Jake Boss Jr. Position: Head Coach Experience: Second Year

Coverage of Jake Boss Jr. Introductory Press Conference:
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Jake Boss Jr. was appointed the 16th head coach in Michigan State baseball history on July 1, 2008, and took little time making his mark on the program as in his first season he guided the Green and White to its highest Big Ten finish and first trip to the Big Ten Tournament since 2004. A Lansing native with 18 years of coaching experience, including 14 at the collegiate level, Boss was named the 2008 Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year and led Eastern Michigan to the NCAA Regionals in his first year as a head coach. His successful season catapulted him to East Lansing, where he now directs the one program he has wanted to coach his entire career.

"I am extremely honored and humbled to be the head baseball coach at Michigan State University," said Boss. "When I started coaching at the collegiate level 14 years ago, my goal was to come back to East Lansing as head coach of the Spartan baseball program, and I am very excited for this opportunity."

Under Boss' direction in 2009, the Spartans won their most games at home (15) and matched their longest conference-game winning streak (7) in the past five seasons. The Spartans swept three Big Ten series in 2009 and took two of three games from intrastate rival Michigan for the first time since 2002.

With one of the top baseball facilities in the Midwest now in place with the opening of McLane Baseball Stadium at Kobs Field in March 2009, Boss and his staff are ready to lead Michigan State into becoming a consistent contender in the Big Ten Conference.

"I firmly believe Michigan State baseball is in a current position that will allow for success for years to come," Boss said. "The players that we have in place, combined with the new stadium project that was finished last season, have created an excitement around the program with significant momentum as we move into a new era of Spartan baseball.

"I believe in order to be successful and develop our players throughout their careers, we will focus on four main areas in each of their lives: academics and the effort to learn and graduate; character on and off the field; team philosophy and the effort and will to win; and career goals both at Michigan State University and beyond. Our players will play hard, compete, and most importantly, trust each other to be successful. We will build our program on relationships and a family atmosphere throughout our team consisting of both current and former players." Senior Eric Roof became the first Spartan to be drafted under Boss, as MSU's leading offensive player in 2009 was taken in the 18th round of the MLB First-Year Player Draft by the Detroit Tigers.

Boss' emphasis on academics led to the Spartans having 10 Academic All-Big Ten selections in 2009. Nolan Moody and Eli Boike also garnered ESPN The Magazine CoSIDA Academic All-District IV second team honors.

In just one season as head coach at EMU in 2008, Boss made an immediate impact, guiding the Eagles to their second consecutive MAC West Division crown and first NCAA Regional appearance since 2003. The Eagles swept through the MAC Tournament, winning all four games by a combined 21 runs, to notch the school's fourth tournament title. The conference title capped a remarkable turnaround, as Eastern Michigan - picked to finish fifth in the division - closed the season on a hot streak, claiming 25 of 40 games and earning a berth in the NCAA field.

For his efforts, Boss was selected the 2008 MAC Coach of the Year and made history by becoming just the second coach in league history to win the MAC Tournament and advance to the NCAA Tournament in his first season. Overall, the Eagles finished the season 15-8 in conference play and 25-34 overall. The Eagles were one of the top offensive teams in the MAC, ranking among the league leaders in hits (third with 615), home runs (fourth with 64), runs (fourth with 300) and RBI (fifth with 372).

Two Eagles, Josh Ivan and Matt Shoemaker, garnered All-MAC honors, while four players were named to the all-tournament team, including true freshman and tournament MVP Zach Leonard. In addition, four student-athletes were recognized on the Academic All-MAC team, second most of any school in the conference.

"Jake is committed to winning with integrity and understands the entire scope and impact Spartan baseball has on our community and the state of Michigan," said MSU Athletics Director Mark Hollis, who made Boss his first coaching hire. "He is committed to getting the best out of his student-athletes whether they are on the field, in the classroom, or preparing them to becoming contributing members of our society.

"Through his actions, Jake has earned the respect of high school and youth coaches, professional scouts, current and former players, and most everyone he comes into contact with. He has prepared himself well for this position and has enjoyed success as both an assistant and head coach. Most importantly, he wants to be a Spartan.

"The combination of naming Jake Boss as our head coach, the addition of our indoor pitching and hitting facility, and the completion of a 2,500-seat McLane Baseball Stadium demonstrates the commitment that our university and department have for our baseball program."

Boss is no stranger to postseason play, as he has coached in five of the last seven NCAA tournaments. Prior to being named head coach at Eastern Michigan, he was an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Michigan from 2004-07, as the Wolverines made NCAA Regional appearances all three seasons. Boss was a member of the staff that led the Wolverines to three straight 40-win campaigns, with a 42-19 record in 2005, a 43-21 mark in 2006 and a 42-19 finish in 2007. Michigan won the 2006 and 2007 Big Ten regular-season titles, and claimed an NCAA Regional title in 2007 by upsetting top-seeded Vanderbilt to advance to the school's first-ever Super Regional.

In addition to serving as the recruiting coordinator at Michigan, Boss handled the outfielders, catchers and assisted with the hitters. Boss mentored Wolverine catcher Jeff Kunkel, who was a finalist for the Johnny Bench Catcher of the Year Award in 2006. In addition, Michigan hit over .300 as a team all three of his years in Ann Arbor.

