Coaches

             Jon begins his second season as Vincennes University baseball head coach. The 2006-07 Trailblazers finished 18-23 against one of the toughest schedules in VU history.
           Adams took the Trailblazer job in the summer of 2006 after serving as an assistant under Doug Schreiber at Purdue. While at Purdue, the Boilermakers posted a 31-27 overall record, finished fifth in the standings and were responsible for the first loss of the season to eventual College World Series runner-up North Carolina, who were ranked number three in the nation at the time.
            Adams is a 1998 Vincennes University graduate who also held assistant coaching positions at NCAA Division II Oakland City University and NJCAA Division I Wabash Valley College. The 2004 OCU team tied a school record for wins in a season (27) and the 2005 team finished second in the ten-team NCCAA National Tournament, the best finish in school history.
            Wabash Valley compiled a 42-19 record and finished the 2002 season ranked 15 ^th in the country. Four members of that team were selected in the Major League Baseball first-year player draft.
            From 2000-2004, Adams was assistant coach of the Indiana Yankees, a select summer travel team from Princeton, Ind. In 2003, the Yankees finished the season ranked third in the nation and number one in Indiana according to Baseball America .
            Adams began his coaching career in 1998 as an assistant for the Princeton Post 25 American Legion team under Indiana Baseball Hall of Fame coach Tim Nonte.
            “There is no doubt that I will bring something with me from every program that I have had the privilege to be a part of,” Adams says. “All of my previous stops have been good ones, and they’ve prepared me for this position.”
            “At Purdue, I learned the day-to-day operations of running a first class division one program. I learned that you have to work at recruiting every day and you have to be thorough if you’re going to be successful.
            Since 1998, 22 former players under Adams have been drafted or have signed professional contracts. The most notable is Ross Wolf (Wabash Valley 2001) who recently made his Major League pitching debut with the Florida Marlins. Adams also coached Eric Campbell at Princeton Post 25 and the Indiana Yankees. Campbell, who is currently in Double A with the Atlanta Braves, was the Braves first pick of the 2004 first-year player draft and was named the Braves ninth best prospect during the 2005 season.
            Adams graduated from Gibson Southern High School in 1997 and was an All-State pitcher for the Titans during his senior season. He also holds the distinction of throwing the lone perfect game in the 60-plus year history of Princeton Post 25.
            As a freshman member of the 1998-98 Trailblazers, Adams posted a 6-3 record before transferring to the University of Southern Indiana where he pitched through the 2001 season.
            “I am extremely excited about the opportunity at VU”, Adams says. “Since I began my collegiate coaching career, it has always been a goal, should the opportunity arise, to return to VU and lead the program. My staff and I will work tirelessly to make sure that this program operates with the utmost integrity and is respected throughout the baseball community. I believe in a hard-nosed aggressive style of play, while recruiting quality young men that have a desire to be successful both on the field and in the classroom.”
            Adams is a contributing writer to Online Pitching Magazine (www. insidepitching.com). He was also selected as a member of Inside Pitching’s voter committee that chooses the top NCAA Division I pitching performance of each week.
            Adams is a native of Ft. Branch, Ind., who holds both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Oakland City University. He resides in Ft. Branch, Ind., with his wife,Terri, and daughter, Bralynne, born May 20, 2007.

             2007-08 is Thompson’s second year as a member of Adams’ staff. He will be responsible for the catchers and outfielders as well as being the team’s Recruiting Coordinator.
            Thompson is a 1993 Vincennes University graduate and former two-year starting catcher who brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the staff.
            In August, he finished his fourth season as head coach of the Vincennes Post 73 American Legion team. He’s compiled an overall 61-44 record while bringing Post 73 their first two Sectional Championships in the history of the program.
            Ted was an assistant coach at Vincennes Lincoln High School in 1996-97 where he coached future minor league prospect Ryan Hutchison and shortstop Clint Barmes who has played with the Colorado Rockies. In 1997, Lincoln won a Sectional and Regional title and finished second in the Semi-State tournament.
            After completing his broadcasting degree at VU, he transferred to Florida Tech in Melbourne where he majored in business and was a catcher for the Panthers.
           Thompson is a native of Princeton, Ind., and a three year starter for his high school team and also Princeton’s Legion team which included former Cleveland Indians’ farmhand Casey Whitten.
            “I am very excited to have Ted back again this year,” coach Adams said. “His enthusiasm and love for the game are second to none and his loyalty speaks for itself. He is a tireless worker and recruiter who thoroughly enjoys being a part of VU baseball and I’m thrilled to have him on my staff.”
            Ted currently resides in Vincennes with his wife, Shelly, and four children, Andy, Chelsea, Megan and Payton.

Scott Steinbrecher
Assistant Coach

          Steinbrecher joins current assistant and recruiting coordinator Ted Thompson on Adams’ staff. His responsibilities will include being the Trailblazer pitching coach in addition to assisting will all day to day operations of the program.
            Steinbrecher comes to VU after a successful playing career at Aquinas College in Nashville, Tenn., Rend Lake, Ill., College and Division I Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tenn.
            The Aquinas program was cancelled after Steinbrecher’s freshman season. His team finished second in the west division of Tennessee Junior College Athletic Association.
            Rend Lake finished 30-20 and placed second in the Great Rivers Conference.
            Steinbrecher transferred to Austin Peay where he played under head coach Gary McClure during the 2003-2004 seasons. In 2003, the Governors finished 27-25 and in 2004, 35-19, setting an Ohio Valley Conference record for wins (20) in conference play.
            Steinbrecher was one of the most reliable arms out of the Governor bullpen in his two seasons with some impressive career stats. He made 41 career appearances, striking out 61 in 66.1 innings and maintained a 5.78 ERA.
            "I am very excited about the opportunity Vincennes University and Coach Adams have given me,” Steinbrecher said. “I consider myself very lucky to be joining such a knowledgeable and well respected staff at VU and look forward to helping this team grow in order to achieve our goals.”
            “I’m very excited Scott has decided to join our staff,” Adams says. “We had a long list of applicants, but Scott rose to the top. He is an energetic young coach that I feel will be a great addition to our staff. He has been a member of championship caliber teams at every level he has played at and he knows what it takes to reach that level of achievement.”
            Steinbrecher, 25, graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Austin Peay in 2004 and has a Master’s Degree in Health and Human Performance. He is a native of Nashville , Tenn. , and graduated from John Overton High School .

Ryan Jones
Student Assistant Coach
             Ryan Jones joins head coach Jon Adams' staff for the 2008 campaign as a Student Assistant.
            Jones is a graduate of Gibson Southern, Ind., High School where he was a pitcher for the Titans. His primary responsibilities will include assisting with the pitching staff and serving as the team’s bullpen coach on game days.
            “It’s not very often that you run across someone Ryan’s age with the passion, love and knowledge of the game that he has,” says VU head coach Jon Adams. “More importantly, he is a great young man I’ve known my entire life and consider it a privilege that he is a part of our staff.”
            A native of Ft. Branch, IN, Jones is an Economics major and is the son of Eric and Marlene Jones.