Eleventh Season (328-173-1)
2003, 2006, 2007 & 2008 ABCA/Rawlings Northeast
Region Coach of the Year
2003, 2006, 2007 & 2008 NEIBA Division II Coach of the
Year
"Jayson King is one of the most respected
coaches in the Northeast, and scouts rave about his ability to
recruit and develop talent."
-- Baseball America, June 2007
Jayson King is in his 11th year as head coach of the Franklin Pierce baseball program.
In a short period of time, King has turned a struggling program
into a contender not only in the Northeast-10 Conference, but on a
regional and national level as well. His hard work has culminated
with five NCAA Tournament berths in the last six years, four NCAA
Division II Northeast regional titles and two ECAC Division II
Championships. Franklin Pierce captured both the Northeast-10
regular-season and tournament titles for the first time in program
history in 2007 on its way to program single-season records for
total wins (49-11) and conference victories (26-4).
Most recently, in 2008, King led the Ravens to a third-place finish in the Northeast-10 (20-10), but Franklin Pierce would excel in the postseason to capture their second straight Northeast-10 tournament title as well as their third consecutive NCAA regional title. The 43-15 record was good for third-best in program history and marked the third consecutive season the Ravens have topped the 40-win plateau.
The Ravens were not only a losing program before King arrived in the fall of 1998, but also one that lacked consistency, going through three coaches in the previous four years. However, things have changed in Rindge, as King has chalked up over twice as many wins as losses over the past four seasons, posting a 170-53 (.762) record since the start of the 2005 campaign. In that same time period, Franklin Pierce has rung up a 92-28 (.767) mark in Northeast-10 play.
The Ravens have broken or tied the program's single-season win record nine times during King's tenure, including their first 30-win campaign in 2002 and a program-best 49 victories in 2007. King has posted a 349-221-1 (.612) career record, which includes his two seasons at UMass-Boston before coming to Franklin Pierce. Entering 2009, he ranks 30th among active Division II coaches with his .612 career winning percentage.
In 2003, the Ravens claimed their first Northeast Region title and
advanced to the semifinal round of the Division II College World
Series, in Montgomery, Ala. The Ravens were the first baseball team
from the State of New Hampshire to reach the College World Series
at any of the NCAA's three divisions. In 2007, Franklin Pierce
hosted the Northeast Regional for the third straight year and
earned its third College World Series berth in five years.
King's efforts have not gone unnoticed, as he earned Northeast Region Coach of the Year honors by the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) as well as Division II Coach of the Year accolades by the New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association (NEIBA) in 2003, 2006, 2007 and 2008. In January 2007, the New York Professional Hot Stove League presented King with the Ralph DiLullo Award for "going above and beyond the call of duty" in assisting professional scouts with regards to the Franklin Pierce baseball program in gaining exposure for his players.
"Jayson King is one of the most respected coaches in the Northeast," said Baseball America in the June 2007 Draft Preview edition. "Scouts rave about his ability to recruit and develop talent."
Only Boston College (20) has produced more Major League Baseball draft picks since 2001 than Franklin Pierce under King's eye. In all, 14 Ravens have been taken in MLB's first-year player draft, beginning with Justin Blood, a ninth round pick by the Seattle Mariners in 2001. In 2002, Chris Shank was selected by the Oakland Athletics in the 23rd round, while Matt Weagle was the first Division II player drafted when the Saint Louis Cardinals picked him in the sixth round in 2003. Eric Cavers became the first position player to be drafted when the Houston Astros selected him in the tenth round in June 2005. Another position player, first baseman Dante Blancarte, was signed to a free agent deal by the Minnesota Twins that June, while lefthander, John Learson, played two years of independent league baseball before retiring at the end of the 2002 season.
In 2006, a program-record five players were chosen in the MLB
first year player draft, headlined by Garrett Olson who became the
highest draft pick in program history when the Minnesota Twins took
him in the fourth round. Two more Ravens signed professional
contracts, giving Franklin Pierce's 2006 squad a total of seven
members in professional baseball.
