Brent Shade - Baseball Coach - Mercer University Athletics

Photo by: Tim Casey & Allison Curry

Brent Shade

Title:
Associate Head Coach/Recruiting Coordinator
Email:
shade_bj@mercer.edu
Phone:
(478) 301-5210

12 seasons at Mercer (Hired in June 2008)
Education: Defiance College (2001) & Heidelberg University (2004)

Dedication and passion define Brent Shade, who completed his 11th season as pitching coach and seventh season as associate head coach for the Mercer University baseball program in 2019. He has also served as Mercer’s recruiting coordinator for 10 of his 11 years on staff.

Since being introduced as the program’s pitching coach in June of 2008 by Mercer head coach Craig Gibson, Shade has established a model of consistency on the mound and on the recruiting trails. His recruiting efforts have earned Mercer’s classes high praise in the competitive southeast region, including the 2013 class (four MLB Draft selections including 2016 Golden Spikes Award winner Kyle Lewis), which Baseball America ranked the No. 13 class in its revisited rankings in 2017.

“Brent will not only add to our program on the field, but he also has a firm grasp of our academic standards and environment,” Gibson said at the time of Shade’s hire in 2008. “He understands the academic profile of our student-athletes and the importance we place in that realm. We are excited about the future of our pitching staff in Brent’s hands.”

The Bears’ consistency over the last 11 years has rivaled some of the nation’s best; Mercer is one of four NCAA Division I programs with at least 35 wins in each of the last ten years, joining Florida State, LSU and Vanderbilt.

In Shade’s 12th season, which was shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bears went 13-3 on the season. The Bears pitching staff led the Southern Conference in ERA (2.69). They finished second in strikeouts with 152 and allowed the second-fewest walks (44) in 147.1 innings. Sophomore Jackson Kelley was named the SoCon Breakout Pitcher of the Year by D1 Baseball. Kelley held an ERA of 0.70 on the season in 25.2 innings pitched. Senior Tanner Hall and Kelley earned D1 Baseball honors for being one of the top pitchers in their class for 2020.

During the 2019 season, the Bears pitching staff led the Bears to a 35-29 overall record. Behind a strong pitching staff, Mercer won five straight to claim the Southern Conference Tournament title and to the Bears fourth NCAA Regional Appearance. Mercer finished the season with six shutouts, which led the SoCon and was 11^th best in the nation. They had the 26^th best strikeout to walk ratio (2.59) in the nation. The Bears recorded 533 strikeouts on the year. Two Bears pitchers were selected in the 2019 MLB Draft including Sawyer Gipson-Long (sixth round, Minnesota) and Kevin Coulter (33^rd round, Cleveland). Gipson-Long was the 179th overall pick in the draft, making him the sixth-highest selection in program history.

The 2018 campaign was no exception, as Mercer's talent-loaded pitching staff led the way to a 38-22 overall record and an appearance in the Southern Conference Tournament title game for a third time in four years. Mercer set a SoCon record with 633 strikeouts thrown and led the nation in strikeouts per nine innings (10.9). Three Bears pitchers were selected in the 2018 MLB Draft, including juniors Austin Cox (fifth round, Kansas City) & Robert Broom (10th round, Cleveland), who became the first teammates in program history to be selected in the first 10 rounds of the same draft. Senior Christian Vann was also taken by the Washington Nationals in the 25th round.

Broom earned All-America honors (third team) from Baseball America in 2018 as well while the Mercer pitching staff posted a 4.77 overall ERA and a 4.33 ERA in conference play.

The 2017 season saw the Bears go 39-17 en route to their third consecutive Southern Conference regular season title. Shade’s pitching staff played a pivotal role in the 39 wins as it recorded a then-program-record 522 strikeouts and ranked 17th nationally with 9.2 strikeouts per nine innings. Friday starter Ryan Askew ranked fourth nationally with 0.97 walks per nine innings and was selected in the 29th round of the MLB Draft by the Tampa Bay Rays. Reliever Robert Broom earned All-SoCon First Team honors and freshman right-hander Zach Graveno was named a Freshman All-American.

Mercer’s first two years (2015, 2016) in the SoCon saw Shade and the Bears’ pitching staff thrive despite facing different challenges. An inexperienced pitching staff in 2016 (lost 75 percent of its innings pitched from the 2015 team) led the conference in ERA (4.82) while issuing the league’s fewest walks (86), hits (225) and runs allowed (126). A talented staff in 2015 paved the way to Mercer’s third NCAA Tournament appearance and the SoCon regular season and tournament titles. The Bears led the SoCon in ERA, walks allowed per nine innings and WHIP behind the arms of All-SoCon First Team starter Eric Nyquist and All-SoCon Second Team reliever Morgan Pittman. Mercer’s pitching staff allowed just eight earned runs during the teams’ 4-0 breeze through the 2015 SoCon Tournament and carried the momentum into the NCAA Tallahassee Regional, where they limited No. 10 Florida State and third-seeded Auburn to six runs in 19 innings of action.

