Baseball
2007 Coaching Staff

Head Coach Tim Scannell

Entering his ninth season as head coach of the Tigers, Tim Scannell has elevated the Trinity University baseball program to unprecedented heights. Scannell's list of accomplishments is headlined by the emergence of Trinity baseball on the national scene.

Prior to Scannell's tenure, TU had a ten-year record of 172-203 and had been ranked nationally only once. After six full seasons, Coach Scannell's career record stands at 198-72. He is currently the sixth all-time winningest coach at the NCAA Division III level.

Since Scannell's inaugural season in 1999, Trinity has been ranked in the top ten ABCA national coaches poll four of his six years at the helm. The 2004 team was ranked as high as 3rd in the nation. Scannell has led the Tigers to the NCAA Division III West Regionals three times in the past five years. In 2002 and 2004 occasions, the Tigers fell short in the West Region championship game, leaving them one game away from the Division III College World Series. 

Coach Scannell is a three-time Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Coach of the Year (1999, 2004, 2006) and has tied or set the school record for wins in a season on four occasions. In 1999, his Tigers tied the school record for wins with 33. Two years later they broke that record with a 35 win season. In 2002, they set a new single season record for wins with 37 and went to the schools first ever NCAA Division III Regional. The Tigers matched that feat again in 2004 with yet another 37-win season and another NCAA regional appearance. Scannell has led the baseball program to seven 30-plus win seasons in his first eight years as head coach, and served on the West Region Selection Committee from 2001-2004.

Coach Scannell has coached one GTE Academic All-American and two Verizon Academic All- Americans. Scannell has also had the privilege to coach seven ABCA All-Americans and 24 ABCA All-West Region players. In his six seasons in the SCAC, he has coached two Conference Players of the Year and three Conference Pitchers of the Year. Four Trinity players have been offered contracts with Major League teams, including last season's Jason Armstrong, a 25th round draft pick of the Toronto Blue Jays. 

Under Scannell's tutelage, Trinity has been ranked in eight top ten NCAA Division III offensive categories in 1999, 2000, 2002 and 2004. He also led the 2002 pitching staff to miniscule 2.26 ERA, which led all levels of NCAA baseball that year.  In 2004, he led the Tigers to a school record for home runs.

Scannell spent the summer of 1999 as an assistant coach for the Cape Cod League Champion Cotuit Kettleers. Scannell 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 University, where he captained the baseball team his junior and senior year. Scannell also spent two seasons playing in the prestigious Cape Cod League for the Harwich Mariners and the Cotuit Kettleers.

Scannell is a native of South Weymouth, Mass., and attended Xaverian Brothers High School in Westwood, Mass. Along with his wife Christa the Scannell's have two son's, Matthew (3) and TJ (1). The family resides in San Antonio, TX.

Dave Smith is in his sixth year as the Trinity baseball pitching coach, following a standout career with the Tigers in which he compiled a 24-7 career record.  His 3.86 career ERA is also the best in school history since joining the SCAC in 1992. 

Always a steady performer, his breakout season was 2002 where he anchored the Trinity pitching staff that boasted the lowest ERA in the country (2.26).  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. 

Since taking over as the pitching coach in 2003 the Tiger Pitching staff has led the SCAC in ERA four of the five years and in strike outs every year since 2004.  Twice pitchers have been named conference pitcher of the year and the staff total of 464 strikeouts in 2004 was the 5^th highest DIII total of all time. 

In addition to his pitching coach duties, Smith is the Director of Accounting at Sanger and Altgelt - an insurance and risk management company.  He currently resides in San Antonio.   

Assistant Coach J.C. Bunch

JC Bunch is entering his 2^nd season as the Tigers hitting coach.  Bunch hopes to bring back the aggressive mentality at the plate that the Tigers had while he played.  He currently holds the Trinity record for highest average, .475, and shares the career home run record with two others.

He was named to the All-West Region teams from 1998-2000.  In 2007, he was named to the SCAC 15^th 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 BS 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.

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

Assistant Coach Eric Samulski

Eric Samulski is entering his First year as an assistant coach, following a four-year career as a First-Baseman with the Tigers. 

Always a solid performer and a valuable member of the team, Eric finally solidified his spot as a fixture in the line-up during the second half of the 2007 season. However, he finished his career on the sidelines, when a hamstring injury cut short his playoff performance after hitting .500 over the final week of the regular season and playoffs, and being named runner-up for SCAC Player of the Week. For the season, Eric hit .270 and finished his career with a .325 On-Base Percentage and a .985 Fielding Percentage.

Eric represented Trinity Baseball away from San Antonio as well, putting up solid numbers while playing in the Mountain Athletic Collegiate League and Florida Collegiate League after his freshman year. The next summer, he and three other Trinity players, played in the Boise Summer League where Eric caught and hit .280 with 3 HRs, 17 RBIs and a .455 OBP in 27 games, while leading the league in put-outs and runners caught stealing.

Samulski decided to come back to the team as a coach to help Trinity achieve what had been his class’ ultimate goal: winning a National Championship. During his four years at Trinity, the team won two conference championships and went to two regionals, once coming a game away from the World Series. Eric believes that he can help the team get to that elusive game and bring home the championship he was unable to win as a player.

In addition to his on-field coach duties, Samulski is currently serving as Director of Operations for the Tigers, organizing player recruitment and setting up visits. He resides in San Antonio, but was born and raised in New York City.