Zeke Pinkham  |  Assistant Coach/ Recruiting Coordinator

In July 2024, Zeke Pinkham was named an Assistant Coach for the Golden Flashes program, bringing a wealth of experience from his four-year tenure at Georgia Tech. Pinkham, who will primarily work with the team’s hitters and catchers, is also the team’s recruiting coordinator.

During his time at Georgia Tech, Pinkham played a pivotal role in the Yellow Jackets’ success. In his 4 years, Georgia Tech made three NCAA Tournament appearances, including a strong showing in 2021 when the team won the ACC Coastal Division title. A key element of Pinkham’s success was his ability to develop and mentor elite players, with 18 draft picks and five free-agent signings emerging during his four-year stint.

Among the most notable of his protégés is Kevin Parada, a 2022 Buster Posey Award winner, Johnny Bench Award winner, and a 1st Team All-American. Parada was drafted 11th overall in the 2022 MLB Draft by the New York Mets, marking Parada as one of the many draftees under Pinkham. Of the 18 players drafted under his watch, 15 were selected in the top 10 rounds, and two—Justyn Henry-Malloy and Brant Hurter—have already made their Major League Baseball debuts.

Before his time in Atlanta, Pinkham worked as the graduate assistant at his alma mater, the University of Louisville. Working with the catchers and assisting with the hitters, he mentored standout players such as Henry Davis, the 2021 MLB Draft’s No. 1 overall pick, and Dalton Rushing, a second-round pick and a top prospect within the Los Angeles Dodgers organization.

With Matthew Ellis signing a free agent contract with the Seattle Mariners in 2024, In Pinkham’s 5 years of coaching he has worked with two first-round draft picks, a second-round pick, and a free agent signee, all of whom were catchers.

As a student-athlete at Louisville from 2016 to 2019, he contributed to two College World Series appearances in 2017 and 2019. He was also named team captain of the 2019 squad, a season in which he posted his best performance at the plate, finishing second on the team in batting average (.324). In addition to his career best season, Pinkham was named All-Regional in the 2019 Louisville Regional, where he helped propel the Cardinals to their highest finish in program history.

Pinkham is a native of Elizabethtown, KY and earned his bachelor’s degree in Sports Administration in 2019. He lives in Kent with his wife Erin. His wife Erin was national Gatorade player of the year for women’s basketball in 2016. Following that she played collegiately at Notre Dame & Oregon. She was a starter on Oregon’s 2019 Final Four team.

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING ABOUT ZEKE PINKHAM:

“Zeke Pinkham is a shining star in the college baseball coaching ranks. He has a tremendous baseball IQ and the knowledge and work ethic to enhance the great history and tradition of Kent State Baseball. He is a winner!”

- Danny Hall – Head Coach – Georgia Tech – Kent State Baseball Hall of Fame ‘05

 

“Zeke is one of the rising stars in college baseball coaching. He was a great leader, captain and catcher on our 2017 and 2019 College World Series teams. He is a tireless worker, and I’ve always loved his competitiveness and desire to win. He did great things during his time on staff at Georgia Tech and I’m confident he will continue to excel at Kent State” 

- Dan McDonnell – Head Coach – University of Louisville

 

“I had the pleasure to work with Zeke at Georgia Tech. He is committed to helping grown the student – athletes as people and baseball players. He has a wealth of knowledge when it comes to baseball, catching especially, but the most impressive thing is he always had a passion to learn more and pass that along to the players. Being around Zeke made me want to work harder because I knew he was putting the time and effort into making the program better.” 

- Matt Wieters – 12-year MLB Veteran – 4X All – Star – 2X Gold Glove winner

 

“Zeke was instrumental in my development not only as a player but as a person as well. His leadership was always that of what we strive for as players. He always set the bar high and never asked others to do something that he didn’t already do himself. I am proud to see him take the same lessons and character he taught me, to the players he will be coaching. I could not be more confident that Zeke will be successful in his coaching career.”

- Henry Davis – Pittsburgh Pirates Catcher – 2021 #1 overall pick MLB Draft

 

“I had the opportunity to be teammates with Zeke for one year at Louisville. I knew right away that he was up for any challenge thrown his way. He’s a fighter and knows how to put in the work to make himself better and his teammates better. He knows what is takes to win, and there’s no question in my mind he will have a successful coaching career. Kent State is lucky to have him, and will be a better program with him there.” 

- Will Smith – Los Angeles Dodgers Catcher