With a philosophy centered on pounding the strike zone, Shade’s pitching staff ranked third nationally with 2.08 walks allowed per nine innings and fifth nationally with a 3.27-to-1.0 strikeout-to-walk ratio during the 2014 season. The Bears held opposing lineups to five runs or less 43 times in their final ASUN campaign and went 36-7 in such contests. Three pitchers took home ASUN postseason honors under Shade’s watch in 2014.

The 2013 season saw Mercer reach new heights as it achieved its highest national ranking in program history, its first ASUN Conference regular season title and its second NCAA Tournament appearance via an at-large bid. Shade’s pitching staff was key to Mercer going 43-18 overall, marking its most wins in a single season. The Bears posted a 4.15 ERA and led the ASUN with 477 strikeouts. One of Shade’s earliest recruits at Mercer, David Teasley, broke the NCAA record for most relief appearances in a career (152) during the 2013 campaign as well.

Shade once again proved his ability to work with a young staff in 2012 as the Bears set a program record for team ERA (3.32) and recorded 448 strikeouts despite having six freshman pitchers throw 19 innings or more. A core group of veteran pitchers took another big step under Shade in 2011 when it established itself as one of the top staffs in the ASUN and among mid-major programs nationally. Mercer led the ASUN in ERA (3.58) and ranked second in strikeouts (452), both of which ranked among the top-52 nationally. The 3.58 ERA was the fourth-lowest figure in program history.

After a difficult first season in 2009 (Mercer ranked seventh in ASUN with 6.39 ERA), Shade utilized a young, yet talented, group of hurlers in 2010 on the way to the ASUN Conference Tournament title. Mercer posted its lowest team ERA (5.76) since 2007 and allowed 12 runs through the entire tournament run, the fewest by an ASUN Tournament champion since 2004.

Shade came to Mercer after four years (2005-08) as Furman’s pitching coach and recruiting coordinator. He helped guide the Paladins to a school-record 33 wins in 2008 and top the 30-win plateau three times while mentoring two MLB Draft selections; Jay Jackson (9th round, Chicago Cubs, 2008) and Matt Klinker (15th round, Cincinnati, 2007). Furman’s pitching staff issued the fewest walks of any Southern Conference team in each of Shade’s four years with the Paladins.

He played an integral role in Furman’s 2005 NCAA Tournament run and NCAA Tournament campaign, which included victories over College World Series participant Tennessee and a pair of victories over in-state foe South Carolina (Furman’s first regular-season sweep of the Gamecocks since 1953).

Prior to his four-year stint at Furman, Shade served as Heidelberg College’s (Ohio) pitching coach for two seasons (2003-04), helping the Student Princes to a 64-26 overall record, 2003 Ohio Athletic Conference regular season crown and 2004 OAC Tournament title. The 2004 squad also made the school’s first appearance in the NCAA Division III Tournament.

Shade played at Missouri Valley College and lettered three seasons (1997-2000) as a starting pitcher. He transferred to Defiance College (Ohio), where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business management in 2001. He earned his master’s degree in business administration from Heidelberg in 2004.

A native of Toledo, Ohio, Shade married the former Whitney Harden on Aug. 18, 2012 in her hometown of Thomasville, Ga. They have two sons, Braxton and Blake.

Brent Shade’s Career Breakdown

Year	School	Record (Conf.)	Postseason Appearance
2020	Mercer	13-3 (0-0)	*Season cut short because of COVID-19
2019	Mercer	35-29 (14-10)	SoCon Tournament Champions; NCAA Athens Regional
2018	Mercer	38-22 (11-13)	SoCon Tournament appearance
2017	Mercer	39-17 (17-6)	SoCon Regular Season Champion; SoCon Tournament appearance
2016	Mercer	38-23 (16-8)	SoCon Regular Season Champion; Tournament Runner-Up
2015	Mercer	35-23 (16-7)	SoCon Regular Season/Tournament Champion; NCAA Tallahassee Regional
2014	Mercer	38-17 (18-9)	ASUN Tournament appearance
2013	Mercer	43-18 (20-7)	ASUN Regular Season/Tournament Champion; NCAA Starkville Regional
2012	Mercer	38-21 (15-12)	ASUN Tournament appearance
2011	Mercer	39-20 (17-12)	ASUN Tournament appearance
2010	Mercer	38-24 (16-11)	ASUN Tournament Champion; NCAA Atlanta Regional
2009	Mercer	23-23 (12-15)	ASUN Tournament appearance
2008	Furman	33-24 (17-10)	SoCon Tournament appearance
2007	Furman	19-36 (11-16)	SoCon Tournament appearance
2006	Furman	32-23 (16-11)	SoCon Tournament appearance
2005	Furman	30-29 (13-16)	SoCon Tournament Champion; NCAA Atlanta Regional
2004	Heidelberg	32-12 (15-3)	OAC Tournament Champion; NCAA D-III Tournament
2003	Heidelberg	32-14-1 (12-6)	OAC Regular Season Champion; OAC Tournament appearance