Tempe, Ariz. – Arizona State softball head coach Megan Bartlett has added world-champion pitcher and New Zealand native, Jeremy Manley as an assistant coach to her staff. Manley will join current assistant coach Jimmy Kolaitis who will begin his third season in Tempe.
"I'm thrilled that both Coach Kolaitis and Coach Manley will join me in leading the Sun Devil softball program. I'm grateful to our administration for allowing me to go after my dream staff," head coach Megan Bartlett said. "Both of these coaches have decades of experience competing and coaching at an elite level which will be invaluable as we continue to chase Pac-12 Championships and National Championships. I'm most excited for how they mentor and lead young women."
For the past three seasons, Manley was Ball State's pitching coach and he made an immediate impact on the staff in his first season, as his staff led the Mid-American Conference and ranked 37th nationally with a 2.22 team ERA during the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season. The effort helped the Cardinals amass an 18-9 record. Over the 27 games, Ball State's pitchers struck out 149 batters to rank second in the MAC, with the 6.02 strikeouts per seven innings ranking as the fourth-best average in program history.
Bartlett and Manley spent the 2020 season on the Ball State coaching staff together, where they lead the team to a 18-9 record in a shortened COVID-19 year.
"My family and I are beyond excited to join Coach Bartlett and Coach Kolaitis in Tempe," said Manley. "The opportunity to be a part of the Sun Devil softball program with its rich history of excellence and success is a dream come true, Forks Up!"
His tutelage helped freshman pitcher Deborah Jones lead the conference and rank 66th nationally with her 1.63 ERA. It was the fourth-lowest ERA in a season for a freshman in program history and ties at the third lowest ERA for a BSU pitcher in the 21st century.
His training also helped senior Alyssa Rothwell successfully transition from closer back to a starting role. The Ball State and MAC all-time leader in career saves at 28 over her first three seasons, Rothwell was just as dominant at the beginning of games in 2020, ranking second in the MAC and 87th nationally with a 1.79 ERA.
Combined, Ball State's four pitchers allowed just 55 earned runs over their 173.1 innings of work, while holding opposing batters to a .243 average. They also combined for four shutouts on the year and held opponents to three-or-fewer runs in 16 games.
Prior to joining the Ball State staff, Manley was an assistant at Kansas for the 2019 season. Before joining the Jayhawks, Manley already had a track record of coaching success in the Mid-American Conference, helping develop one of the most dominating pitching staffs in conference history at Ohio from 2017-18.
Ohio's offensive coordinator during his two-year stint in Athens, Manley also assisted with the pitching staff which produced a 1.98 ERA in 2017 and led the league with 541 strikeouts, 201 more than any other program in the conference. His second season was no different, as the Bobcats produced a 2.51 ERA which was second in the MAC, trailing only Ball State's 2.48 mark. Ohio's pitchers once again led the MAC in strikeouts in 2018, fanning 410 batters.
Ohio registered an 82-35 overall record during his time on staff, including winning the 2018 MAC regular season and tournament championships to earn a berth in the 2018 NCAA Knoxville Regional. The 2017 Bobcats recorded the first 40-win season in program history (42-18), while the 2018 squad earned the second (40-17). The 2018 team also claimed the first two NCAA regional wins in program history with a 4-0 shutout over Monmouth and a 7-3 victory over James Madison.
On offense, he helped the Bobcats set program records for hits (452) and doubles (90) during the 2017 season, as well as produce the second-most runs scored (269) and RBIs (246). In 2018, his batters slugged a program-record 57 home runs and produced a .317 batting average in MAC play.
Along with the team accolades, Manley worked with a pair of MAC Pitchers of the Year in Savannah Jo Dorsey and Danielle Stiene. Ohio's student-athletes also earned 11 All-MAC and 13 Academic All-MAC honors during Manley's two seasons, while the coaching staff was named the 2018 NFCA Division I Mideast Regional Coaching Staff of the Year.
Prior to his arrival at Ohio, Manley was a volunteer assistant at Illinois for the 2015 season where he worked with both the offense and pitching staff. Before joining the NCAA Division I coaching ranks, Manley served as a coach and pitching instructor in New Zealand and Central Illinois, ranging from private individual lessons to high school and junior college level coaching.
Manley was a World Champion pitcher as an athlete, leading the New Zealand Men's National Team, also known as the Black Sox, to the International Softball Federation Men's Fastpitch World Series title in 2013. For his efforts in the circle, Manley earned the Kevin Herlihy Memorial Trophy for Most Valuable Pitcher, the only individual honor awarded at the event. The world championship followed a second-place finish at the 2009 ISF Men's World Series.
A Black Sox member since 2006, Manley was named Softball New Zealand Pitcher of the Year four times (2006, 2010, 2011, 2013) and played in tournaments in Japan, Australia, Argentina, Samoa, Canada and New Zealand. Manley was also named International Softball Congress All-World three times, including first team selections in 2009 and 2010, and earned Amateur Softball Association All-America selections in 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2014 and 2015.
Beyond his play with Black Sox, Manley won New Zealand Men's Open Club Championships in 2006 and 2010 with Hutt City United and the Hutt Valley Dodgers, respectively. Following his second championship, he was named the Tournament Most Valuable Player and Pitcher, and the Dodgers named him Sportsman of the Year and their Most Valuable Pitcher.
Manley graduated from Massey University in Palmerston North, New Zealand, in December 2013 with a Bachelor's of Science in exercise science with an emphasis on management and coaching. A full scholarship student-athlete, he was a three-time Massey University Blues Award winner, the highest sporting accolade given in the NZ tertiary system.
