University of Connecticut Athletics
Jim Penders Named New Head Coach
7/18/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
STORRS, Conn. (July 18) – Jim Penders, who has been associated with the University of Connecticut baseball program as a student-athlete and an assistant coach for 11 of the past 13 seasons, has been named the head baseball coach at UConn in an announcement made by Director of Athletics Jeff Hathaway.
Penders replaces longtime Husky baseball coach Andy Baylock, who retired from the position this spring after serving as the head coach since 1980. Penders becomes just the fifth head coach in the program’s history since 1924 joining Sumner Dole (1924-35), J.O. Christian (1936-61), Larry Panciera (1962-79) and Baylock (1980-2003).
"I want to thank the entire University community, especially Jeff Hathaway, for the opportunity to lead the UConn baseball program," says Penders. "UConn baseball has a great heritage and history of which I am very familiar. I am very honored and look forward to the responsibility of continuing that tradition. I intend to build a team that will be highly-competitive on the field and produce young leaders which will make the University proud."
Penders was an assistant coach for the Huskies for the past seven years as the Huskies posted winning seasons in each of those campaigns. As an assistant coach, Penders coordinated the Huskies recruiting of student-athletes, served as the hitting coach and worked with the catchers.
"It’s a great pleasure to introduce Jim Penders as our new baseball coach at UConn," says Hathaway. "He was an outstanding student-athlete during his undergraduate career at UConn, gained experience in the world of politics and has been a very valuable assistant coach. I am confident that he will continue the outstanding tradition of baseball at this school."
A standout on the baseball field for the Huskies during his undergraduate career, Penders was a four-year letterwinner for the Huskies. He was co-captain of the 1994 UConn squad that won the BIG EAST Conference tournament and the Huskies advanced to the NCAA Championship in both his junior and senior year. He hit .354 with seven homeruns and 46 runs batted in as a senior in 1994. He earned First Team All-Northeast, All-New England and All-BIG EAST in his senior year as a catcher.
During his UConn career, the Huskies played in the championship game of the BIG EAST Tournament three times. He helped the Huskies to 99 wins over his four seasons, including a 30-18 record in ’94.
He was a four-year member of the UConn Captains’ Council and served as that group’s president during his senior year.
Penders graduated from UConn in 1994 with a degree in political science and added a master’s degree from UConn in 1998 from the School of Education. He was a three-time member of the BIG EAST Academic All-Star team from 1992-94.
Penders worked in Washington, D.C. from 1994-96 as a political fund raiser for United States Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa.
He returned to UConn for the 1997 season as a graduate assistant baseball coach and became a full-time assistant coach for the 1999 season.
Penders is the founder and director of the Connecticut Baseball School, an overnight camp for boys held at UConn each summer.
A native of Vernon, Conn., Penders was an all-state performer in baseball at East Catholic High School and served as senior class president.
Penders and his wife Brooke reside in Old Wethersfield, Conn. and have two children – a daughter Tess Avery, born in May 9, 2001, and a son James Henry, born June 2, 2003.
His younger brother Rob is an assistant coach at San Jacinto Junior College in Houston. His grandfather Jim was the longtime baseball coach at Stratford (Conn.) High School from 1931-68 and won four state championships. He was also the head of the physical education department and the town’s recreation director. The Stratford High School baseball and football complex is named in his honor.
The connection between the Penders family and UConn athletics runs deep. His father Jim and uncle Tom both graduated from UConn and played on the Huskies 1965 College World Series team.
Jim is a 1965 UConn graduate and is has been the baseball coach at East Catholic High School since 1969, where he coached his son. He was an infielder for the Huskies and had a career batting average of .279, including a .323 mark his senior year. He was the captain of the ’65 squad and the only player to hit over .300 for the Huskies that season. He has won four state championships at East Catholic and was named the national high school coach of the year in 1996.
Tom, a 1967 UConn graduate, was the head men’s basketball coach at Tufts (1971-74), Columbia (1974-78), Fordham (1978-86), Rhode Island (1986-88), Texas (1988-98) and George Washington (1998-2000). He was a two-sport star at UConn in baseball and basketball as he played in two NCAA tournaments (1965 and ’67) and the ’65 College World Series.
New UConn baseball coach Jim
Penders has deep Husky roots.
His uncle Tom (left) and father
Jim both played on the 1965
College World Series team.
