Baseball
Coaching Staff

Head Coach Tim Scannell

Tim Scannell is entering his 11th season as head coach of the Tigers’ baseball team.

His 10-year tenure has been nothing less than phenomenal.

Coach Scannell has an overall record of 318-133, which places him at No. 15 in winning percentage (.705) among active NCAA Division III coaches.

He has guided the Tigers to four Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championships and four trips to the NCAA postseason tournament, including 2008. Coach Scannell, who became head coach in 1999, has been voted as SCAC Coach of the Year four times (1999, 2004, 2006 and 2008). In 2002, Trinity set a new school single-season record for victories with 37. That same year, the Tigers advanced to their first-ever NCAA regional. In 2004, Trinity matched that feat with another 37-game season and a trip to the NCAA regional. On three occasions – in 2002, 2004 and 2008 – the Tigers fell just one game short of advancing to the Division III College World Series.

Coach Scannell has coached the Tigers to eight 30-plus victory seasons,

He has coached one GTE Academic All-American and two Verizon Academic All-Americans. Coach Scannell has also had the privilege to coach seven ABCA All-Americans.

Numerous players have signed professional baseball contracts, including current assistant coach Jason Armstrong (Toronto Blue Jays), along with 2008 standout pitcher Brian Oates (Seattle Mariners).

Coach Scannell spent the summer of 1999 as an assistant coach for the Cape Cod League champion Cotuit Kettleers.

He has served with both the University of Massachusetts and his alma mater, Northeastern University, as an assistant coach.

As a player the Xaverian Brothers High School graduate was a four-year standout at Northeastern, where he captained the baseball team his junior and senior year. Coach Scannell also spent two seasons playing in the prestigious Cape Cod League for the Harwich Mariners and the Cotuit Kettleers.

Coach Scannell is a native of South Weymouth, Mass.  Along with his wife, Christa, the Scannells have three sons: Matthew (age 7), TJ (5) and James (3).

Over the last seven years, Trinity University has established itself as having one of the premier pitching staffs in Division III.  Five times they have led the conference in ERA, including the 2002 season in which they led the nation in ERA with a 2.26 mark.  Trinity has also led the conference in strikeouts six times in the last seven years, with totals of 464 in 2004 and 453 in 2008, both totals that led the nation and rank in the top ten in Division III history.  Individually, Trinity boosts three pitchers who have been named conference pitcher of the year (2002, 2004, and 2005) while 14 pitchers have been named all conference in the last seven seasons (four more were named honorable mention).  Three pitchers represented Trinity in the Cape Cod League over that time, and most impressively a total of six pitchers have gone on to play professionally since the 2005 season. 

Dave Smith is in his seventh year as the Trinity baseball pitching coach, following a standout career with the Tigers in which he compiled a 24-7 career record.  Overall, Dave ranks 2^nd all time in starts, 4^th all time in wins, 7^th all time in ERA, and 9^th all time in strikeouts.  Always a steady performer, his breakout season was 2002 where he anchored the Trinity pitching staff.  Smith finished the year with an 8-2 record and a 1.84 ERA, earning All-West Region and All-SCAC honors.  Smith was also on the All-SCAC team in 2000 and 2001, and spent two summers in the MINK League playing for the Beatrice Bruins. 

Smith entered into coaching because of his pitching coach and mentor, the late Bob Meccage.  During his career at Trinity, Smith developed a great relationship with Coach Meccage, and his decision to follow in his teacher's footsteps was directly influenced by Meccage's dedication towards both Smith's baseball career and personal life.  According to Smith, “Coach Meccage was the greatest motivator I have ever been around, and demanded everything you had every time you stepped on that field, all the while expressing his sincere joy when he knew you gave everything you had.”    

