As announced by the Gordon College's Director of Athletics, Jonathan Tymann, Tad Skelley has been named the new head baseball coach for the Fighting Scots effective immediately. Skelley, who comes to Wenham with a wealth of experience from all levels of baseball (collegiate and professional), was most recently the assistant baseball coach and recruiting coordinator for the Colby College Mules in Waterville, Maine. 

"I would like to thank President Michael Hammond and Director of Athletics, Jonathan Tymann for this tremendous honor and opportunity to serve as the next Head Baseball Coach at Gordon College," said Skelley. "My wife and I are excited to join the Gordon College community, and raise our daughters surrounded by believers and role models. I am grateful for the opportunity to lead the current and future Fighting Scots, and to connect with our dedicated alums and supporters. My staff and I will work together to make this a world-class experience for the student athletes, striving to improve each day both on and off the field, as we work to win championships at Gordon. I also want to thank Jesse Woods (Colby Baseball Head Coach) for his friendship and guidance over the past nine years. He has made a tremendous impact on me as a coach and person and I'm grateful for my time learning under him."

As the lead assistant, Skelley helped transform the Mules from a 7-25 regular season squad to a 24-13 New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Tournament post-season contender for the first time in program history this past spring. At the conclusion of the regular season, Colby set a program record for overall wins and most conference wins in program history, while wrapping up the regular season in a tie for first in the league which allowed them to host the first round of the Tournament. Most notable this season was a dominant 5-0 victory against the regionally ranked New England College (NEC) Pilgrims where the Mules' defense blanked the Pilgrims, accounting for one of their two shutout loses this season. Then, in the NESCAC Tournament, Colby won its first three games before falling to the eventual champions of Middlebury College, 14-16 as well as Hamilton College to bow out of postseason play and finish with a new program-best record of 24-13.

Over the course of his tenure in Maine, seven student-athletes were named to the NESCAC All-Conference Team, including Brady O'Brien (two-time All-NESCAC), Cabot Maher (two-time All-NESCAC), Cole Palmeri (All-NESCAC & NESCAC Defensive Player of the Year), Nick Thompson (All-NESCAC), and Matt Mitchell (All-NESCAC). Maher was also awarded ABCA/Rawlings NCAA DIII All-Region Second Team New England honors in 2021. Skelley oversaw an offense that set program records for slugging percentage, on base percentage, on base plus slugging, runs per game, extra base hits per game, and home runs per game amongst others.

Prior to his time on Colby's campus, Skelley was an amateur scout and Southeast video coordinator for the Toronto Blue Jays where he assisted the director of scouting as well as the front office with preparation for the Major League Baseball draft. Skelley was tasked with creating scouting reports on amateur, professional, and international players.

In the summer of 2017, Skelley was the head coach for the Brockton Rox, supervising all aspects of managing a competitive summer collegiate baseball organization. Skelley was responsible for selecting and signing all players to the active roster.

Spending two separate stints at the NCAA Division I level, Skelley worked for three years (2015-2018) as the assistant coach and camp coordinator at Northwestern University where he developed 2019 MLB draft picks Jack Dunn (Washington Nationals, INF) and Alex Erro (Boston Red Sox, INF/C). In July of 2013, he was appointed as the Director of Baseball Operations at the University of Notre Dame. At Notre Dame, he coordinated all team travel, assisted with on-campus recruiting, and oversaw and directed all team video operations.

A 2011 graduate of Wheaton College (Mass.) with a bachelor of arts in economics, Skelley captained his team during his senior season and helped Wheaton to a 130-44 record in his four years. During his career, Wheaton won three conference and tournament championships. In 2017, Skelley also earned a Wildcat Initiative for Leadership Development certificate from Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management and is currently finishing up his masters in business administration from Thomas College.

"We are thrilled to welcome Tad as our new head baseball coach," says Tymann. "Tad brings a wealth of knowledge to the dugout from his extensive experience at all levels of the game. He is passionate about not only growing the baseball program but also investing in the personal development of his players, and we cannot wait for him and his family to arrive on campus."

Skelley can expect to battle against some familiar faces in the years to come as Skelley squared off against Gordon's cross-town rival Endicott College in two separate occasions throughout the season where Colby first defeated the nationally ranked-Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Champs, 8-7 over spring break before falling to Endicott in a rematch a few weeks ago.