2013 Baseball Coaches

James Grandey, a 2011 inductee into the Muskingum University Athletic Hall of Fame, is entering his 10th year as head baseball coach at Bluffton University. He is confident that the Beavers are moving in the right direction. “We have worked extremely hard as a program during the past nine years,” explained Coach Grandey. “We have a strong foundation for the future. Through continued hard work and improvement, we will be able to take the next step.”

Grandey’s tenure has been full of highs and lows, including the March 2, 2007, bus accident that claimed the lives of five of his players and left many others sidelined with serious injuries.

The Beavers have created a reputation as one of the HCAC's top offensive teams under Coach Grandey. Bluffton continued its assault on the record book. The Beavers mashed a school-record 97 doubles, obliterating the former mark of 84. The Bluffton hurlers had one of their finest seasons of Coach Grandey’s tenure. The Beavers fanned a school-record 234 batters while throwing 333.1 innings (first all-time). The 3.51 walks allowed per game is seventh all-time while the 6.32 strikeouts per contest is fifth all-time. Defensively, Bluffton turned a school-record 29 double plays and the Beavers also established a new mark with 1,000 putouts.

A record seven-game winning streak, including series victories over HCAC powers Franklin and Anderson, propelled the 2011 Beavers to a school-record 19 victories and Bluffton followed that with another 19-win season in 2012, including a school-best 12 wins in the Heartland Conference.

Before coming to Bluffton, Grandey served as a graduate assistant on the Muskingum College baseball and football coaching staff as he worked towards his master’s degree.

Grandey earned a bachelor and master’s degree from Muskingum College in 1999 and 2002, respectively, and was a standout student-athlete while playing for the Muskies. As a senior, he earned first team All-Ohio Athletic Conference honors in both football and baseball and was named first team All-Mideast Region in baseball, as well. Grandey’s academic career was just as impressive, as he earned Academic All-OAC honors as a sophomore, junior and senior and was named first team CoSIDA Academic All-American in baseball as a senior.

Coach Grandey recently completed a master's degree in sports administration from Ohio University.

Grandey resides in Bluffton with his wife, Jessica, six-year-old daughter, Ayla Marie, and two-year old daughter Lainey Mays.

Zack Vesco is entering his first season as the graduate assistant coach for the Bluffton baseball team. Vesco attended St. Charles Preparatory School in Columbus, Ohio, before making his mark on the baseball field at The College of Wooster. He was a four-year letterwinner for the Scots, playing corner infield and as a designated hitter.

Vesco started in the Division III National Championship game and was selected to the all-tournament team as the Scots finished second in the nation. Also, he was a member of three NCAC championship teams at Wooster. In addition, he was selected honorable mention and Second Team All-NCAC in his first two seasons with the Scots.

Since completing his degree at Wooster, Vesco has been working with Tiffin University as the Baseball Operations Intern.

Vesco graduated from The College of Wooster in 2012 with a bachelor of arts in communication studies along with a minor in physical education.

Along with his coaching duties, Vesco is taking classes in pursuit of a master’s in business administration while at Bluffton.

Vesco resides in Bluffton.