Contact Coach Smith: E-mail

Assistant Coach J.C. Bunch

J.C. Bunch is entering his third season as the Trinity hitting coach.  This year, Bunch hopes to build on the success the Tigers had at the plate from last year.  The Tigers lead the SCAC in almost every major category.  The Tigers’ hitting philosophy is simple, yet not trite.  Their goal is to make a pitcher throw a good pitch to hit.  Bunch preaches being selectively aggressive at the plate and focuses on driving the baseball to the big part of the field.  This was evident as the Tigers led the conference in doubles last year.

Bunch wasn’t a heavily recruited player out of high school.  The Trinity coaching staff did give him every opportunity to succeed, though, and Bunch made the most of it.  With hard work from the moment he stepped on campus, Coach Bunch made himself into an every day player as a freshman.  That year he set the Trinity single season record for batting average, hitting .475.  He shares the career home run record with two other players. 

He was named to the All-West Region teams from 1998-2000.  In 2007, he was named to the SCAC 15th Anniversary Baseball Team.  Bunch, a four-time All-SCAC performer (1998-2001), hit .400 for his career (11th on the SCAC career list) with 251 hits (tied for fourth all-time), 30 home runs (tied for sixth all-time), 174 runs batted in (fifth all-time) and 202 runs scored (third all-time). In 1998, he led the SCAC in hitting with a .475 average - the third-highest single-season total in league history. Bunch is one of just three players in league history to be named to the SCAC All-Tournament team three times in a career.

After graduating with a B.S. in Chemistry, Bunch played two seasons in the Texas Rangers Minor League system.  His rookie year, he led his league with a .333 average, which was also good for second in the organization behind only Hank Blalock.  His minor league experience took him to the Gulf Coast Rangers, the Pulaski Rangers, and the Savannah Sand Gnats.  He competed one on one with Alex Rodriguez during spring training in a batting cage game, almost defeating the three-time MVP. 

Bunch has spent the last seven years as a Chemistry teacher, four at his alma mater, Austin High, and the past three at Saint Mary’s Hall.  He currently resides in San Antonio, with his wife Sheridan.

Assistant Coach Jason Armstrong

Jason Armstrong returns to Trinity where he will serve as the Tigers’ recruiting coordinator, infield coach and hitting coach.

Coach Armstrong had a four-year minor league career, starting in 2004 with the Toronto Blue Jays organization.

In his first season in professional baseball as a member of the Auburn Doubledays, coach Armstrong batted .270, while demonstrating his ability and versatility in rotating between shortstop and second and third base. The following season was his most successful at the professional level. While batting .290 with the Class A Lansing Lugnuts, he was selected by the League managers to compete in Midwest League All-Star Game, playing alongside and against many top draft selections. Coach Armstrong was among the league leaders in batting average and hits, and led the Lugnuts in most offensive categories while starting 118 games. He was named the 2005 Lansing Lugnuts' Offensive Most Valuable Player.

While playing under coach Scannell,  from 2001 to 2004, coach Armstrong set several single season and career records. In 2004, he was selected as SCAC Player of the Year, West Region Player of the Year, and First Team All-American shortstop. That same season, coach Armstrong set the school’s single season record for hits (90), doubles (20), and triples (6). Coach Armstrong’s career total 281 hits ranks him first all time at Trinity, as well as 2nd in conference.

In June 2009, coach Armstrong will join the coaching staff of the Brewster Whitecaps of the Cape Cod League where he will serve as the teams infield coach and assistant hitting coach.

Assistant Coach Zach Fregosi

Zach Fregosi is entering his first year as a coach with the Trinity University Tigers.

Coach Fregosi finished his playing career with the Tigers in 2008 as a senior captain on the team. In his final year, he hit .333 and helped lead the Tigers to a SCAC Championship and a NCAA Division III West Region Finals Appearance.

As a thee-year starter, coach Fregosi was a member of two SCAC Championship teams and played in two NCAA regionals in his four year career under head coach Tim Scannell.

He joins the Tigers coaching staff as the catchers coach and assistant batting coach.

Coach Fregosi graduated from Trinity in 2008, with a degree in business administration and finance.