Dan Davis

Sport: Baseball
Year: 3rd Season
Position: Head Coach

Dan Davis became the sixth head coach of the Truman baseball program on August 23, 2006, after having previously served as the pitching coach of the NCAA Division I Northern Iowa Panthers.

In his first campaign as a Bulldog, Davis led a young Bulldog squad to five MIAA wins, including a season-split with Washburn University.

Then, in 2008, Davis guided the Bulldogs to six conference victories and increases in team batting average, home runs, walk:strikeout ratio and stolen bases from his first year in 2007. The squad also picked up wins against rivals Quincy (Ill.) and Northwest Missouri State for the first time since 1998 and 2002 respectively.

Despite compiling just eight total wins in 2008, Davis’ squad was competitive throughout the season, as the team dropped nearly half of its contests by three or fewer runs.

Since taking the reins, Davis has also increased Truman’s level of competition, as the program now plays a full Division II schedule. 2009’s slate features four teams ranked in Collegiate Baseball Newspaper’s top-40 preseason poll, including three in the top-10.

Prior to arriving at Truman, Davis served as the pitching coach at Northern Iowa from 2001-2006. When he arrived at UNI, the team featured an ERA just under eight, but Davis helped that number drop over the years to a low of 4.63 in 2006 – the lowest mark since the school moved to the Division I level. That year, his pitching staff struck out over 400 hitters for only the third time in school history, twice with Davis as the pitching coach.

Other highlights at Northern Iowa include helping the team win the 2001 Missouri Valley Conference tournament and advance to the NCAA tournament for the first time. That year, Davis coached Nic Ungs, the MVC Pitcher of the Year and a second-team all-American. Davis also coached a freshman all-American pitcher in 2002. During his time at UNI, Davis coached nine pitchers who signed professional contracts. None of the nine were drafted out of high school before eventually advancing to the professional level.

Davis also has coaching experience from his alma mater – SIU-Carbondale – as well as the El Dorado Broncos and Independence Community College.

Davis pitched for SIU in 1994 and 1995, and, in his first year at the school, broke a school record for innings pitched and led the team in strikeouts. The next year, he led the team in strikeouts and ERA, and tied for the team-high in wins. Davis was awarded the James J. Mundo Spirit award after his senior season.

After his collegiate career, he played professionally in the Frontier league for two seasons with the Kalamazoo Kodiaks and the Newark Bison.

Davis graduated from SIU in 1995 with a Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science and received his Master’s degree in higher education and administration from the same school in 2000.

He and his wife, Heather, reside in Kirksville and are the proud parents of Dax Kadan, born on June 26, 2009.