hits allowed per nine innings and only gave up 405 hits.
Under Parker in his first season with the Knights in 2017, the pitching staff was one of the best in the nation, finishing 10th in WHIP (1.22), 24th in strikeout-to-walks ratio (2.74), 28th in strikeouts per nine innings (8.9) and 52nd in walks per nine innings (3.26). The crowning achievement for Parker's players was the fifth-best ERA in the nation at 3.00.
Following the 2018 season, Parker and UCF had five pitchers selected in the draft - the most since 2002 - and tied for the second-most ever in school history. Thad Ward (5th Round/Boston Red Sox), JJ Montgomery (7th Round/Baltimore Orioles), Bryce Tucker (14th Round/San Francisco Giants), Eric Hepple (27th Round/Colorado Rockies) and Cre Finfrock (29th Round/Toronto Blue Jays) each heard their names called. UCF's Jason Bahr was a fifth-round selection by the San Francisco Giants in 2017. Robby Howell followed him in the 10th round and went to the Cincinnati Reds. Jordan Scheftz (23rd round/Cleveland Indians) and Andy Rohloff (37th round/San Francisco Giants) also heard their names called after one year under Parker.
Wright State
Parker spent six seasons at his alma mater, Wright State. Parker's pitching staff helped the Raiders to four Horizon League Championship Games, winning in 2015 and 2016.
Parker's pitchers guided Wright State to the Horizon League Championship in 2016. The Raiders posted a 46-17 record and ranked fifth in the country in walks per nine innings at 2.45, 33rd in ERA at 3.49 and 10th in WHIP at 1.2 - all of which led the Horizon League. Jesse Scholtens finished the season 18th in wins (10), 70th in strikeouts (95) and 51st in walks allowed per nine innings. The 2015 season ended with the Raiders leading the league in almost every pitching category including ERA (3.54), strikeouts per nine innings (7.2), hits allowed per nine innings (8.84), shutouts (4) and WHIP (1.33). Luke Mamer was 19th nationally for fewest walks allowed per nine innings (1.19), while Elliot came out of the bullpen to record 11 saves.
The Raiders ranked in the top 100 in hits allowed per nine innings (8.64) and shutouts (4) in 2014, while Elliot posted 13 saves - good for 19th nationally. In 2013, the Raiders averaged 7.5 strikeouts and 8.98 hits per game to rank 46th and 99th, respectively.
During his days on staff at Wright State, Parker guided Scholtens to a ninth-round selection by the San Diego Padres in 2016. Fellow Raider Robby Sexton was also tabbed in the 14th round by the Boston Red Sox in the same draft. His first player ever drafted was Andrew Elliott in the 30th round of the 2015 Draft to the Baltimore Orioles.
Following a professional career, Parker returned to coach his alma mater in 2011.
On-Field Success
Parker was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 43rd round of the 2005 MLB June Amateur Draft from Fort Wayne High School (Fort Wayne, Indiana) but opted to play for Wright State University. He was drafted again, this time by the Arizona Diamondbacks, in the sixth round of the 2008 MLB June Amateur Draft, where he spent three years playing for the Diamondbacks minor league affiliates. As a player at Wright State, Parker earned first-team Horizon League selections in 2007 and 2008, Second Team ABCA All-Region in 2007, and was an ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District recipient in 2008.
Personal
Parker graduated from Wright State with a bachelor's degree in organizational leadership in 2012. He is married to his wife, Angela, and is the brother of former MLB pitcher Jarrod Parker. Justin and Angela have one son, Cameron.
Jake Gautreau
Assistant Baseball Coach
Jake Gautreau enters his seventh season on the Mississippi State baseball coaching staff, serving as the recruiting coordinator, hitting, and infield coach.
Gautreau's passion for the game has enabled him to succeed at every level: high school, college, professional, and coaching. The 2019 National Assistant Coach of the Year has an unmatched passion for teaching the game and building relationships that reach far beyond the locker room.
