Jacksonville State University Athletics

No other team has experienced the success over the last 21 years than Jim Case has enjoyed. He now leads the program in the ASUN where the program’s NCAA Division I roots began. His Jacksonville State baseball teams won seven Ohio Valley Conference Championships; won more OVC games during that 16-year span than any other team in the league; won three OVC Coach of the Year Awards; and the Gamecocks played in the OVC Tournament Championship game 10 out of 16 years.
 
Case, who was named the 2019, 2008 and 2005 Ohio Valley Conference Coach of the Year, has posted a 646-529 overall record. 

Jax State’s first season back in the ASUN saw the Gamecocks put together 19 wins in conference play and another trip to the postseason with a berth in the league’s conference tournament. The Gamecocks finished with 27 wins on the season, including road wins over Southern Miss and Auburn – two teams that advanced to the NCAA Super Regional round and the College World Series respectively.

JSU’s five all-conference selections led the 2022 club. Cole Frederick and Isaiah Magwood headlined the group as members of the All-ASUN First Team, while T.J. Reeves was tabbed to All-ASUN Second Team. Brennen Norton and AJ Causey earned spots on the league's All-Freshman Team. The five selections ranked third among the league teams.

The 2021 season, JSU’s final season in the OVC, was highlighted by Case collecting his 600th career win. The Gamecocks handed him the milestone victory on March 13 with an 8-2 win over in-state foe South Alabama in Mobile, Alabama. A trademark for Case’s clubs in the OVC was having one of the top pitching staffs in the league. The 2021 season was no different as the Jax State pitching staff once again led the league in earned run average with a 4.30 mark in overall games and an impressive 3.96 ERA in the 30 OVC games. JSU collected the program’s 19th no-hitter with a combined effort from Colin Casey, Jackson Tavel and Corley Woods to blank Tennessee Tech, 5-0, on March 27. The Gamecocks also led the OVC offensively with a league-best .281 average at the plate. JSU ranked among the best in the league defensively with a fielding percentage of .973. He also tutored another Major League Baseball draft pick in Christian Edwards. Edwards was selected by the Chicago White Sox in the 11th round of the 2021 MLB Draft.

Case’s 19th season and JSU’s 2020 campaign came to an abrupt halt after 15 games due to the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak around the world. The Gamecocks played 11 of its 15 games on its home turf of Rudy Abbott Field at Jim Case Stadium.  JSU opened the 2019 season hosting Southeastern Conference foe Missouri in a three-game set along with home weekend sets with Central Michigan and Gardner-Webb.  Jax State’s final game of the season was a 15-inning, 14-10 marathon win over Kennesaw State on the road.

The 2019 season will be noted as one of the historic seasons in the program’s history.  The Gamecocks claimed both the regular season and tournament crowns en route to earning JSU’s fifth trip to an NCAA Regional.  JSU put together a 39-win season, which is the most wins by the program in its NCAA Division I era.  The 2019 club recorded the program’s first NCAA Division I Regional win with a 7-5 win over Big 10 foe Illinois to remain alive in the Oxford, Mississippi regional.  After dispatching the Fighting Illini, the Gamecocks ousted Clemson to reach the regional championship round.  By reaching the championship of the NCAA Oxford Regional, JSU was one of nine No. 4 seeds to advance to the title round since 2013 and the only one in 2019 edition of the NCAA Tournament and one of 32 teams left in the regional final round.  The Gamecocks finished the season winning 14 of the final 16 games, including one of the longest winning streaks in NCAA Division I Baseball entering the regional round.  The Gamecocks put together a 12-game winning streak before falling to the Rebels.

The veteran leader on the diamond collected his 500^th career win on April 4, 2016 with JSU’s 12-6 come-from-behind win over UAB at Choccolocco Park in Oxford, Alabama.  Case became the third current OVC coach to have 500-plus wins in a career, joining Belmont’s Dave Jarvis.  Case also became the first current OVC skipper to record 500 wins at one school.  He has spent 40 seasons on the baseball diamond as either a player or coach.

The 2018 season was the program’s 34th 30-plus wins campaign since the 1971 season and the 15th under Case.  Jax State has now posted 30 or more wins in a season in 14 of the last 15 seasons.  The Gamecocks fished 32-25 overall and 18-12 in OVC play.  Jax State finished tied for third with Morehead State and has finished in the top-three in the league standings in 13 of the 15 seasons in the OVC.

