Jeff Mountain
Five-time Presidents' Athletic Conference Baseball Coach of the Year Jeff Mountain completed his 11th season at Washington & Jefferson College in 2013.
Mountain has helped W&J win five Presidents' Athletic Conference baseball titles and the 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2013 squads earned spots in the NCAA Division III Tournament field. In addition, W&J claimed the 2006 and 2007 ECAC Division III Tournament championships.
Mountain, the all-time baseball coaching victories leader at Washington & Jefferson College, is the 36th head coach in program history. He holds a 303-170-1 record (.641), including a 276-127-1 mark (.686) since 2005. W&J has made eight total postseason appearances (4 NCAA, 4 ECAC) under his direction.
Mountain has put W&J baseball on the national radar. Prior to his arrival, the Presidents had won just 21 games in four years. Since then, W&J has amassed 60 All-PAC players, 15 All-Region selections and its first three All-Americans (2007 graduates Sam Mann and Shaun Pfeil; Eddie Nogay '14 in 2013) in recent history.
In 2013, the Presidents captured their second-straight PAC regular-season title and claimed the conference tournament crown for the first time since 2009. W&J’s 9-3 victory over Thomas More in the PAC Championship game earned Mountain the 300th victory of his career. The Presidents placed third at the Mideast Regional, their best-ever showing in the NCAA Division III Tournament.
His 2012 squad broke W&J’s regular-season victories record (36) and the PAC record with 21 league wins, while earning its third bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament in the last four years. During the season, W&J attained the highest ranking in school history, as it ranked 14th in the D3baseball.com poll.
The 2010 Presidents made history by becoming the first PAC team since 1984 to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament. W&J competed at the Mideast Regional at Don Schaly Stadium in Marietta, Ohio. W&J also attained the No. 1 ranking in the Mideast Region late in the season.
Washington & Jefferson captured the PAC regular-season title and notched its fifth 30-win season in the past six years after finishing with a 32-12 overall record. Jim Pasquine '10 was named the PAC Player of the Year for the second-straight season and was one of four Presidents selected to the Rawlings/ABCA All-Mideast Region team.
In 2009, the Presidents earned the PAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament and won two games at the South Regional in Salisbury, Md., while marking its first-ever appearance in the national tournament. W&J placed fourth at the regional tournament, defeating Washington and Lee (Va.) and York (Pa.).
The Presidents set numerous school records during the 2009 campaign, including single-season victories with a 35-14 record. Mountain was named the ECAC Division III South Coach of the Year and Pasquine was chosen as the PAC Player of the Year and was selected First Team Rawlings/ABCA All-Mideast Region.
In 2008, a young Presidents' squad earned the school's fourth consecutive postseason bid in the ECAC Tournament. W&J advanced to the semifinals after defeating Pitt-Bradford in the first round.
Mountain played an important role in the development of Sam Mann '07, who became the first W&J baseball player in modern history to earn a professional baseball contract. Mann started his career with the Kalamazoo Kings of the Frontier League before signing a contract in 2008 with the Washington Wild Things.
The 2007 season marked another 30-win season (32-12). W&J was ranked as high as 16th in the nation and No. 2 in the NCAA Division III Mideast Region. Washington & Jefferson claimed the PAC regular-season and tournament titles and advanced to postseason play. Mountain was once again selected as the PAC Coach of the Year.
In 2006, Mountain guided the Presidents to a 34-13 overall record and a No. 5 ranking in the NCAA Division III Mideast Region. The 34 victories broke the school record from the 2005 season and the Presidents' ECAC title was the first in school history. Mountain was also honored as the PAC Coach of the Year for the second time and was named the Washington-Greene County Men's Coach of the Year by the Washington Observer-Reporter newspaper.
Mountain served as the assistant baseball coach at John Carroll for two seasons prior to his arrival in Washington, Pa., where his primary responsibility was the pitching coach, while assisting with hitting and defense. Mountain was also in charge of developing scouting reports and was the regional recruiting coordinator for Ohio, western Pennsylvania and western New York.
In addition to his experience in collegiate coaching, Mountain served one season as a consultant for the Wellsville Nitros of the Northeastern Collegiate Baseball League during the summer of 2000.
A 2000 graduate of Allegheny College as a history major, Mountain concluded his playing career as one of the most decorated pitchers in Division III. He was twice named the NCAC Pitcher of the Year and led the Gators to their first-ever NCAA Division III World Series appearance in 2000. Mountain was named an ABCA/Rawlings Second Team All-American and a First Team All-Mideast Region pitcher following his senior season. In the summer of 2010, he was inducted into the Allegheny College Sports Hall of Fame.
Mountain, who was named to the North Coast Athletic Conference’s 20th Anniversary Baseball Team, also rewrote the Allegheny record books during his four years and is the school’s all-time win leader with 26 career victories. He also broke the record for innings pitched (239.2) and ranks fourth in Gator history with 185 career strikeouts.
Mountain and his wife, Gretchen, reside in Canonsburg, Pa., and are expecting their first child this month.