2023 Sun Devil Softball Staff
Head Coach - Megan Bartlett
Assistant Coach - Jimmy Kolaitis
Assistant Coach - Jeremy Manley
Director of Operations - Giorgie Loomis
"I'm thrilled that both Coach Kolaitis and Coach Manley will join me in leading the Sun Devil softball program. I'm grateful to our administration for allowing me to go after my dream staff," head coach Megan Bartlett said. "Both of these coaches have decades of experience competing and coaching at an elite level which will be invaluable as we continue to chase Pac-12 Championships and National Championships. I'm most excited for how they mentor and lead young women."
For the past three seasons, Manley was Ball State's pitching coach and he made an immediate impact on the staff in his first season, as his staff led the Mid-American Conference and ranked 37th nationally with a 2.22 team ERA during the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season. The effort helped the Cardinals amass an 18-9 record. Over the 27 games, Ball State's pitchers struck out 149 batters to rank second in the MAC, with the 6.02 strikeouts per seven innings ranking as the fourth-best average in program history.
Bartlett and Manley spent the 2020 season on the Ball State coaching staff together, where they lead the team to a 18-9 record in a shortened COVID-19 year.
"My family and I are beyond excited to join Coach Bartlett and Coach Kolaitis in Tempe," said Manley. "The opportunity to be a part of the Sun Devil softball program with its rich history of excellence and success is a dream come true, Forks Up!"
His tutelage helped freshman pitcher Deborah Jones lead the conference and rank 66th nationally with her 1.63 ERA. It was the fourth-lowest ERA in a season for a freshman in program history and ties at the third lowest ERA for a BSU pitcher in the 21st century.
His training also helped senior Alyssa Rothwell successfully transition from closer back to a starting role. The Ball State and MAC all-time leader in career saves at 28 over her first three seasons, Rothwell was just as dominant at the beginning of games in 2020, ranking second in the MAC and 87th nationally with a 1.79 ERA.
Combined, Ball State's four pitchers allowed just 55 earned runs over their 173.1 innings of work, while holding opposing batters to a .243 average. They also combined for four shutouts on the year and held opponents to three-or-fewer runs in 16 games.
Prior to joining the Ball State staff, Manley was an assistant at Kansas for the 2019 season. Before joining the Jayhawks, Manley already had a track record of coaching success in the Mid-American Conference, helping develop one of the most dominating pitching staffs in conference history at Ohio from 2017-18.
Ohio's offensive coordinator during his two-year stint in Athens, Manley also assisted with the pitching staff which produced a 1.98 ERA in 2017 and led the league with 541 strikeouts, 201 more than any other program in the conference. His second season was no different, as the Bobcats produced a 2.51 ERA which was second in the MAC, trailing only Ball State's 2.48 mark. Ohio's pitchers once again led the MAC in strikeouts in 2018, fanning 410 batters.
Ohio registered an 82-35 overall record during his time on staff, including winning the 2018 MAC regular season and tournament championships to earn a berth in the 2018 NCAA Knoxville Regional. The 2017 Bobcats recorded the first 40-win season in program history (42-18), while the 2018 squad earned the second (40-17). The 2018 team also claimed the first two NCAA regional wins in program history with a 4-0 shutout over Monmouth and a 7-3 victory over James Madison.
On offense, he helped the Bobcats set program records for hits (452) and doubles (90) during the 2017 season, as well as produce the second-most runs scored (269) and RBIs (246). In 2018, his batters slugged a program-record 57 home runs and produced a .317 batting average in MAC play.
Along with the team accolades, Manley worked with a pair of MAC Pitchers of the Year in Savannah Jo Dorsey and Danielle Stiene. Ohio's student-athletes also earned 11 All-MAC and 13 Academic All-MAC honors during Manley's two seasons, while the coaching staff was named the 2018 NFCA Division I Mideast Regional Coaching Staff of the Year.
Prior to his arrival at Ohio, Manley was a volunteer assistant at Illinois for the 2015 season where he worked with both the offense and pitching staff. Before joining the NCAA Division I coaching ranks, Manley served as a coach and pitching instructor in New Zealand and Central Illinois, ranging from private individual lessons to high school and junior college level coaching.
Manley was a World Champion pitcher as an athlete, leading the New Zealand Men's National Team, also known as the Black Sox, to the International Softball Federation Men's Fastpitch World Series title in 2013. For his efforts in the circle, Manley earned the Kevin Herlihy Memorial Trophy for Most Valuable Pitcher, the only individual honor awarded at the event. The world championship followed a second-place finish at the 2009 ISF Men's World Series.
A Black Sox member since 2006, Manley was named Softball New Zealand Pitcher of the Year four times (2006, 2010, 2011, 2013) and played in tournaments in Japan, Australia, Argentina, Samoa, Canada and New Zealand. Manley was also named International Softball Congress All-World three times, including first team selections in 2009 and 2010, and earned Amateur Softball Association All-America selections in 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2014 and 2015.
Beyond his play with Black Sox, Manley won New Zealand Men's Open Club Championships in 2006 and 2010 with Hutt City United and the Hutt Valley Dodgers, respectively. Following his second championship, he was named the Tournament Most Valuable Player and Pitcher, and the Dodgers named him Sportsman of the Year and their Most Valuable Pitcher.
Manley graduated from Massey University in Palmerston North, New Zealand, in December 2013 with a Bachelor's of Science in exercise science with an emphasis on management and coaching. A full scholarship student-athlete, he was a three-time Massey University Blues Award winner, the highest sporting accolade given in the NZ tertiary system.
2023 Sun Devil Softball Staff
Head Coach - Megan Bartlett
Assistant Coach - Jimmy Kolaitis
Assistant Coach - Jeremy Manley
Director of Operations - Giorgie Loomis