One of the highlights of the 2018 campaign was the chase for the program’s all-time career hits record and the OVC’s record for hits in a career by Clayton Daniel.  Daniel, entered his final season as a Gamecock with 247 career hits, 76 shy of the record, held by Bert Smith, who played for Case from 2006-2010.  Daniel matched Smith’s career mark on the final day of the regular season against SIU Edwardsville on May 19.  He broke the record on the same day with his second hit of the day.  Daniel concluded his career with 330 hits, including 69 career doubles, which is also a new career standard at JSU and in the OVC.  With Daniel the new career hits leader at JSU and in the OVC, Case has mentored the top-two hitters all-time at JSU and in the OVC.

The Jax State pitching staff, under the guidance of Case, was once again one of the best in the OVC in 2018.  JSU led the league in earned run average for the second consecutive year with a staff ERA of 4.91 overall and ranked third in OVC-only games at 4.99.  The Gamecock pitchers established a new JSU record for strikeouts in a single season with 505 strikeouts in 57 games, surpassing the previous mark of 485 set in 2004.  JSU posted eight shutout wins, including a 4-0 win at Alabama in 2018.  The trio of Colton Pate, Grant Chandler and Trent Simpson combined for the program’s first no hitter since 2000.  The trip blanked Radford, 5-0,on February 23, 2018.  Pate wrapped up his career at JSU with a complete game shutout of Southeast Missouri in the 2018 OVC Baseball Championship. It was the first complete game shutout by a Gamecock since former Gamecock Hunter Rivers blanked SIUE on April 30, 2011 (7-inning game).  It is JSU's first nine-inning complete game shutout by a JSU pitcher since joining the league in 2004.

Daniel became a four-time All-OVC selection following the 2018 season and was joined by All-OVC selections Trent Simpson and Garrett Farmer.  JSU placed a league-best three on the All-OVC Freshman Team.

The 2017 season was a different type of season for Case and the Gamecocks as Jax State’s Rudy Abbott Field underwent a major renovation process that forced the program to play its home games off campus at Choccolocco Park in nearby Oxford, Alabama.  The Gamecocks played 20 games in the facility while playing 36 road games, including the first 10 games on the road.  JSU finished the road-heavy schedule with a 30-26 overall record and a 17-10 mark in the league.  JSU turned in a third-place finish in the league standings.  The 2017 club was anchored by the league’s top pitching staff.  The Gamecocks paced the league in pitching with a league-best 5.11 earned run average and ranked third in total strikeouts with 484.  Under Case’s watch, Joe McGuire became the first Gamecock hurler to be named the OVC Pitcher of the Year.  McGuire led the OVC in ERA with a 3.20 mark in all games and he led the conference in opposing batting average with a .209 average against him.  McGuire was one of two pitchers in the JSU weekend rotation that received conference honors as Derrick Adams was a Second Team All-OVC selection.  Justin Hoyt was an All-OVC selection as a relief guy.  JSU’s Clayton Daniel earned All-OVC honors for the third time.  The Gamecocks placed a pair of freshmen on the league’s All-Newcomer Team in Chase Robinson and Andrew Naismith.  Naismith collected additional postseason honors as a Freshman All-American honoree by Collegiate Baseball.
In 2017, JSU traveled to Tuscaloosa, Alabama twice to face Southeastern Conference foe Alabama and left the Sewell-Thomas Stadium with a pair of wins over the in-state rival.  JSU won a 2-1, 10-inning decision over the Crimson Tide and completed the two-game set sweep with an 11-8 win on April 25.  The first win snapped an 11-game skid against UA.  With both wins, it marked the first time since 1980 that Jax State has won consecutive games over the Crimson Tide in a single season.
 
In 2016, The Jacksonville State baseball team earned its 13^th straight appearance in the Ohio Valley Conference Baseball Championship this past spring.  The Gamecocks have made the postseason event every year the program has been associated with the OVC.  JSU swept a three-game weekend series on the final weekend of the regular season against UT Martin to earn the No. 2 seed in the six-team field and a bye in the opening round of the tournament.  The Gamecocks opened the tournament with a win over Austin Peay before knocking off top-seeded and regular season champion Southeast Missouri to advance to the championship round of the tournament.  Jax State found itself in a familiar place in the tournament with its ninth trip to the championship round in the 13 years at the tournament. 
 
