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 and ’07 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 589-294-4 (.664).

During his tenure at YC, Smeltzer has coached 65 All-Conference players, 61 All-Region players, 16 NJCAA All-Americans, and 4 Academic All-Americans. Smeltzer has been a Junior College coach for 20 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, and bathrooms for players and visitors alike to utilize. The facility improvements continued into 2008 with the renovation of the playing surface at Roughrider Park. The outfield and sideline sod was replaced along with the infield surface. Coach Smeltzer’s fundraising efforts along with commitment from the athletic department have lead to the finest baseball facility in the ACCAC. 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.

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.

The head coach was named ACCAC Conference Coach of the Year in 1998, 1999, 2005, 2006, 2008, and 2009 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. Among the many professional baseball players that attended Yavapai, Curt Schilling (Red Sox), Bobby Howry,(Cubs), Dusty Brown (Red Sox), and Kyle Blanks (Padres) are all currently in Major League Baseball.

The Denver native received a Master’s 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

Roughrider Associate Head Coach Ryan Cougill enters his fourth season as a member of the Roughrider coaching staff. Five members of Cougill’s first YC recruiting class were selected in the 2009 MLB amateur draft, six Yavapai players were taken in the 2010 MLB amateur draft, and four more were taken in the 2011 MLB amateur draft.

As well as handling the recruiting responsibilities, Cougill serves as the infield and hitting coach for Yavapai College. During Cougill’s tenure the YC hitters have led the ACCAC in batting average, doubles, and homeruns. Roughrider catcher, Nolan Clark had a breakout season in ‘11, ranking amongst the top of the conference in hits and batting average with an impressive .390 clip. The’11 Roughriders again posted above a .300 team batting average following the 2009 and 2010 seasons which saw the Roughriders lead the ACCAC in hitting.

The 2009 and 2010 YC offenses led the ACCAC in batting average, home runs and doubles. 2010 Roughrider outfielder Demarcus Tidwell had a breakout season in his first season at Yavapai, leading the conference in hits, average, and triples. The ’09 Roughriders had 2 players end the regular season with batting averages above .400, seven players hit over .350 and eleven players hit over .300.

Prior to Yavapai College, Cougill spent the 2008 season as an assistant at New Mexico Junior College. That ’08 NMJC team captured the WJCAC Championship with a remarkable team batting average of .376, belting 78 homeruns, a mark good enough for third in the country. The ’08 Thunderbirds were equally as impressive defensively, finishing second in the country in team fielding percentage.

For the 2006 and 2007 seasons Cougill served as an assistant coach at Joliet Junior College in Joliet, IL. Joliet, a perennial powerhouse in the Div III NJCAA ranks saw back to back trips to the Junior College World Series, finishing 3rd in ‘06 and runner up in ’07.

Cougill spent one season as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Western Illinois University in Macomb, IL. He served as the infield coach on a team that finished second in the Mid-Continent Conference and one game away from earning an NCAA Division I Regional birth.

From 2001-2002, Cougill played at Joliet Junior College for coach Wayne King, where he earned All-Conference honors in both his freshman and sophomore campaigns. He then transferred to Western Illinois University where he played for the late Stan Hyman. Cougill was named to the All Mid-Continent Conference team in 2003 and 2004. Cougill left his mark at WIU finishing his career amongst the top of the record books in single season hits, runs scored, and career batting average.

Cougill earned his B.S. in Exercise Science from Western Illinois University in 2004 and is working towards a Masters degree in Sports Management from Emporia State University.

Jerry Dawson – Assistant Coach

Jerry Dawson enters his second season as pitching coach for the Roughriders staff after serving as the head baseball coach at Chaparral High School in Scottsdale, Arizona for the past 37 years. Dawson owns the most high school career victories in the state of Arizona with 773. His teams have enjoyed tremendous success over the years, qualifying for post-season play 35 of the last 37 years.

The 2011 Riders’ staff enjoyed much success led by Dawson. Three Roughrider arms were taken in the 2011 MLB amateur draft, including 7th round draft pick Kenny Giles. Through Dawson’s tutelage Giles ended the 2011 season as one of the Nation’s premiere Junior College arms and boasted a 98 mph fastball, 1.20 ERA and 2 strikeouts per inning.

During his time at Chaparral, the athletic program elevated itself into the upper echelon of Arizona high school athletics, claiming nine state championships—four of which were won by Dawson’s teams which became nationally-ranked.

Coach Dawson has been the only Head Coach in the history of the school which has produced over 150 graduates who have continued their baseball careers at the college or professional levels. Most notable are current Major Leaguers Paul Konerko (Chicago White Sox), Brian Bannister (Kansas City Royals), and Ike Davis (New York Mets). During his tenure at Chaparral, he coached teams that won or tied for 24 Region Championships. Coach Dawson has been named National High School Coach of the Year on 5 occasions and has been elected to the Arizona Coaches Association, Arizona Baseball Coaches Association and the National High School Baseball Coaches Association Halls of Fame.

Dawson taught Physical Education at Chaparral for 30+ years, served as the Physical Education Department Chairman for 25+ years and was the school’s Athletic Director for 20+ years before retiring in 2004. In 2003-04 Dawson was selected as the Arizona’s Victory with Honor Coach of the Year, which is given by the Arizona Interscholastic Association (A.I.A.) to the outstanding coach for all sports in Arizona.

Dawson served with Yavapai head coach Sky Smeltzer as a member of the USA Baseball Junior National team staff in 2004, which competed in the World Games in Taipei. He also served as the Head Coach of the Junior National team in 2005 when it competed in the Pan Am games in Mexico,
winning the silver medal.

Jerry has a B. A. in Education from Southwest Missouri State University and a M. A. in Education from Arizona State
University. He served as a Military Police Officer in the United States Army including a tour of duty in the Republic of
Vietnam.