Dedication and passion are two words that can be used to describe Brent Shade, who is entering his fourth season mentoring Mercer’s pitching staff and his second as the Bears’ recruiting coordinator. 

Shade, who spent the previous four years in a similar duel role at Furman, joined Mercer’s staff for his first season in 2009.

Under his guidance, the Orange and Black’s pitching staff has grown by leaps and bounds in his first two years. The quality of player signing with Mercer has also greatly improved, with his recruiting classes ranking among the best in the competitive southeast region.  

2011 was Shade’s best year yet in command of a Mercer pitching staff that had its best collective season since the early 80’s. Mercer not only finished first in the Atlantic Sun Conference in team ERA (3.58) and second in strikeouts (452), it ranked 52nd and 32nd in the nation in each respective statistic. Mercer’s 3.58 ERA at the end of the 2011 campaign ranked as the fourth lowest team ERA in program history. Under Shade’s guidance, junior Brandon Love was selected to the A-Sun All-Conference first team while DJ Johnson and Brandon Barker were named A-Sun All-Freshman selections. Shade also saw his second pitcher drafted while in Macon, when senior Justice French was selected in the 25th round of the 2011 MLB Draft by the Cincinnati Reds.

In 2010, Shade managed one of the best pitching staffs in the conference, utilizing a young but talented group of hurlers. The Bears posted a team 5.76 ERA in 2010, ranking third in the conference and 124^th in the nation. The 5.76 ERA was the lowest mark posted by the Orange and Black since the 2007 season. Using Shade’s aggressive approach on the mound, Mercer ranked in the Top-100 nationally in three more statistical categories including 7.1 strikeouts per nine innings (99^th), 10.4 hits allowed per nine innings (99^th) and just 3.4 walks allowed per nine innings (79^th).    

The Bears improved pitching was never more evident than in the 2010 Atlantic Sun Tournament. Mercer pitching allowed just 12 runs throughout the entire tournament, the fewest by a champion since FAU allowed only 11 runs in four contests in 2004. Individually, two of Shade’s recruits in freshman David Teasley and Matt McCall were rewarded for their individual accomplishments by being named to the 2010 A-Sun All-Freshman team. 

Shade’s first season at Mercer was marked with progress both on and off the field. Under Shade’s guidance, the Mercer pitching staff finished seventh in the Atlantic Sun with a team ERA of 6.39. Shade also came through big time off the field, bringing in a stellar 2010 recruiting class that should help keep Mercer among the A-Sun’s elite for years to come. Shade also produced his first draftee at Mercer when senior starter Dan April was taken in the 39^th round of the 2009 MLB Draft by the Tampa Bay Rays.

Before coming to Macon, Shade helped guide the Paladins to school-record 33 wins in 2008 as Furman finished third in the regular season in the competitive Southern Conference. During the Toledo, Ohio, native’s tenure in Greenville, S.C., the Paladins topped the 30-win plateau three times – which has only happened a total of five times in school history.

Under Shade’s leadership in 2008, the Furman pitching staff issued the fewest number of walks in the SoCon for the fifth consecutive season. Two hurlers from that team are currently in the minor leagues as junior right-hander Jay Jackson was selected in the ninth round of the MLB Draft by the Chicago Cubs while senior right-hander Mason Smith graduated and signed a free agent contract with Washington Nationals.

As pitching coach, Shade played an integral part in Furman’s 2005 SoCon Tournament championship and NCAA Tournament campaign that included victories over nationally 18th-ranked College World Series participant Tennessee, and a pair of victories over South Carolina for the program’s first regular-season sweep of the Gamecocks since 1953. In 2006 Furman, recorded the SoCon’s third-best ERA (4.45), matched a then-school record with 32 wins and finished third in the regular conference standings.

In 2007, another Shade student, right-hander Matt Klinker, headlined Furman’s pitching staff and was selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the 15th round of the Major League Draft.

Prior to arriving at Furman in 2005, Shade served as pitching coach at Heidelberg (Ohio) College for two seasons, helping the Student Princes to a 64-26 record, including a 2003 Ohio Athletic Conference regular- season crown and 2004 OAC Tournament title. The 2004 squad also made the school’s first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division III Tournament.

“Brent will not only add to our program on the field but he also has a firm grasp of our academic environment,” added Gibson. “He understands the academic profile of our student-athletes and the importance we place on that area. We are certainly excited about the future of our pitching staff in Brent’s hands.”

Shade played at Missouri Valley College and lettered three seasons as a starting pitcher. He transferred to Defiance (Ohio) College, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business management. He was awarded an MBA from Heidelberg in 2004.

Brent Shade at a Glance: