The remarkable success of the Georgia Gwinnett College baseball program has created a pipeline to the next level for its players and its assistant coaches under the leadership of Head Coach Jeremy Sheetinger.

That development curve had three members of the Grizzlies' 2025 coaching staff earning full-time positions:

• Ford Ladd, the pitching coach, is now on the pitching staff at Penn State University, a NCAA Division I team from the Big Ten Conference. He returned to GGC in 2025 after assisting in areas of analytics and pitching development for the program's 2021 national championship team.
• Dale Carey, the team's first base coach last spring during a two-year stint in Lawrenceville, is now an assistant athletic director at Marist High School (Georgia).
• Bailey Coleman, a volunteer coach last spring, is returning to his alma mater at LaGrange College (Georgia).

Previously, former assistant Tommy Goodale was an assistant coach at LSU Eunice in 2025 after being a member of the coaching staff at Murray State University (Kentucky).

"The time at home during the COVID pandemic shutdown allowed us to reevaluate and think outside of the box on coaching development that could benefit our program," said Sheetinger, who completed his sixth season in the Grizzlies' dugout – with five Avista NAIA World Series appearances. "We felt like at GGC, we were uniquely positioned to invite in those who are willing to serve our players, have a growth mindset, and want to be challenged to learn how to coach this game. We provide a training environment in our program that's a true win-win situation for everyone involved."

The coach added: "We wanted to build a coaching pipeline that helps Ford, Dale and Tommy, along with others, to achieve their career coaching and personal goals with the G-Claw standing proudly on their resume. We've become a breeding ground for future coaching rock stars in our sport."

Each assistant coach was familiar with the GGC program after being associated with teams that faced the Grizzlies, had a former high school teammate that played for the Green and Gray, or followed the program on social media. While several assistant coaches have come from Georgia, Ben Krueger came from the Pacific Northwest, Goodale from the Midwest, and Ladd from the Southwest. Current assistant and recruiting coordinator Ryan Terrill came from the mid-Atlantic region.

Each of these coaches earned an appreciation for the program, Sheetinger, Georgia Gwinnett College, and NAIA baseball through their work in the GGC dugout and seeing the values and character of GGC student-athletes, coaches and athletic staff members.

Carey noted, "The most important things that I've learned for my development as a coach was how to get comfortable with the uncomfortable and how to have tough conversations with people but let them know it's coming from a place of care and love. Also, I learned how to be consistent, not only as a coach but as a person."

Coleman added, "You don't know what kind of coach you are until you stand in front of your guys after getting beat three games in a row and give them a trajectory moving forward. Everyone can coach when you win, but when you lose, that's the essence of coaching."

Ladd remarked, "For future volunteers and potential GGC volunteers, say yes to anything and everything, knowing that you will fail. The failure-free culture at GGC is very real. Put yourself in situations you aren't comfortable in."

Ben Krueger arrived on campus shortly after the Grizzlies captured the 2021 NAIA national championship and used the experience on Sheetinger's coaching staff to become the head coach at Yakima Valley Community College (Washington).

"I saw an opportunity to join an elite college baseball coaching tree and to learn from some of the brightest minds in the game," said Krueger about working alongside Sheetinger. "Georgia Gwinnett brought meaning and purpose to my life and prepared me to lead my own program at Yakima Valley College. It opened my eyes to the impact (coaches) have on our guys and inspired me to provide the same opportunities for young coaches who aspire to do the same."

Goodale has taken lessons learned from working with Sheetinger to his career stops at Murray State (NCAA Division 1) and LSU Eunice (junior college).

"GGC taught me what it meant to be a part of a healthy staff, to work for and around people that have contagious energy, and to have a love for life. That confirmed for me the work ethic and empathy that's needed to be an effective and impactful coach," said Goodale.

Krueger added, "We are here to serve our players and ensure their success is at the forefront of everything we do. These opportunities are far and few between and do not come without an incredible amount of sacrifice and dedication."

The GGC program has posted a 279-52 record in Sheetinger's six seasons, including the 2021 NAIA national championship. The 2025 team had a 56-7 record, advanced to the semifinal round of the Avista NAIA World Series and was ranked No. 2 in the final NAIA Top 25 poll.