JSU finished the season 34-24 and 20-10 mark in the league Case.  The 30-plus wins is the 32^nd season in JSU’s history to post 30 or more wins and the 13^th time under Case since he took over the program in 2002.  The 20 conference win is the third time since joining the league and the first since 2013.  As a team the Gamecocks ranked first nationally in doubles/game (2.5), fifth in scoring (8.3/game) and runs (481), 11th in hits (679) and 13th in batting average (.313). Daniel earned a pair of All-American honors (Louisville Slugger and NCBWA) after hitting .372 with 93 hits, 56 runs, 20 doubles, 54 RBI and seven stolen bases in 58 games. He was the toughest player in the OVC (and eighth nationally) to strikeout, with only 13 strikeouts in 250 at-bats.
 
JSU's Paschal Petrongolo was named to the Senior CLASS Award All-American second team, announced in June by the Senior CLASS Award committee.  Petrongolo is one of 10 baseball student-athletes in the nation to earn the prestigious honor, given to NCAA Division I seniors that have notable achievements in community, classroom, character and competition.
 
In 2015, Case directed his club to the program’s 12th consecutive trip to the OVC Tournament with a 30-27 overall mark and a 15-14 record in league. The 2015 campaign saw wins over in-state rivals Auburn, Troy, Samford and UAB in the non-conference slate along with a three-game sweep of Air Force. The veteran skipper had a young squad in 2015 that matured throughout the season and won eight the last 11 conference games to extend the trips to the conference tournament streak. JSU had four players earn All-OVC honors, while it placed a league-best four on the All-OVC Newcomer Team. Daniel became the 10th player under Case to earn Freshman All-America honors with his selection as a Louisville Slugger All-American. Case also mentored Travis Stout to the program’s all-time career saves list and shattered the OVC’all-time saves mark with 47 throughout his career. Off the field, former Gamecock Ryan Sebra became the 14th JSU student-athlete to achieve Academic All-America status after earning a spot on the 2015 Capital One Academic All-America Second Team. Sebra became the first baseball player in school history to receive the honor.
 
The 2014 season, more specifically the Gamecocks’ run in the OVC Tournament, will go down as one of the most memorable experiences in the program’s decorated history. JSU became the first team in OVC history to win six-straight elimination games to win the OVC Conference Championship in Jackson, Tennessee. After losing in the opening round to fall into the elimination bracket, JSU reeled off six straight wins – the longest winning streak of the season – to eliminate every single team in the 2014 tournament and claim the school’s fourth OVC Tournament Championship. After dropping a 2-1 decision to Eastern Illinois in the tournament opener, the Gamecocks defeated SIU Edwardsville (7-5), then won two nine-inning games on the Friday of the tournament by beating EIU (13-2) and Morehead State (7-1). The Gamecocks then won two more nine-inning games on Saturday by beating No. 1 Southeast Missouri (6-2) and No. 2 Tennessee Tech (10-7) to force the if necessary game on Sunday, when the Gamecocks defeated Tennessee Tech 4-2.
 
With the championship in hand, Case and his Gamecocks were sent to Oxford, Mississippi for the NCAA Oxford Regional. JSU dropped back-to-back games against host Ole Miss and Georgia Tech. The Rebels went on to the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska. JSU finished the season at 36-27 overall and finished tied for second in the OVC at 18-12. Jax State placed five on the 2014 All-OVC squads, led by Stout and Eddie Mora-Loera being tabbed to the First Team. Paschal Petrongolo, Andrew Bishop and Griff Gordon earned spots on the All-OVC Second Team. The postseason awards continued for JSU following the OVC Tournament. The entire JSU pitching staff was named the Most Valuable Players in the OVC Tournament after winning the six consecutive elimination games. The JSU pitching staff put up some impressive numbers in the seven OVC Tournament games. The Gamecocks allowed just 15 earned runs over 63.0 innings to post a 2.14 earned run average, while posting a 6-1 record and four saves. As a matter of fact, over the final 45 innings on the mound of the tournament, the Gamecocks pitched 40 scoreless innings (all five were elimination games.
 
In 2014, Case reached a monumental milestone in his coaching career by recording his 400th career win with JSU’s 8-2 win at Eastern Illinois on March 28.
 
In 2013, the Gamecocks finished with a 32-26 overall record, tied for third in the OVC with a 22-8 record and advanced to the OVC Championship for the tenth straight year.
 
