Baseball
Gordon, Tanner
Tanner Gordon
- Title:
- Pitching Coach
- Alma Mater:
- Southern New Hampshire, 2014
- Email:
- gordon_t@mercer.edu
A seasoned pitching coach with previous stops at five other collegiate institutions, as well as a brief stint as a volunteer assistant coach in Macon, Tanner Gordon begins his second season as a full-time assistant coach for the Bears in 2025. Gordon joined the MU coaching staff in August 2023.
Gordon made the move to Middle Georgia from VCU where he spent the 2023 campaign as the pitching coach for the Rams. He also has previous stints in similar roles at Murray State, Trevecca Nazarene, Middle Georgia State and Andrew College. He was a part of Mercer’s coaching staff as a volunteer assistant coach during a 35-win campaign in 2015.
In his first season as the Bears’ pitching coach in 2024, Gordon oversaw a pitching staff that included a first team all-conference selection and an MLB draft pick. Under Gordon’s tutelage, Colton Cosper blossomed into one of the top arms in the Southern Conference, as the left-hander finished among the conference’s leaders in innings pitched (93.0) and ERA (4.35) en route to All-SoCon First Team and SoCon All-Tournament Team nods. Another one of Gordon’s protégés, relief pitcher Bryant Olson, turned in a fine season that resulted in his selection in the 2024 MLB Draft. Olson posted eight saves in 2024, the most in the Southern Conference, and struck out 39 batters in 26-2/3 innings. The hard-throwing lefty was picked up by the Washington Nationals in the 13th round of the draft, becoming the 49th draft pick in program history.
Gordon helped pace VCU to 25 wins in 2023 as a part of the always-tough Atlantic 10 Conference, and mentored three pitchers to a quartet of league weekly awards, including right-hander Mason Delane who tossed just the seventh complete game shutout in the 51-season history of the program. Two bullpen arms – Campbell Ellis and Brendan Erka – also ranked among NCAA leaders in saves as well.
The Macon native pushed the Murray State pitching staff to new standards across four seasons (2019-22) in southwest Kentucky, including a pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign. The Racers compiled nearly 100 wins with Gordon’s tutelage, and boasted the Ohio Valley Conference’s third-best pitching staff – a conglomerate that limited opponents to a paltry .279 batting clip across 55 outings – in just his first season at MSU. Murray State registered an OVC-best 454 strikeouts across a 33-win season in 2021, and rallied behind a pair of all-conference pitchers in 2022 to post another 30-win campaign – the first back-to-back 30 win seasons for the program in nearly 50 years.
Trevecca Nazarene excelled with Gordon on board as well. The Trojans amassed 81 victories from 2016-18, while also capturing a pair of Great Midwest Athletic Conference regular season crowns. Gordon’s stay in Nashville saw TNU’s pitching staff collect eight all-conference accolades and a quartet of GMAC All-Freshman nods, as well as a myriad of conference weekly awards. The Trojans led the league in opponent batting average (.271) amid Gordon’s last season with the squad, while also boasting an GMAC-best 12 saves.
Gordon got his start in coaching at Andrew College in nearby Cuthbert as an assistant coach for the 2012 and 2013 seasons, and then stepped on to the staff at Middle Georgia State for the 2014 campaign. He mentored a trio of all-conference picks during his lone season in Cochran, while 14 of MGA’s 17 sophomores on that squad eventually inked with NCAA Division I squads. Gordon made the short commute to Macon for the 2015 campaign for a role as outfield coach and was a part of a squad that made a run to a 35-23 clip, as well as a spot in the NCAA Tallahassee Regional.
One of Gordon’s outfielder proteges that season, Kyle Lewis, was eventually drafted 11th overall by the Seattle Mariners and took home the 2020 American League Rookie of the Year crown. Lewis was also named the co-winner of the 2015 Gregg Olson Award which is bestowed annually on college baseball’s breakout player of the year.
Gordon’s collegiate career spanned a trio of institutions, including a freshman campaign at Gordon College in Barnesville and Andrew College in Cuthbert. He finished off his playing career with three seasons (2009-11) at Auburn Montgomery, while also playing one professional season in the Arizona Developmental Independent Baseball League.
Gordon earned his bachelor’s degree in general studies from Southern New Hampshire in 2014.
Updated: December 2024
Gordon made the move to Middle Georgia from VCU where he spent the 2023 campaign as the pitching coach for the Rams. He also has previous stints in similar roles at Murray State, Trevecca Nazarene, Middle Georgia State and Andrew College. He was a part of Mercer’s coaching staff as a volunteer assistant coach during a 35-win campaign in 2015.
