BROOKINGS – South Dakota State University baseball coach Rob Bishop has announced the addition of Connor Faix as the program’s pitching coach.
“I’m excited to add Connor to our coaching staff,” Bishop said. “He brings great experience, but more importantly he brings a ton of energy and enthusiasm for Jackrabbit baseball.”
Faix spent the previous two seasons as the pitching coach at Akron, which reinstated its baseball program in 2020. He began his collegiate coaching run at Oberlin College in the fall of 2017, followed by a stint at North Iowa Area Community College in the spring of 2018. The following summer he served as an associate scout with the Colorado Rockies organization.
In 2019, Faix moved on to Mercyhurst University in Erie, Pennsylvania, where he helped guide the Lakers to an Atlantic Super Regional title and a berth in the NCAA Division II College World Series. Mercyhurst went 2-2 in the national championship tournament, finishing the year with a 36-16 overall record. The Mercyhurst pitching staff struck out 536 batters over 409.1 innings, good for an 11.8 strikeouts per nine innings pitched average, which ranked second nationally.
Additionally, two of Faix’s pitchers – Tyler Garbee and Matthew Minnick – were selected in the 2019 MLB Draft, taken in the 19th and 23rd rounds, by the Cincinnati Reds and New York Yankees, respectively. Both pitchers hurled no-hitters during the season, making Mercyhurst the only Division II team to toss multiple no-hitters during the 2019 campaign.
Faix accepted his first Division I coaching position in the fall of 2019 at Campbell University, where his stint lasted only 16 games as the bulk of the 2020 season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Throughout his coaching career, Faix has worked with 11 pitchers who have been drafted or signed by Major League baseball teams.
A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Faix is a 2017 graduate of Case Western Reserve University, where he graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s of science degree in finance.
South Dakota State finished the 2022 season with a 22-23 overall record. The Jackrabbits posted a 13-9 record in Summit League play, earning a spot in the league’s four-team postseason tournament.