On top of his National Assistant Coach of the Year honor from D1Baseball in 2019, the McAllen, Texas, native led all Texas high schoolers in home runs as a prep junior, earned All-America honors each of his three seasons at Tulane before the San Diego Padres took him with the 14th overall pick in the first round of the 2001 Major League Baseball Draft. As a professional, he rated as a top-10 prospect in the San Diego Padre's organization before transitioning into coaching in 2009 and earning Perfect Game's 'Assistant Ready to Lead' distinction in 2013.
The Conference USA Hall of Famer began his coaching career at his alma mater, Tulane, and he spent five years as an assistant coach before serving as interim head coach during the second half of the 2014 season – his final year at Tulane. Following his stint with the Green Wave, Gautreau spent three years as Certified Player Agent for the Boras Corporation. During his time with the Boras Corporation, he identified and evaluated talent and recruited premier amateur baseball players from across the country, along with helping them prepare for the MLB Draft.
Recruiting and Development
Gautreau has left his mark on both the recruiting and coaching side of the program as he has signed five straight nationally ranked classes, advanced to the College World Series in 2018 and 2019, including leading State to the 2021 National Championship, and helped the Bulldog offense rank among the national leaders annually.
Gautreau's impact was immediately felt in Starkville, as the Bulldogs landed a top-5 class for the 2018 recruiting cycle and owned a top-10 class in 2019-20. He helped secure a top-25 class according to each of the four major recruiting services for the 2018 cycle, while his 2019 recruiting class was ranked as high as No. 5 by D1Baseball and was a consensus top-15 class. The only staff member retained by head coach Chris Lemonis upon his arrival in Starkville in 2018, Gautreau helped the Bulldogs keep first-round draft pick JT Ginn away from the Los Angeles Dodgers.
He has recruited or tutored seven All-Americans and ten Freshman All-Americans. In his five seasons at State, Gautreau has seen Tanner Allen, Justin Foscue, Jake Mangum, and RJ Yeager all earn All-America honors, while Allen and Hunter Hines, and Rowdey Jordan have touted Freshman All-America honors. He also recruited a trio of Freshman All-American pitchers, including back-to-back National Freshman of the Year winners JT Ginn (2019) and Christian MacLeod (2020).
Gautreau has also seen seven of his pupils earn first-team All-Southeastern Conference, including Mangum, during each of his last five seasons on campus. Yeager earned all-conference honors in 2022, while Allen, Foscue, and Mangum all grabbed top all-conference honors in 2019, with Mangum leading the SEC and the NCAA in hits (108). Allen (7) and Foscue (14) each elevated their homerun totals, posted 90-plus hits, and drove in 60-plus runs each during their sophomore seasons.
After seeing seven Bulldogs drafted in his first year on staff, a school-record-tying 11 Mississippi State student-athletes heard their names called in the MLB Draft, a total that ranked No. 3 nationally. The 2020 MLB Draft saw two of Gautreau's understudies selected in the first round. The duo of Justin Foscue and Jordan Westburg – both undrafted out of high school – were taken with the No. 14 (Texas) and No. 30 (Baltimore) overall picks to mark the second time in program history MSU had two student-athletes drafted in the first round (1985; Clark & Palmeiro).
His final recruiting class at Tulane was tabbed the No. 4 class in the country by Perfect Game for the 2013 cycle, while he has garnered five top-25 classes in his time at State.
In nine years as a collegiate coach, Gautreau has seen 37 of his pupils taken in the Major League Baseball Draft, and a total of 29 have inked professional contracts. In 2010, he mentored Rob Segedin and helped turn him into a third-round pick of the New York Yankees, and he eventually reached the big leagues with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Mississippi State
Gautreau has been a part of three (2018, 2019 & 2021) College World Series appearances during his time at Mississippi State and helped the team to the 2021 College World Series Championship.
Under the coaching of Gautreau, sophomore Hunter Hines etched his name into the State record book. Hines became the first Dawg since Brent Rooker in 2017 to hit 20 or more homers in a season. Hines hit 22 on the season, the sixth most in program history for a single season. As a team, the Dawgs hit 91 homers, the fourth most in a single season, as they had two players with 12 or more, and 11 players hit a bomb on the season. Freshman Ross Highfill became the first player since Rooker in 2017 to hit three home runs in a single game when he accomplished the feat against Lipscomb on March 11.