For the first time in the school’s Division I history, the Gamecocks placed two players on the Louisville Slugger All-America Team. Stout, a sophomore, set the JSU single-season record for saves in a season with 17 and also set the school’s Division I record for earned run average in a single season at 1.42. Michael Bishop also earned All-America honors after finishing the season with a .340 average. He also led the team in doubles (21), triples (4), home runs (4) and a .539 slugging percentage.
 
Additionally, junior utility player Coty Blanchard was the second player drafted in the OVC after the Rays selected him in the 15th round of the Major League Baseball draft.
 
The 2012 Gamecocks finished with a 17-10 OVC record and earned the No. 3 seed into the conference tournament, posting a 2-2 record before losing to eventual champion Austin Peay. Senior reliever Todd Hornsby set what was then the school and OVC career records with 33 saves and was named

second-team All-OVC. Senior first baseman Ben Waldrip and senior outfielder Kyle Bluestein each were named to the first-team All-OVC, while Stout was named to the All-Freshman squad. Additionally, three Gamecocks were taken in the Major League Baseball Draft, including Ben Waldrip (10th round/ Colorado Rockies), Sam Eberle (25th round/San Francisco Giants) and Daniel Watts (32nd round/Arizona Diamondbacks).
 
The 2011 Gamecocks finished with a 36-23 record and advanced to the OVC Tournament Championship for the seventh time (out of eight years) and had 11 players earn All-Conference honors. Hornsby set the single-season school and OVC records with 15 saves and was named first-team All-OVC, while senior Blake Seguin was also named first-team. Bluestein, Eberle, Aaron Elias, Erik Underwood and Waldrip all earned second-team honors, while freshmen Casey Antley, Blanchard, Andrew Bishop and Michael Bishop earned All- Freshman honors. Additionally, Blanchard was named a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-America in 2011, which was the seventh time a JSU player earned freshman All- American honors under Case. Waldrip was also drafted in the first-year Major League Baseball Draft in the 42nd round, but turned down the offer from the Kansas City Royals to return for his senior season at Jax State.
 
The 2010 Gamecocks won the school’s 15th conference baseball championship after winning all three games in the OVC Tournament. JSU opened with a 7-5 win over Eastern Illinois and defeated Tennessee Tech 9-7 to advance to the OVC Championship game for the sixth time in the last seven years. Jax State then beat the Golden Eagles 10-8 as four players had three hits. Seniors Bert Smith, Steven Leach, Daniel Adamson, Andrew Edge and junior Jordan Beistline were all named to the All-Tournament squad. Smith garnered MVP honors after batting .500 (7-for-14) with a pair of doubles and a team-high four RBI. Jax State had five players that signed with major league baseball teams, including the first pick of the second round in junior outfielder Todd Cunningham. He was first player selected from the State of Alabama and was the 52nd overall pick of the 2010 draft by the Atlanta Braves.
 
Although the 2009 JSU team entered the OVC Tournament as the No. 6 seed, the Gamecocks advanced to the Championship game for the fifth time in six years. Five Gamecocks were named to the OVC All Tournament team including Eberle, Leach, Cunningham, Bluestein and Austin Lucas. Juniors Adamson and Bill Henke each were named to the first-team All-OVC squad, while Eberle and Bluestein were both named to the All-Freshman Squad. Bluestein also was named the OVC Freshman of the Year, marking the third time in six years a Gamecock earned the honor.
 
The 2008 Gamecocks raised the bar in the Ohio Valley Conference by posting an incredible 23-4 OVC record, including winning their final 14 conference games. It was the most conference wins by any team in the OVC’s 48-year history. Jax State also placed five players on the OVC first-team All-Conference squad and a total of 10 Gamecocks were honored. Senior Clay Whittemore won his second straight OVC Player of the Year Award, while Cunningham was named the OVC Freshman of the Year. Whittemore also was named to the ABCA All-South Region team and was again a third-team All-American.
 
In 2007, the Gamecocks played in the OVC Championship game for the fourth straight year after posting an 18-9 mark in conference play. The Gamecocks placed the most players of any other school after 10 Gamecocks were named to OVC All-Conference teams. JSU also earned the OVC Sportsmanship Award in baseball for the 2007 season. In addition, junior outfielder Whittemore was named the OVC Player of the Year. Whittemore also became the school’s first-ever All-American at the Division I level after earning third-team honors on the TPX/Louisville Slugger All-America team.
 
In 2006, Case led the Gamecocks to their second NCAA Regional appearance in three years after winning  OVC Tournament with a dramatic final at-bat win over Samford. JSU placed six players on the All Conference squad, the most of any other team in the league.
 