In his first season as the Bears’ pitching coach in 2024, Gordon oversaw a pitching staff that included a first team all-conference selection and an MLB draft pick. Under Gordon’s tutelage, Colton Cosper blossomed into one of the top arms in the Southern Conference, as the left-hander finished among the conference’s leaders in innings pitched (93.0) and ERA (4.35) en route to All-SoCon First Team and SoCon All-Tournament Team nods. Another one of Gordon’s protégés, relief pitcher Bryant Olson, turned in a fine season that resulted in his selection in the 2024 MLB Draft. Olson posted eight saves in 2024, the most in the Southern Conference, and struck out 39 batters in 26-2/3 innings. The hard-throwing lefty was picked up by the Washington Nationals in the 13th round of the draft, becoming the 49th draft pick in program history.
Gordon helped pace VCU to 25 wins in 2023 as a part of the always-tough Atlantic 10 Conference, and mentored three pitchers to a quartet of league weekly awards, including right-hander Mason Delane who tossed just the seventh complete game shutout in the 51-season history of the program. Two bullpen arms – Campbell Ellis and Brendan Erka – also ranked among NCAA leaders in saves as well.
The Macon native pushed the Murray State pitching staff to new standards across four seasons (2019-22) in southwest Kentucky, including a pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign. The Racers compiled nearly 100 wins with Gordon’s tutelage, and boasted the Ohio Valley Conference’s third-best pitching staff – a conglomerate that limited opponents to a paltry .279 batting clip across 55 outings – in just his first season at MSU. Murray State registered an OVC-best 454 strikeouts across a 33-win season in 2021, and rallied behind a pair of all-conference pitchers in 2022 to post another 30-win campaign – the first back-to-back 30 win seasons for the program in nearly 50 years.
Trevecca Nazarene excelled with Gordon on board as well. The Trojans amassed 81 victories from 2016-18, while also capturing a pair of Great Midwest Athletic Conference regular season crowns. Gordon’s stay in Nashville saw TNU’s pitching staff collect eight all-conference accolades and a quartet of GMAC All-Freshman nods, as well as a myriad of conference weekly awards. The Trojans led the league in opponent batting average (.271) amid Gordon’s last season with the squad, while also boasting an GMAC-best 12 saves.
Gordon got his start in coaching at Andrew College in nearby Cuthbert as an assistant coach for the 2012 and 2013 seasons, and then stepped on to the staff at Middle Georgia State for the 2014 campaign. He mentored a trio of all-conference picks during his lone season in Cochran, while 14 of MGA’s 17 sophomores on that squad eventually inked with NCAA Division I squads. Gordon made the short commute to Macon for the 2015 campaign for a role as outfield coach and was a part of a squad that made a run to a 35-23 clip, as well as a spot in the NCAA Tallahassee Regional.
One of Gordon’s outfielder proteges that season, Kyle Lewis, was eventually drafted 11th overall by the Seattle Mariners and took home the 2020 American League Rookie of the Year crown. Lewis was also named the co-winner of the 2015 Gregg Olson Award which is bestowed annually on college baseball’s breakout player of the year.
Gordon’s collegiate career spanned a trio of institutions, including a freshman campaign at Gordon College in Barnesville and Andrew College in Cuthbert. He finished off his playing career with three seasons (2009-11) at Auburn Montgomery, while also playing one professional season in the Arizona Developmental Independent Baseball League.
Gordon earned his bachelor’s degree in general studies from Southern New Hampshire in 2014.
| THE GORDON FILE | |
| Coaching Experience | |
| 2012-13 | Andrew College (Assistant Coach) |
| 2014 | Middle Georgia (Volunteer Assistant Coach) |
| 2015 | Mercer (Volunteer Assistant Coach) |
| 2016-18 | Trevecca Nazarene (Assistant Coach) |
| 2019-22 | Murray State (Assistant Coach) |
| 2023 | VCU (Assistant Coach) |
| 2023-Present | Mercer (Assistant Coach) |
| Playing Experience | |
| Played 2007 season at Gordon College. Played 2008 season at Andrew College. Three-year letterwinner (2009-11) at Auburn Montgomery. Played one season in Arizona Developmental Independent Baseball League. | |
| Education | |
| Bachelor's degree in general studies (Southern New Hampshire) | |
Updated: December 2024
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