Columbus, Ohio – On Friday morning, Interim Director of Athletics and Recreation, Dixie Jeffers announced Scott Manahan as the new head baseball coach at Capital University. Manahan has served as the interim head coach of the program since mid-April and will now transition to full-time head coach, effective Monday, June 14th.

"It's with great pleasure that we announce the hiring of Scott Manahan as our next head baseball coach," said Jeffers. "Scott brings a respected reputation throughout Ohio and vast experience and knowledge to our baseball program. His vision is synonymous with our vision at Capital University of where we want our baseball program to be moving forward, and we are equally excited to welcome his well balanced and experienced staff to the program as well."

Manahan is known throughout baseball circles as one of the best high school coaches in the nation. Enshrined in the National High School Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame, as well as the Ohio High School Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame, Manahan will now set sail for college baseball.

After graduating from Ashland University in 1985, Manahan immediately started his coaching career as the head baseball coach at Ontario (Ohio) High School from 1986-1991. Following his stint in Ontario, Manahan became the head coach at Bishop Watterson High School from 1992-2006, later at Hamilton Township from 2007-2009, and then returned to Bishop Watterson in 2010 as the head coach until retiring in 2019.

During his tenure at Watterson, the Eagles won the Ohio High School Division II State Championship in 1997. Along the journey, his teams won 18 League,12 District and four Regional Championships. As player development was key, both in the classroom and on the baseball field, Manahan boasts more than 20 players who were recognized with All-State honors, and he has seen well over 100 former players advance to the college ranks.

Across his career, Manahan has helped develop two professional players. He saw two of his star players sign professional contracts -- Marc Wilkins and Daniel Delucia. Wilkins (Ontario) played at the University of Toledo and later signed as a free agent with the Pittsburgh Pirates, where he would go on to pitch in the Major Leagues for five-years. DeLucia (Watterson), pitched for the Ohio State University Buckeyes, and was drafted by the Detroit Tigers.

Inheriting a program that has experienced it's share of problems, including a rocky 2021 season, Manahan showed cautious confidence in being able to turn around the once rich program. When asked what factors coaxed him to return to the game, the Hall of Famer said, "Quite simply, the University's leadership and vision, the unheralded support of the Athletic Department, and quite frankly, the passion of the players."

Capital's new head baseball coach elaborated by saying, "These players have been through the ringer … knocked down to the canvas, time and time again, yet they continue to get back up and work hard." Manahan added, "When you think what they have been through, the resiliency they have demonstrated, that is a sign of a winner. It's this kind of attitude that you need to win."

Moving into the new role, Manahan has not wasted any time in establishing an infrastructure. In addition to his coaching staff, which includes former Major League, Minor League, and NCAA Division I players to work in between the white lines, Manahan has also established a support staff that will handle recruiting, baseball analytics, social media, facility management, amongst other essential elements necessary to compete in the modern collegiate space.

His first step in resurrecting the baseball program is to recruit. Moments after taking the helm of the ship, Manahan reached out to former MLB players Charlie Hayes, Mark Leiter and Dan Briggs, all of whom have reputations for identifying and working with top notch talent, and bringing that talent to Columbus' eastside. "Working with these guys will save us so much time on the recruiting trail, as their keen ability to evaluate talent and subsequently make recommendations, will take some of the sting out of missing an entire recruiting period." He went on to say, "We are six-months behind other teams, so with Charlie, Mark, Dan and others' help, we should be able to make up for some lost ground."

Goals for the 2022 season? Manahan was quick to respond. "It's simple. Win baseball games, and you do that by having the right student-athletes, and then prepare them, both physically and mentally. It's clear, if you look at the players we have today, the heart is there, so now we have to get them physically and mentally prepared. That will be our biggest challenge, however, once we get to that point of preparation, good things will start to happen for Capital University baseball."