In 2005, Jax State won the Conference regular-season title after posting a 35-25 season, including a 19-8 mark in the league. It was the school’s sixth conference championship and the first in Division I.
 
The Gamecocks made an immediate impact in their first season in the league in 2004. JSU finished third in the regular season standings and then defeated Southeast Missouri State to claim the OVC Tournament Championship and advance to NCAA postseason play for the first time in more than 13 years and the first time in the school’s Division I history.
 
Four Gamecock players earned a spot on the All-Conference team and four were named to the OVC All Tournament team, including Most Valuable Player Bobby Wynns. JSU had not played in an NCAA tournament since winning the Division II national championship in 1991.
 
Not only have the Gamecocks excelled on the field, but also in the classroom. The Gamecocks have the most players named to the OVC Commissioner’s Honor Roll than any other OVC team since joining the league. To be listed, recipients must have achieved at least a 3.25 grade point average and have been eligible and on the team throughout the season.
 
Over the last 13 years, 174 players have posted a 3.0 grade point average or higher and a total of 152 players have been named to the Academic All-Conference teams. JSU had 14 players named to the squad in 2014 and 11 in 2015.  Former Gamecock Ryan Sebra became the first player in the program to be named Academic All-America after earning a spot on the 2015 Capital One Academic All-America Second Team. 
 
Jax State claimed the prestigious OVC Team Academic Achievement Award after placing 11 student-athletes on the OVC Commission’s Honor Roll in 2005. The OVC Team Academic Achievement Awards are presented annually in each of the 17 Conference sponsored sports to the member institution’s team with the greatest percentage of its student-athletes named to the OVC Commissioner’s Honor Roll.
 
One of his team’s principles is to study hard and go to class. While at Mississippi State, the Bulldogs led the SEC with 37 Academic Honor Roll recipients. Under his leadership at JSU, the baseball team has achieved an impressive increase in GPA and 82 team members have achieved Academic All-Conference honors over the last seven years. Two-time OVC Player of the Year Clay Whittemore was selected as JSU’s 2008 Eagle Owl Award recipient for excellence in his sport, being a positive role model and exemplifying the well-rounded student athlete. The Eagle Owl Award is given annually to the male student-athlete of the year by a selection committee of faculty, staff and athletic department administrators. Pitcher C.R. Palmer also claimed the honor in 2004.
 
The road to JSU for Coach Case was filled with tradition and hard work. Case was a three-sport letterman earning All-City honors in baseball and football at Birmingham’s Ensley High School. He credits coaches George Gould, Ronnie Syphurs, Jimmy Tucker, and Jerry Deaton for instilling good work ethic and practice habits.
 
Case continued his playing career at Louisiana Tech University under Coach Pat Patterson. Case earned All-Southland Conference honors as a catcher and was selected by the team as the recipient for the Outstanding Attitude Award. Afterward, he stayed at Louisiana Tech as a student assistant coach for a year before entering graduate school and working as a graduate assistant coach for Ron Polk at Mississippi State University.
 
While at MSU, Case completed a Master’s Degree in Physical Education and an Educational Specialist’s Degree in Educational Leadership.
 
Leading up to his first head coaching position at JSU, Case served as assistant coach at UAB under Pete Rancont and at Mississippi State University under Pat McMahon. While at UAB, his teams claimed a 1991 Sun Belt Conference Championship and their first NCAA Regional appearance as well as a 1992 Great Mid-West Conference Title.
 
During his stints at MSU, Case coached in six NCAA Regional tournaments, two Super-Regionals, and made two College World Series appearances. Over 30 of his former players have been selected in the Major League Baseball Draft with eight advancing to the major leagues. Former MSU pitchers Matt Ginter and Paul Maholm were first round draft choices, while former JSU pitchers Ben Tootle (third), Jesse Corn (sixth) and Donovan Hand (14th) have all been selected in the MLB Draft.
 
Because of Case’s many successes, he is frequently asked to speak at local, regional and national clinics and organizations. He has twice been featured as an invited lecturer at the National American Baseball Coaches Association Convention, including the 2008 convention in Philadelphia. Case also just concluded a three-year term on the NCAA Baseball Rules Committee. In 2014 Case was inducted into the Alabama Baseball Association’s Hall of Fame.
 
Jim and Jan Case have been married for 33 years and have two daughters, Catherine and Elizabeth. Jan is a math professor at JSU.