Ryan Verlihay completed his fifth season as the Washington & Jefferson baseball team's Intern Assistant Coach following the 2018 season.
Verlihay was a major component of the coaching staff that led the baseball program to its first Mideast Regional championship and first appearance in the NCAA Division III Baseball Championship hosted in Appleton, Wis. The 2017 team won a program-record and Division III-high 42 games in 2017 and ranked among the nation's best in several major offensive categories.
In his four years on head coach Jeff Mountain's coaching staff, the W&J baseball team appeared in the Presidents' Athletic Conference championship game each year and won the conference title twice to earn NCAA Tournament bids both years while the program compiled a record of 126-62 (.670).
In addition to instructing student-athletes on hitting, catching, outfield and first base skills, Verlihay was in charge on field maintenance at Ross Memorial Park during the season and during the 2015-17 Mideast Regional Tournaments.
Verlihay was the head coach for the Virginia Beach Bluefish and Suffolk Fighting Crabs during the summers of 2016 and 2017, part of the Virginia Beach Collegiate Baseball League. During the offseason, Velrihay oversaw recruiting for the teams and kept in contact with current players to make sure they stayed in shape for the summer season. While the season was in progress, he oversaw all players on and off the field and put together batting lineups and pitching rotations as well as other general coaching duties.
During the summer of 2015, Verlihay was the head coach for the Blackhawk Colt Baseball 16U team which finished as a semifinalist in the Beaver County Colt League. Verlihay called pitches from the dugout and served as the third base coach for the team, maintained the field and organized team and individual practice sessions.
From 2012-13, Verlihay served as the Junior Varsity Head Coach and Varsity Assistant Coach for the Blackhawk High School baseball team where he was tasked with scouting opponents, instructed student-athletes in pitching, hitting and catching fundamentals and worked with the head varsity coach on varsity call-ups, in addition to working with the Athletic Director on game and umpire scheduling.
Verlihay spent time as the Assistant Coach for Blackhawk American Legion Baseball from 2010-14 where he was in charge of the hitters, prepared and maintained the field and assisted in scouting. The 2011, 2013 and 2014 teams were Beaver County champions while the 2012 team advanced to the Beaver County semifinals. His 2011 and 2013 teams both finished as Region Six champions and earned bids to the Pennsylvania State Tournament.
From 2007-13, Verlihay held the position of Head Coach/Program Designer for the Chippewa Township SMURF Softball League, an instructional league designed for girls ages four to seven which ran for six weeks during the summer months with meetings twice per week.
After serving as the Assistant Coach for the Chippewa Township Knothole Baseball League from 2004-10, Verlihay was promoted to Head Instructor for the 2010-13 seasons. An instructional league for both boys and girls ages four to seven, teams met twice a week for six weeks in the summer months as Verlihay managed the team, instructed the children on the basics on hitting, throwing, fielding and running.
Verlihay graduated from W&J in 2012 with a B.A. in Child Development and Education and earned his certification in Elementary K-6 with a 3.657 cumulative grade-point average. During his time at W&J, Verlihay was a four-year letter winner on the baseball team where he was a catcher and first baseman for the 2009 PAC championship team and the 2010 and 2012 PAC runners-up. The Presidents advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 2009, 2010 and 2012 while he was a four-time PAC Academic Honor Roll selection.