The 2022 season saw the Dawgs rank 26th in the nation in home runs by hitting 95 as they had four players hit 14 or more home runs on the season, while 12 players on the team hit a bomb on the season. The 95 home runs on the season are the third most in a single season in school history. Infielder RJ Yeager led the team in hitting (.317), home runs (18), doubles (15), and RBIs (56) en route to First Team All-SEC honors, as well as earning three All-American Teams (ABCA, NCBWA, and Collegiate Baseball Newspaper).
Leading the offensive attack that led the Dawgs to the first-ever National Championship. He guided Tanner Allen to a breakout season. Allen hit .383 on the season with 19 doubles, 11 home runs, and 66 RBI as he was named Southeastern Conference Player of the Year. Allen was a unanimous First-Team All-American selection following the season. Allen's 100-hit campaign in 2021 was only the 7th time a Diamond Dawg collected 100 or more hits in a season, and it was the third time since Gautreau has been at MSU. The 50 wins during the 2021 season was only the sixth time in program history with 50 or more wins.
The 2020 season saw only 16 games played before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the college baseball season; however, Gautreau had five hitters boasting .300 batting averages or better. Of those five, freshman Kamren James ranked among the top rookies in the SEC in six offensive categories and was one of only seven SEC freshmen to end the season with a .300 average.
The duo of Justin Foscue and Jordan Westburg were each drafted in the first round of the MLB Draft, while JT Ginn was picked in the second round by the New York Mets. Mississippi State's three picks in the first two rounds of the draft tied for the most over the first 60 picks in the 2020 draft.
Gautreau has tutored the SEC's hits leader during the 2018 and 2019 seasons, as Jake Mangum posted the first back-to-back 100-hit seasons in MSU history and just the fourth occurrence in SEC history. In the process, Mangum ended his career as the SEC's all-time hits leader and finished No. 4 on the NCAA's career list with 383 hits over his four seasons. He piled up 209 hits over his last two seasons, including a school single-season record of 108 in 2019.
He helped the freshmen tandem of infielder Tanner Allen and outfielder Rowdey Jordan earn Freshman All-America honors at the conclusion of 2018. Allen, who also earned a spot on the SEC All-Freshman Team, started all 68 contests during his rookie season and hit .287 with 28 extra-base hits and ranked No. 2 on the team with 45 RBIs. Jordan hit .321 during his freshman campaign, starting 51 contests and ranking No. 2 on the team with seven home runs.
In 2019, Gautreau saw his offensive unit rank among the top five nationally in four different offensive categories. The 2019 squad piled up a nation's-leading 166 doubles – the first MSU team to lead the country in an offensive category in program history – and also ranked among the top five in hits (2nd; 755), runs scored (4th; 530) and batting average (5th; .315). The doubles total also ranks No. 4 all-time in SEC history.
In 2018, Gautreau's impact was immediately apparent as a recruiter and in his approach to coaching. After a slow start at the plate, State raised its batting average by nearly 20 points over the season's final two months, leading the way in a dramatic run to the program's 10th trip to Omaha.
MSU hit just .271 from February to April and scored 5.1 runs per game. Beginning in May, the offense saw a jump in production, hitting .289 during that stretch and scoring 7.7 runs per contest. The uptick in offensive production also saw the offense produce RBIs on a much higher level, jumping from 4.6 to 6.9 runs batted in per game while cutting down the strikeout number by 1.5 per game.
Tulane
In five seasons at his alma mater, Gautreau helped Tulane rebuild the foundation that he helped establish as a student-athlete on the Uptown campus. He led the recruiting efforts that landed the No. 4 national class during this final recruiting cycle with the program and also served as the interim head coach in 2014.
