Sky Smeltzer – Head Coach

In 1996, Sky Smeltzer became the fifth head baseball coach in the Yavapai College baseball program’s history. In only his second season at the helm, he lead the Roughriders to their first conference championship, a feat repeated in the ‘99, ‘05,`06,`07 and ‘09 seasons. Coach Smeltzer is the all time wins leader in the history of the tradition rich Yavapai baseball program with an all-time record of 511-247-4 (.671).

During his tenure at YC, Smeltzer has coached 57 All-Conference players, 55 All-Region players, 15 NJCAA All-Americans, and 3 Academic All-American. Smeltzer has been a Junior College coach for 15 years, and is most proud of the after-YC successes his players have had.

Under his tutelage, Yavapai is averaging 40 wins per season in the very competitive Arizona Community College Athletic Conference and a challenging non-conference schedule.

The 2007 season unveiled a fundraising campaign Smeltzer took on over 10 years ago; Roughrider Park has a new stadium and locker room, concession stand, scoreboard, bathrooms and playing surface for players and visitors alike to utilize, making YC’s facilities the finest in the ACCAC.

Smeltzer is a former two sport Division I athlete having played football and baseball at the University of Wyoming. He ended his career at UW as the all time homerun record holder, single season and career RBI record holder, and fifth in career triples. Upon graduating from Wyoming, he played one season of professional baseball for the Salt Lake Trappers of the Pioneer League. He began his coaching career at Otero Junior College before returning to Wyoming as a graduate assistant.

In 1994, Smeltzer was an assistant at Trinidad State Junior College and participated in the NJCAA World Series. That same Trinidad team led the country in team batting average at a .386 clip.

The head coach was named ACCAC Conference Coach of the Year in 1998, 1999, 2005, 2006 and 2008 and was also named the Western District Coach of the Year in 2006. In the summer of 2004, Smeltzer was named to the staff of the USA Baseball Junior National Team that traveled to Taipei for the World Games.

The 2006 Roughriders finished National Runners-Up and posted a school record for wins at 58.

The Denver native received a Masters of Science degree in Sports Administration from the University of Wyoming and lives in Prescott Valley, Arizona with his wife Judy.

Ryan Cougill – Assistant Coach

The 2010 season will mark Ryan Cougill’s second as a member of the Roughrider coaching staff and his sixth season in the collegiate ranks. Prior to Yavapai College, Cougill spent one year as an assistant at New Mexico Junior College. Cougill was an infield coach for the Thunderbird team that finished as WJCAC Champions and third in the NJCAA in fielding percentage.

In 2007, Cougill spent one year as an assistant at his alma mater Western Illinois University in Macomb, IL. While at WIU, he was an infield coach for the Western Team that finished second in the Mid-Continent Conference and one game away from a regional birth.

Cougill also spent two seasons at Joliet Junior College in Joliet, IL. He was instrumental in leading the team to back-to-back NJCAA World Series appearances, including a third place finish in 2006 and a national runner-up finish in 2007. In the summers of 2007 and 2008, Cougill served as the hitting coach for the Little Falls Miners of the New York Collegiate Baseball League.

Before joining the coaching profession, Cougill enjoyed a very successful collegiate playing career. From 2001-2002, Cougill played at Joliet Junior College, where he was twice named to the All-Conference and All-Region teams. Following Joliet, Cougill had a successful career at Western Illinois University, where he was named to the All Mid-Continent Conference team in 2003 and 2004. Cougill earned a B.S. in Exercise Physiology from WIU. Ryan resides in Prescott Valley.

Brandon Bailey – Assistant Coach

Brandon Bailey enters his second season as an assistant coach at Yavapai College. He will be in charge of the pitchers for the 2010 season. Before Yavapai, Bailey coached at Cochise College where he worked for head coach and former Yavapai assistant coach Todd Inglehart as the Apache pitching coach. From 2005-2007, Bailey served as the student-assistant coach at the University of Utah. During the summers, Bailey serves on the coaching staff for the Brainerd (MN) Blue Thunder in the Northwoods Collegiate Summer League.

Bailey began his playing career at Lamar Community College (CO), where he pitched for head coach Scott Crampton from 2002 to 2004. He went 8-1 as a sophomore, leading the team in appearances during the 2004 season. In his two seasons, Lamar CC won 98 games, two conference titles, as well as two Region XV titles. Bailey continued his playing career at the University of Utah, playing one season for Bill Kinneberg and Brian Conger. Bailey earned his associate of science degree from Lamar in 2004 and a bachelor’s degree in exercise and sports science with a minor in Nutrition in 2007 from the University of Utah. He is the son of John and Kelly Bailey of Fort Collins; Colo. Bailey has one sister, Tara (20), who plays soccer at Creighton University in Omaha, Neb.