Franklin Pierce is now a regular in both the Collegiate Baseball magazine and National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Division II national polls. The Ravens were ranked seventh in the 2008 Collegiate Baseball preseason poll - its highest preseason rank in program history. The Ravens were ranked a program-high fourth in the final Collegiate Baseball poll of 2006.
King has built a program that has produced four All-Americans, including two first team selections, 26 All-Region performers and 49 All-Conference players, including a school-record 11 in 2006. Three have earned Conference Pitcher of the Year accolades with former left-hander Justin Blood claiming the honors in the New England Collegiate Conference (2000) and right-handers Chris Shank (2002) and Matt Weagle (2003) being selected in the Northeast-10. Catcher Eric Cavers became the program's first Conference Player of the Year in 2004, followed since by Bryan Duplissie (2005) and Garrett Olson (2006). Top recruit Scott Savastano earned NE-10 Freshman of the Year honors in 2006 as well.
Weagle also became the first player in the program's NCAA era to earn All-America honors as he was selected to the first team in 2003 and also earned the first ABCA/Rawlings Northeast Region Pitcher of the Year award in program history. Cavers earned first team All-America status by both the ABCA and Baseball America in 2004 after also becoming the first ABCA/Rawlings Northeast Region Player of the Year in program history in 2004. Olson followed by becoming the program's first two-time All-American, including a first team nod in 2006 after also being the consensus Northeast Region Player of the Year.
King made a good impression his first season in 1999 when he led
the Ravens, who were 8-22 the year before, to 17 wins. That total
was the most wins the program had posted since moving to the NCAA
Division II level in 1989.
The 2000 season produced the program's first postseason appearance and winning record in its NCAA history. Franklin Pierce posted a 21-19-1 clip (9-3 New England Collegiate Conference) and was invited to the ECAC Division II Tournament.
In 2001, Franklin Pierce was 25-22 despite playing just eight games (producing a 7-1 record) at home due to a long snow season. The Ravens made their first-ever appearance in the Northeast-10 Tournament and saw time in the NEIBA Division II poll on a regular basis. The Ravens also etched their names into the NCAA Division II record books, as Blood posted a 20-strikeout performance (one shy of the Division II record) that also placed Franklin Pierce among the top single-game strikeout performances in Division II history.
In 2002, the Franklin Pierce surge continued, posting the first 30-win campaign in program history, with a 31-17 overall mark. The Ravens also boasted the second-best record in NE-10 play with a program-best 22-10 clip.
After a disappointing first-round exit in its second-straight
NE-10 Tournament appearance, the Ravens rebounded by claiming its
first championship of any kind as they swept Westminster (Pa.)
College in the ECAC Division II Championship series. The Ravens
accepted the ECAC bid only after narrowly missing out on the first
NCAA Tournament berth in program history as they were ranked fifth
in the final Northeast Region rankings after peaking at No. 3
earlier in the season.
King put Franklin Pierce on the national map in 2003, leading the program to a 32-17 mark and its first NCAA Tournament appearance. The Ravens also posted an 18-9 Conference record to capture its first NE-10 Markey Division title before advancing to the NE-10 Championship game for the first time in program history.
Though the Ravens fell to UMass Lowell in the Conference Championship, they exacted revenge a week later as the No. 3 seed in the NCAA Northeast Regional. Franklin Pierce went a perfect 3-0 at the Regional, capped by a 5-3 victory over the top-seeded and host River Hawks, to advance to the College World Series.
At the World Series, Franklin Pierce posted wins over No. 6 Slippery Rock University and No. 9 UC Davis, with its two losses coming to Co-No. 1's Central Missouri State and Tampa, who would square-off for the National Championship. The Ravens win over UC Davis was the first ever by a Northeast Region Champion over a West Region title holder in Division II World Series history.