His recruiting prowess was on display as Perfect Game tabbed the 2013 signing class the No. 4 class, and for good reason, as it included three Baseball America Top-500 prospects in shortstop Stephen Alemais, catcher Jake Rogers and right-handed pitcher J.P. France. France spent his graduate transfer season at Mississippi State in 2018 and was a 14th-round pick by the Houston Astros in the 2018 MLB Draft. Alemais and Rogers were selected in the third round of the 2016 Draft, and Rogers made his MLB debut in July 2019.
From 2010-14, he tutored some of the finest hitters to come through Tulane. In 2010, Rob Segedin boasted a .434 batting average to rank second all-time on the program's single-season charts, becoming just the fifth player in school history to top the .400 mark for a season. Along with Segedin (2010), three others joined him as being picked in the MLB Draft: Garrett Cannizaro (2013), Brennan Middleton (2013), and Jeremy Schaffer (2012).
On-Field Success
His nine-year career in professional baseball saw him spend time with the San Diego Padres, Cleveland Indians, and New York Mets organizations. Gautreau reached as high as Triple-A during his professional career after being drafted with the No. 14 overall pick of the 2001 Major League Baseball Draft. During his time in professional baseball, Gautreau moved from third base to second base and was named the No. 3 second base prospect in baseball by Baseball America.
During his collegiate career, Gautreau helped Tulane to 142 victories in three seasons and the program's first College World Series berth in 2001. In his junior season, he featured a .355 batting average, 44 extra-base hits, and an NCAA-leading 96 RBIs. He was a Golden Spikes Award finalist and a first-team All-America selection as a junior. A two-time Conference USA Player of the Year, Gautreau was named the Conference USA Player of the Decade (1990-2000) in 2005 and was elected to the Conference USA Hall of Fame as a part of the initial induction class in 2019. One of the most decorated players in the history of Tulane baseball, Gautreau was inducted into the Tulane Athletic Hall of Fame in 2007.
Gautreau earned seven All-America honors during his time at Tulane, garnering second-team All-America as a sophomore and third-team laurels as a freshman. He was also a first-team Freshman All-American during the 1999 season. Gautreau finished his collegiate career with a .344 average with 58 home runs, 103 walks, 200 runs scored, 233 RBIs, and 275 hits in three collegiate seasons.
He was also a member of the 2000 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team. Gautreau hit .348 (32-for-92) with seven doubles and four home runs to go with 20 RBI and a .576 slugging percentage. His time with Team USA also included the 2000 XXI Haarlem Baseball Week title, where he earned MVP honors in helping the Red, White, and Blue to a 6-0 record. That summer, the Collegiate National Team posted a 27-3-1 record.
Personal
Gautreau and his wife, the former Erin Dobyanski, have two sons, William and Weston. Erin was a four-year letter winner for Tulane's women's volleyball program. The McAllen, Texas, native earned his Bachelor of Arts in media arts from Tulane in 2011.
Kyle Cheesebrough
Baseball Camps Coordinator/Assistant Coach
In his sixth season as an assistant coach and camps coordinator, Kyle Cheesebrough works alongside Mississippi State head coach Chris Lemonis for the thirteenth straight season in 2024.
In his 14-year career as a college assistant coach, Cheesebrough has used his experience to fill a unique role on each staff. The former college backstop has been tasked with coaching his program’s catchers while working with the hitters.
Cheesebrough helped Mississippi State to the College World Series in 2019 and the 2021 national title after spending four years at Indiana University (2015-18), three at the University of Louisville (2012-14), and one year with the University of Pittsburgh (2011). He also spent one season as an undergraduate assistant at Louisville in 2010 while finishing his degree.
As a coach, Cheesebrough has been a part of eight NCAA Tournament teams and made four trips to the College World Series. Along with helping MSU reach Omaha in his first season on staff, Cheesebrough was a part of back-to-back College World Series squads at Louisville. He also made a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances as a student-athlete at U of L, reaching the 2009 Fullerton Super Regional.
