Following the retirement of former head baseball coach Ed Piazza and his subsequent hiring at Rocky River, Elyria was looking for its first coach in 12 years.
The Pioneers turned to a familiar face, tapping Jordan Connell to lead a talented group of ballplayers in the spring of 2023. His contract was approved by the board of education Nov. 2.
“We are looking forward to Coach Connell leading our team,” Elyria Athletic Director Heather Beck said. “He
was well-received by the players last year as an Assistant Coach. He brings great experience and
knowledge to the program.”
Connell was a former All-Ohioan for Elyria on the gridiron and three-year player in the baseball program. He has served in coaching capacities for Elyria Catholic football and as an Elyria baseball assistant coach. Now, he gets his first crack at leading a high school varsity team.
“Seeing how Ed ran a program is everything,” Connell said. “He built something that wasn’t very good and built the foundation. He’s leaving me a great foundation and we have to build it now. We have to get the work in and want to get better every day.”
With expected returns from a solid senior class headlined by Nic Chernitsky and youthful starters like Isaac Ramos and Neeko Spicer, it’ll be a big year for the first-year skipper. Getting past late-season injuries that derailed a fast-start will certainly help in getting the most from the current group.
“We have a great returning group and a great group of seniors,” Connell said. “They really want to get to work and they’ve been contacting me, wanting to get back to work. It’s great knowing they’re willing to put the work in to be great this year.”
After Piazza gave a recommendation for Connell to lead the program following his retirement, the latter has been pleased to have the chance to continue building the Pioneer baseball program in the community and school he came up with.
“I kind of always knew coming out of high school I wanted to be a head coach and to take the coaching route,” he said, detailing some uncertainty around Piazza’s decision until the Amherst Summer Classic. “The day he retired, he called me and said he wanted to recommend me for the job. I was all in from that day. It’s perfect that it’s at the school I went to. I think it makes everything a little more sweet.”
“Being able to come back to the community I grew up in and give them the (same) guidance and leadership and love is everything.”
With a team that won a lot of games in its first season in the SWC, outside of a sweep by North Ridgeville, Connell knows the road will get tougher. Each team in the conference can’t be slept on, with Avon, Amherst and Avon Lake all making it to the district round and North Ridgeville, Midview and Olmsted Falls returning several starters.
Building on what he observed and learned from Piazza to keep Elyria competitive will be critical to maintaining the momentum built last year for Connell’s group.
“We have a rugged conference,” he said. “Every team that we play has a state championship pedigree. Knowing we didn’t lose or only lost one series last year was amazing. It was a lot about the team with Ed, and that’s something that starts the foundation.”
“You have to be team-first and that’s something that sticks with me. Without a team, you’ll never be successful. There’s certain ways you have to implement what you want to do and not change everything that’s made you successful, but adding your own spin to things and eventually it’ll be your culture.”
