TOLEDO, Ohio – University of Toledo baseball head coach Rob Reinstetle announced the hiring of John Sheehan as an assistant coach on Tuesday. Sheehan will work with the Rockets' pitching staff.
 
"We are extremely excited to have John Sheehan join our program," Reinstetle said. "John is an experienced pitching coach at the Division I level. He has an impressive background as a collegiate pitcher and former professional pitcher in the Colorado Rockies organization. He also has an extensive background in the strength and conditioning area, having worked under Eric Cressey."
 
Sheehan comes to Toledo after spending the 2021 season as an assistant coach at La Salle. As the team's pitching coach, he helped the Explorers set a school record with 32 victories and coached Frank Elissalt and Colin Yablonski to All-Atlantic 10 honors. Elissalt was also named a Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball.
 
Under Sheehan's tutelage, La Salle's pitching staff stifled conference opponents all season long, ranking first in strikeouts (187), second in ERA (3.80), and second in batting average against (.242) when playing Atlantic 10 foes. Elissalt delivered a 6-4 record with a 3.42 ERA across 13 starts while recording 95 strikeouts, second-most in program history.
 
"I am very excited to join Coach Reinstetle and Coach [Nick] McIntyre at Toledo," Sheehan said. "After seeing the campus and the direction the program has been trending the past two seasons, I'm eager to add to the team's success and the student-athletes' experience as a Rocket."
 
"All in all, John hits on all the areas I was looking for when I set out to hire a pitching coach," Reinstetle said. "His energy and knowledge will be a huge asset to our pitching staff and I can't wait for him to get working with our players."
 
Prior to his experience at La Salle, Sheehan was the pitching coach and strength and conditioning coach at Prairie View A&M. During his time at Prairie View, the pitching staff saw its ERA decrease by 1.27 runs per game as well as a 15 percent reduction in walks and a 25 percent reduction in home runs allowed. The Prairie View pitching staff also saw its strikeout total increase by 20 percent.
 
Sheehan played baseball at the College of William & Mary from 2009-14. He was a two-way player his freshman year, both pitching and hitting before undergoing Tommy John surgery as a sophomore. Sheehan bounced back in his junior season, leading the pitching staff in appearances and opponent batting average. During his senior year, Sheehan was second on the team in wins, innings pitched and ERA.
 
At the conclusion of his senior year at William & Mary, Sheehan signed a professional contract with the Colorado Rockies. He reached High A while playing for the Modesto Nuts in 2015. At the end of his professional career, Sheehan finished with a 3.49 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 9.6 K/9.
 
Following his playing career, Sheehan joined the staff at Salem State University in Salem, Mass. as the team's pitching coach. That season, Salem led the MASCAC Conference in ERA and was second in hits allowed.
 
In 2018, Sheehan joined the staff at Momentum Physical Therapy, where he attained his Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and Precision Nutrition Level 1 coaching certifications. As a strength and conditioning coach at Momentum Physical Therapy, he helped oversee the rehabilitation protocols of different sports injuries, specifically elbow and shoulder injuries in baseball players.
 
The Westwood, Mass. native earned his bachelor's degree from The College of William & Mary in 2014, interned at Cressey Sports Performance in 2016, and is Driveline Baseball Certified.