Recruiting and Development
Overall, 11 student-athletes Cheesebrough has recruited or coached have earned All-American honors, while eight others have garnered Freshman All-America status. He has worked with 63 all-conference selections during his time as a coach, which includes the trio of Tanner Allen, Justin Foscue, and Jake Mangum, who each earned first-team All-SEC during the 2019 season.
Cheesebrough had a hand in 21 draft picks during the 2019 Major League Baseball First Year Player Draft, as a school-record-tying 11 Mississippi State student-athletes and program-record 10 Indiana student-athletes were selected in the draft. The MSU total ranked No. 3 nationally, while the IU total was tied for No. 5 among NCAA Division I programs. Diamond Dawg catcher Dustin Skelton was picked in the 18th round by the Miami Marlins after posting career highs in every offensive category and throwing out 20 potential base stealers.
In 14 years as a collegiate coach, Cheesebrough has heard 59 of his pupils' names called in the Major League Baseball Draft, with 14 reaching the big leagues. In his first coaching stop at Pittsburgh, both Kevan Smith and Ray Black were selected in the seventh round and have each reached the Major Leagues, while Matt Wotherspoon was drafted in the 34th round and reached the Major Leagues. Eight more big leaguers came during his time at Louisville, including Nick Burdi, Cody Ege, Adam Engel, Chad Green, Matt Koch, Kyle McGrath, Will Smith, Nick Solak, and Tim Herrin from Indiana.
Mississippi State
With leading the catchers and working with the hitters, Cheesebrough helped guide the Diamond Dawgs to the fourth most homers in program history during the 2023 season when they hit 91. Catcher Ross Highfill became the first player since Brent Rooker in 2017 to hit three home runs in a single game on March 11 against Lipscomb.
In 2022 Cheesebrough mentored Logan Tanner to become a second round MLB Draft Pick in 2022. With Tanner being selected in the second-round with pick 55, he became the highest-drafted catcher out of Mississippi State. Behind the coaching of Chessebrough, Tanner became a second-team All-SEC selection and an SEC All-Defensive Team honoree.
Helping guide the Diamond Dawgs to its sixth season with 50 or more wins and the program's first National Championship, Cheesebrough guided Logan Tanner to First Team All-Southeastern Conference honors, along with being named to the SEC Newcomer Team. Tanner finished third on the team with a .287 batting average a led the team with 15 home runs. Following the College World Series, Tanner was named to the All-Tournament Team after seeing him hit .308 and drive in six runs in the College World Series.
While the 2020 season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Diamond Dawgs saw a pair of hitters drafted in the first round. Justin Foscue was taken by the Texas Rangers with the 14th overall pick, while Jordan Westburg was the 30th overall selection by the Baltimore Orioles. Add in second-rounder JT Ginn to the New York Mets, and MSU tied for the most picks nationally in the first two rounds of the draft
In his initial season at Mississippi State, Cheesebrough tutored Dustin Skelton to a career year that saw the backstop drafted in the 18th round of the MLB Draft after setting career marks in every major offensive category. Skelton was tabbed second-team All-South Region by the American Baseball Coaches Association after hitting .314 with ten home runs and 55 RBIs.
His catching corps threw out an SEC-best 29 potential base stealers in 2019, including 20 by Skelton. The 20 base runners caught stealing ranked No. 2 in the conference, were sixth among Power 5 catchers and were more than any Pac-12 team threw out in 2019.
The 2019 campaign saw Cheesebrough help the Dawgs offense reach new heights, as the squad piled up a nation’s-leading 166 doubles – the first MSU team to lead the country in an offensive category in program history – and also ranked among the top five in hits (2nd; 755), runs scored (4th; 530) and batting average (5th; .315). The doubles total also ranks No. 4 all-time in SEC history.
Indiana
During his time at Indiana, Cheesebrough served as the programs hitting and catching coach. He was also the program’s recruiting coordinator and helped the Hoosiers land three top-35 classes in four seasons. Overall, 12 Hoosier hitters earned All-Big Ten honors during his time in Bloomington and eight garnered Big Ten All-Freshman Team laurels.
