Baseball Adds Alex Guerra as Assistant Coach

HARRISONBURG, Va. - Alex Guerra has been named an assistant coach for the James Madison baseball team, as announced by Head Coach Marlin Ikenberry on Wednesday afternoon.

"I am very excited to have Alex join the JMU baseball family," Ikenberry said. "I have had the great pleasure to watch Alex grow and develop as both a player and a coach. He brings the energy, passion and vigor it takes to excel, as well as the knowledge base it takes to train hitters and infielders."

Guerra comes to JMU from Radford, where he had served the Highlanders as an assistant coach since 2013. At Radford, he acted as the team's lead hitting coach and recruiting coordinator while working closely with the catchers on a day-to-day basis.

The Wantagh, N.Y, native oversaw the development of six all-conference position players, including a pair of selections in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft and Radford's first-ever nominee for the Johnny Bench Award, given annually to the top catcher in Division I.

"I am extremely honored and excited that Coach Ikenberry gave me this opportunity to be a part of the JMU baseball program," Guerra said. "I believe in the direction that he has set for us, and I am excited to get to work and elevate JMU baseball to a higher level. The future is going to be very bright."

Excited to get to work for @JMUBaseball Very thankful for this opportunity! GREAT times are ahead! pic.twitter.com/lZ3dXSVAjW
— Alex Guerra (@AGBaseball9) July 15, 2015

Prior to Radford, Guerra served as director of baseball operations at Central Florida before moving into a volunteer assistant coach position the next season. While in Orlando, he played a vital role in recruiting, budgets and travel while also coaching the outfielders and assisting with the infield, catchers and scouting reports.

"Alex worked with two of the best coaches in the industry in Terry Rooney at UCF and Joe Raccuia at Radford," Ikenberry added. "He is one of the best young coaches and recruiters in the game and we're excited to have him join our team immediately."

Before going into coaching, Guerra played two season at Division III Greensboro College before transferring to Radford for his final two collegiate campaigns. As a Highlander, he batted .311 and drove in 94 runs while playing second base, shortstop and third base, tacking on 11 home runs across his junior and senior seasons.

JMU returns all but two players heading into 2016 and brings back eight of nine starters for the Dukes' first season under the new coaching staff.