The 38-year old Boss was an assistant coach at Eastern Michigan for seven seasons (1997-2004) before coaching in Ann Arbor. During his stint as an assistant in Ypsilanti, Boss helped the Eagles to back-to-back MAC West Division championships in 2002 and 2003. In 2003, the Eagles also won the conference tournament title while advancing to the NCAA Regional. Working mostly with catchers, infielders and hitters, the Eagles set several team records under Boss' direction, including home runs with 95 in 2002. The 2002 squad ranked ninth in the nation in homers and 10th in slugging percentage.

Throughout his career, Boss has worked with 29 players who have advanced to the professional ranks, including 2004 All-American and second-round draftee Brian Bixler, who is currently on the active roster for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Boss has coached 24 players who have been drafted since his first Division I coaching job at EMU and has tutored eight All-Americans.

Boss began his collegiate coaching career in 1996 and 1997 as an assistant baseball coach at Iowa Central Community College in Ft. Dodge, Iowa. Both seasons the team advanced to the NJCAA World Series, including a runner-up finish in 1997. While at ICCC, he worked with three All-Americans, coached the catchers and outfielders and oversaw the academic services of the baseball team. He also served as an associate scout for the Atlanta Braves organization in 1996-97.

Boss started his coaching career as an assistant coach at Lakeview (Mich.) High School in 1994 before being named the head coach at Webberville (Mich.) High School in 1995.

Boss, who played baseball at Alma from 1989-93, earned his bachelor's degree in English in 1993. He completed his master's degree in physical education from Eastern Michigan in 2000.

An accomplished writer, Boss was co-author of a book, Dare to Hit .400, in the spring of 1998. He has been a member of the American Baseball Coaches Association since 1995.

Boss and his wife, Cheryl (Schiff), have two daughters, Abigail and Grace, and a son, Jacob.

THE JAKE BOSS JR. FILE

PREVIOUS COACHING EXPERIENCE: Assistant Coach at Lakeview (Mich.) High School (1994); Head Coach at Webberville (Mich.) High School (1995); Assistant Coach at Iowa Central Community College (1996-97); Assistant Coach at Eastern Michigan (1997-2004); Assistant Coach at Michigan (2005-07); Head Coach at Eastern Michigan (2008).

COACHING RECORD: 48-65 in two seasons.

EDUCATION: Bachelor's degree in English from Alma in 1993; master's degree in physical education from Eastern Michigan in 2000.

PLAYING EXPERIENCE: Four-year letterwinner at Alma (1989-93).

POSTSEASON EXPERIENCE: Head Coach - 2008 NCAA Regionals; Assistant Coach - 2003, 2005, 2006 NCAA Regionals, 2007 NCAA Super Regionals; 1996, 1997 NJCAA World Series.

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING ABOUT JAKE BOSS JR.

Michigan Head Baseball Coach Rich Maloney:
"Jake was outstanding for me in his three years at Michigan. We had good success when he was here and he played a role in that success. I also think he did a marvelous job at Eastern Michigan. How he kept his team together and how they fought back at the end of the season is a credit to him, it really was an amazing job. Being from Lansing, MSU was always his dream job. Even as an assistant for me, he had talked about the MSU position and it was quite evident it meant a lot to him. Jake is a person of integrity who has the background and the experience to be successful. We're so excited for him and this opportunity. He'll surround himself with good people who will do things the right way. I know he's ready for the challenge. There's no doubt that the program is headed in the right direction."

Colorado Rockies Scout Ed Santa:
"Jake has a good personality and is a solid recruiter. In coaching, it's all about recruiting, and Jake has proven himself over the years with connections all over the state of Michigan. He's level headed, a good teacher and players really respond to him. He really helps develop players. All of the players I've talked to that have worked with him only had good things to say. As a scout, when I see a player come into a program and when I see them leave a program, I want to see improvement at any level. I've seen that with Jake, and that's the sign of a good coach."

Cleveland Indians Hitting Instructor Bruce Fields:
"Jake Boss will bring a sense of purpose and integrity to the Michigan State baseball program. He's a great person - I've known him since he was a little boy and I was playing for his father at Lansing Everett. What he did at Eastern Michigan in one season speaks volumes. He preached the same, consistent message all season long and he never gave up. The kids believed in him and the end result was the team winning a conference championship and going to the NCAA Tournament. Jake makes younger players better. As a person, he rubs off on you in a good way. He grew up in Lansing and knows what it means to be with the Spartan program. He certainly knows what it takes to win and how to approach it with his players. He's just a solid human being, and I really believe he'll do wonders for the Michigan State program."

Dearborn Divine Child Head Coach Tony DeMare:
"Jake Boss will represent an exciting and successful era for Michigan State baseball. He knows the state of Michigan real well, and has a unique ability to find talent, then develop it. He's a good instructor and teacher of the game. He's an up front and honest coach - anyone who has played or coached with him realizes he not only has a great impact on his players, but on the game itself."

Birmingham Brother Rice Head Coach Bob Riker:
"I'm real excited for Jake - I think it's a great hire for Michigan State. Jake is one of the most organized people I've come across, especially in recruiting. He's great at knowing who the players are. One of his strongest attributes is that he treats his players the right way and builds a good relationship."

Eastern Michigan Athletics Director Dr. Derrick Gragg:
"I want to thank Jake Boss for his hard work and dedication. He stabilized our program during the past year and helped our student-athletes become champions. We certainly wish Jake all the best in the future."