In 2018, Cheesebrough helped infielder Matt Gorski and utility player Matt Lloyd earn first-team All-Big Ten, while rookie infielder Drew Ashley brought home all-freshman team honors after hitting .365 in Big Ten play. Catcher Ryan Fineman tied for the Big Ten lead with 21 runners caught stealing during the 2018 campaign, while the 30 stolen bases against were the fourth fewest among every day starting catchers in the conference. As a team, IU compile a 40-19 record and earn an at-large berth as the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Austin Regional. The Hoosiers led the Big Ten in slugging percentage (.448), home runs (68) and total bases (905), finished second in batting average (.284) and third in runs scored (360). That season, Indiana was ranked by at least one of the major publications for 15 of the 16 weeks of the regular season, including nine-straight weeks in the top 15 on its way to just the eighth 40-win season in program history.
Indiana found itself in the NCAA Tournament field again in 2017, finishing with 34 victories and finished just two games out of first place in the conference. Four newcomers earned all-conference honors as Matt Lloyd was named second team All-Big Ten, while Matt Gorski (first base), Jeremy Houston (shortstop) and Cal Krueger (starting pitcher) each earned Freshman All-Big Ten laurels.
Cheesebrough helped lure a nationally ranked class for the 2016 season, with many of those recruits playing a key role on the field. Scotty Bradley, Ryan Fineman and Luke Miller each earned spots on the Freshman All-Big Ten team, with Miller also honored as a freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball. He tutored Fineman, who started 50 of Indiana’s 56 games at catcher and had just 23 stolen bases against, which was third fewest in the conference.
In his first season with the Hoosiers, the program reached its third-straight NCAA Regional and owned a 12-5 vs. ranked opponents, including five top-15 wins. Cheesebrough helped guide a Hoosier offense that ranked in the top five in the Big Ten in eight statistical categories. Working with the team’s catchers, he tutored Brad Hartong, who led the Big Ten in runners caught stealing (21), while hitting .303 with 70 hits and 13 doubles. Hartong was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 2015 MLB Draft.
Louisville
Cheesebrough returned to Louisville prior to 2012 and helped Louisville notch back-to-back College World Series appearances in 2013 and 2014. The Cardinals reached the NCAA Tournament during each of his three seasons on staff, winning 142 games during that stretch.
In each of his three seasons on the Louisville coaching staff, Cheesebrough worked with the Cardinals’ catchers, including Kyle Gibson, who was named to the 2012 NCAA Tucson Regional All-Tournament Team after hitting .417 with two doubles in four games. While at Louisville, Cheesebrough worked with Will Smith, and helped the future Major League player became a catcher.
Overall, 18 student-athletes were drafted during Cheesebrough’s time on the Louisville staff, with seven of his pupils reaching the major league level. Six Cardinals claimed All-America honors, three grabbed Freshman All-America honors and 27 were tabbed all-conference, including American Athletic Conference Player of the Year Jeff Gardner.
Pittsburgh
In his one season at Pittsburgh in 2011, Cheesebrough worked with catcher Kevan Smith, who earned first-team All-BIG EAST honors while hitting .397 with 11 home runs and 56 RBI. Smith, who was also a quarterback for the football team, became the second Panther in program history with 80 hits, 50 RBIs and ten home runs in the same season, and he was taken by the Chicago White Sox in the seventh round of the MLB Draft
After winning the seventh-most games in program history in 2011, a program-record six student-athletes were taken in the MLB Draft. Ray Black joined Smith as a seventh-round selection to give the 2011 team a school-record-tying two picks in the first ten rounds of the draft.
Personal
As a two-year letter winner at Louisville, Cheesebrough helped the Cardinals advance to NCAA Regionals in two straight seasons, including an appearance in the 2009 NCAA Super Regional. Louisville won back-to-back BIG EAST Tournament titles and claimed the 2009 BIG EAST regular season title during his time on campus.
Cheesebrough is married to the former Brittany Collins and the two have two daughters. The Rowlett, Texas, native owns a Bachelor of Science in education from the University of Louisville.