In 2004, Franklin Pierce again won a school-record 32 games,
including a program-record 23 in Conference play, finishing a
half-game out of first place in the NE-10 standings. However, the
Ravens again narrowly missed out on an NCAA Tournament bid and were
relegated to the ECAC Championship, claiming their second title in
three years with a two games to one series victory over Wilmington
(Del.) College.
King played a vital role in the fundraising and construction efforts of Dr. Arthur and Martha Pappas Field, the new home of Franklin Pierce baseball, which opened in 2005. The EdelGrass surface field is the first of its kind in the United States used solely for baseball. The field also possesses permanent seating, dugouts and bullpens along with a state-of-the art press facility.
King is no stranger to rebuilding programs. In 1996, he inherited a program at UMass-Boston that was in shambles and two years later led the Division III Beacons to a school record for wins. In addition to his time at UMass-Boston, King has served as a graduate assistant coach at Springfield College.
King coached the Bourne Braves of the Cape Cod Baseball League for three years. He spent two years as an assistant and a year as the head coach in what is considered the premier summer college league in the country. During King's year as head coach, the Braves made the playoffs.
King was also responsible for recruiting the team in his final season with Bourne and showed his eye for talent by landing several players who would go on to be selected in Major League Baseball's free agent draft. One of his former players at Bourne, David DeJesus is the starting centerfielder for the Kansas City Royals.
King has served on the NCAA Division II Northeast Region advisory committee, and is also a member of the American Baseball Coaches Association, serving as the Northeast Region representative for the Collegiate Baseball Division II Coaches Poll.
King is a 1993 graduate of Framingham (Mass.) State College and was a four-year letter winner for the Rams baseball team. He earned his Master's Degree in physical education from Springfield College in 1996.
A native of Canton, Mass., King currently resides in nearby Westminster, Mass., with his wife, Missy, daughter, Catherine (8), and son, Justin (6).
| Overall | Conference | ||||||
| Year | W | L | T | W | L | T | Highlights |
|
Franklin Pierce | |||||||
| 2008 | 43 | 15 | - | 20 | 10 | - | College World Series NCAA Northeast Region Champions NE-10 Tournament Champions |
| 2007 | 49 | 11 | - | 26 | 4 | - | College World Series NCAA Northeast Region Champions NE-10 Regular Season & Tournament Champions |
| 2006 | 46 | 13 | - | 25 | 5 | - | College World Series semifinalist NCAA Northeast Region Champions NE-10 Regular Season Champions |
| 2005 | 32 | 14 | - | 21 | 9 | - | NCAA Tournament - Regional
finalists NE-10 Tournament Champions |
| 2004 | 32 | 23 | - | 23 | 8 | - | ECAC Division II Champions |
| 2003 | 32 | 17 | - | 18 | 9 | - | College World Series semifinalist NCAA Northeast Region Champions NE-10 Markey Division Champions |
| 2002 | 31 | 17 | - | 22 | 10 | - | ECAC Division II Champions |
| 2001 | 25 | 22 | - | 18 | 14 | - | Northeast-10 Tournament |
| 2000 | 21 | 19 | 1 | 9 | 3 | - | ECAC Division II Tournament |
| 1999 | 17 | 22 | - | 5 | 13 | - | |
| Franklin Pierce Totals (10 yrs) | 328 | 173 | 1 | 187 | 85 | 0 | .653 Overall / .688 Conference |
|
UMass-Boston | |||||||
| 1998 | 13 | 21 | - | 5 | 9 | - | Program record for wins |
| 1997 | 8 | 26 | - | 2 | 12 | - | |
|
UMass-Boston (Two Years) | 21 | 47 | 0 | 7 | 21 | 0 | .309 overall / .250 Conference |
| Career (12 yrs) | 349 | 220 | 1 | 194 | 106 | 0 | .613 overall / .647 Conference |
