WJU Baseball adds experience and leadership to staff

WJU looks to deliver nationally competitive program

Rocklin, Calif. – William Jessup head baseball coach Jake McKinley is pleased to introduce the new coaching staff for the Warriors, bringing years of experience and leadership to the program.

“It’s essential that a college coaching staff offers legitimate substance and training environments to ensure world class development of players and people. This staff has a special blend of knowledge, magnetic personalities, and genuine care for the people around them. Under their leadership, I believe we will develop into a nationally competitive program that produces exceptional professionals both on and off the field,” said McKinley.

Trevor Paine | Assistant Coach

After spending last season with Coach McKinley at Menlo College, Trevor Paine joins the Warriors as the top assistant to fill the role of hitting coach. This will be Paine’s fourth season coaching collegiate baseball, previously with the Oaks and spending a pair of seasons at Southwest Minnesota State University as the hitting coach as well.

Paine played his collegiate career at Sacramento State, where in his final two seasons he was coached under McKinley. In those first two seasons, he spent his time on the pitching staff but later transitioned to a position player. In his first season on the field, he earning First-Team All-WAC honors for his display at the plate batting .381 with 10 home runs and 44 runs batted in. In his final season with the Hornets, Paine hit a .308 and had a .997 fielding percentage between both first base and left field.

“Trevor is one of the best young hitting coaches in baseball, regardless of level,” McKinley stated. “He is one of the most knowledgeable baseball coaches I know and is extremely socially intelligent. The training environments he creates are open minded, fun, and come from a place of thoroughly executed research. Our players will love working with him and will inevitably progress under his leadership.”

Tai Mitchell | Assistant Coach

A Santa Clara native, Tai Mitchell joins the Warriors after spending the past year also with McKinley at Menlo College. Mitchell will serve as an assistant coach working with the catchers and infielders, as well as coach third base coach during games.

Beginning his collegiate career, Mitchell played two years at De Anza College in Cupertino (2005-2007) where he earned Male Scholar of the Year honors before transferring to Kansas University to catch for the Jayhawks. Mitchell graduated from Kansas University earning his degree in Sports Science and returned to De Anza College to begin his official coaching stint as an assistant for the 2010 and 2011 season.

Mitchell returned to Kansas University from 2011-2013 to pursue his master’s degree in Sports Science and served as a graduate manager for the baseball program for the 2012 and 2013 season. He continued with the Jayhawks post graduation and served as the Director of Baseball Operations in 2014. In the summer of 2014, Mitchell was the head coach for the Chillicothe Mudcats of the MINK Summer Collegiate where he continued for three summers. During this time Tai also accepted an assistant baseball coach position for Fort Scott Community College for the 2015 and 2016 seasons before joining McKinley at Menlo College in 2016.

“Tai has one of the brightest baseball minds I’ve ever been around. His attention to detail in recruiting, advanced scouting, and player development make him an irreplaceable assistant coach,” said McKinley. “He approaches his work with careful diligence and tireless ethics, making him a more than welcomed addition to the staff.”

Kelly McGhee | Assistant Coach

Joining the Warriors on the pitching staff is Kelly McGhee, who will also be overseeing strength and conditioning. McGhee is a longtime colleague of McKinley with experience in many areas to help improve the Jessup baseball program.

A longtime local, McGhee attended American River College before transferring to San Francisco State earning his bachelors in in physical education while playing baseball and earning all Far-Western Conference first team honors in Gator uniform. His coaching resume branches over all levels with time spent at Jesuit, Oak Ridge, and Granite Bay High School, while also having served a pair of stints at Sacramento State as the assistant coach and later director of player development. While coaching, McGhee has also been the baseball coordinator at Results Physical Therapy and Training Center since 2008.

“I’ve known Kelly for several years and have always found him to be one of the most advanced thinkers on player development,” McKinley said, “especially in the world of rehabilitation, arm care, and strength/conditioning. Countless professional pitchers seek his help in their off-seasons because of his track record of reliability and malleability. His interest is strictly in the athlete and their advancement, making Kelly a very easy hire to our staff.” 

Beau Moorehead | Assistant Coach

Continuing with the program is pitching coach Beau Moorehead who is entering his third season for the Warriors.Previous to Jessup Moorehead served as pitching coach at San Francisco State for seven years.

While at SF State, Moorehead helped the program progress from two conference wins to 17 victories this past season. Under his tutelage, SF State’s ERA dropped by an average of three runs per game. Moorehead developed three all-conference pitchers, two of whom hold school records, and one rated second in the nation in Division II for strikeouts in a season. As Academic Coordinator for the baseball program, Moorehead led efforts to raise the team’s GPA to the highest of all the male sports in the department and helped produce twenty-two student-athletes earning all-academic honors.

Prior to starting his coaching career, Moorehead was a starting pitcher at SF State for two seasons. While attending SF State he received his Bachelor’s Degree with honors in History. Prior to attending SF State Moorehead played baseball at  Merced College for two seasons while obtaining an AA Degree in General Studies.

“Beau has been instrumental in the progression the program has made and will continue to have a huge impact on our advancement both on and off the field,” said McKinley. “I have seen him out recruiting over the years and have always found him to be a true professional that has an exceptional work ethic. I’m really excited to partner with Beau in the daily improvement we will strive for.”

Jordan Getzelman | Volunteer Assistant Coach

Most recently named GSAC Player of the Year and a nationally recognized All-American, Jordan Getzelman joins the coaching lineup after playing last season for Coach McKinley at Menlo College.

In his junior season for the Oaks the Crystal Lake, Ill. native led the conference and was second in the nation with 26 home runs. He drove in 60 runs, hit .333 with a .818 slugging percentage and led the team in stolen bases with 16. Getzelman started his collegiate career at the University of Missouri before transferring to Iowa Western, and the settling at Menlo College as an elite outfielder.

“Jordan is one of the most dynamic players I have ever coached. Not only did he possess professional tools, but he was one of the best teammates I’ve been around,”  McKinley reflected. “He offers an extraordinarily high baseball IQ, while also approaching the game with a servant’s heart. I’m confident he will be a tremendous asset to our team this year, and his future in coaching is extremely bright.”