by European Baseball Coaches Association
The 8th EBCA Convention will take place in Prague, November 11 to 13. During the event, the pitching topics will mostly be covered by Derek Johnson, Associate Head Coach at Vanderbilt University. Last year, in Nashville, he presented a topic at the ABCA Convention with his most notorious student, Tampa Bay Rays’ ace, David Price.
Experience: 10th Season at Vanderbilt
Honors: * 2004 National Pitching Coach of the Year *
Alma Mater: Eastern Illinois ’94
Derek Johnson is in his 10th year as a coach at Vanderbilt and his second as Associate Head Coach. Johnson has spent the last nine seasons as the Commodores pitching coach and is regarded as one of the top teachers in collegiate baseball.
In 2010 Johnson was named the ABCA/Baseball America Assistant Coach of the Year.
On his watch, 34 pitchers have been drafted including 28 over the last six years and 8 in 2011.
Before he came to Vanderbilt, Johnson spent four years as pitching coach at Stetson. During that time his teams won one Atlantic Sun Conference championship (2000) and earned two NCAA Tournament berths (2000 and 2001).
He began coaching at Eastern Illinois in 1994, one year after he was an All Mid-Continent Conference pitcher at the school. In 1995 he was hired by Southern Illinois, where he worked for three years as a pitching coach. He also has had summer stints as manager of the Decatur Blues in the Central Illinois Collegiate League (1994-95) and pitching coach for the Anchorage Glacier Pilots (1996).
A native of Normal, Ill., Johnson is married to the former Tasha Huster. The couple has a seven-year old son, Teague, and a four-year old daughter, Taite.
Czech Republic to host 8th EBCA Convention
EBCA Convention Prague 2011 – Meet the Speakers – Jim Jones
