PLNU Athletics

Entering his sixth-year as a collegiate coach, Jeff Calhoon joins the Point Loma Nazarene baseball coaching staff as an assistant after spending the previous three seasons at UC San Diego. The Tritons went 118-57 during Calhoon’s time assisting under head coach Eric Newman. He directed the Triton catchers and was the first base coach, while assisting with recruiting, camps, scouting, field maintenance and baseball operations. Calhoon also coached third base the first half of the 2016 campaign.
 
Calhoon helped guide UC San Diego to two consecutive NCAA Division II West Region titles (2017, 2018). In 2017, UC San Diego posted a 44-19 overall record as West Region champions and national runners-up. The finish matched the best in program history, while the 44 wins were second-most all-time. While working with catchers, Calhoon’s catchers threw out runners at a 42% clip during his three seasons at UC San Diego.
 
In his first go-around in La Jolla in 2016, Calhoon mentored starting catcher Steven Coe to All-CCAA honorable mention and West Region Gold Glove honors, as the then-redshirt sophomore broke the single-season program record for the Division II era by throwing out 19 would-be base-stealers, while improving his totals in virtually every offensive category. Back-up catcher, at the time, Michael Palos was selected to the New York Collegiate Baseball League (NYCBL) All-Star Game during the 2016 summer. Palos then earned a spot on the NCAA Championship All-Tournament Team after a stellar showing en route to the finals in Grand Prairie, Texas. While in 2018, redshirt sophomore catcher Nick Kitzmann earned All-California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) honorable mention.
 
Over the three seasons at UC San Diego, Calhoon was a part of a coaching staff that worked with Zander Clarke who earned multiple all-American honors and D2 West Region Player of the Year in 2018, 3 Collegiate Baseball Newspaper National Players of the Week, 5 MLB Draft picks and 2 free agent signees, 7 NCBWA West Region Player of the Week, 14 CCAA Players of the Week, 9 all-West Region players, and 25 All-CCAA selections.
 
On Dec. 3, 2016, Calhoon was chosen to be among the speakers at San Diego State as part of the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Barnstormers 2016 West Coast Clinics, presenting a session on baserunning.
 
Calhoon began his coaching as an assistant at Westmont College in Santa Barbara for two seasons.  In those seasons he contributed to two of the winningest seasons in the program’s history, while going a total of 80-36. Calhoon was heavily involved in recruiting, camps, scouting and day-to-day operations for the Warriors.
 
During Calhoon's time at Westmont, he was a part of leading the team to back-to-back NAIA National Tournament appearances, a Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) championship, developed two All-GSAC catchers and one GSAC Gold Glove winner. Calhoon's catchers threw out 30 percent of runners over his two years at Westmont, while working with the two best statistical staffs in program history. Offensively, Calhoon worked with two of the top offenses in the history of the program setting multiple single-season records including, runs scored, hits, doubles, triples, home runs, RBI and total bases.
 
Over the two seasons, Westmont had 10 players named to All-GSAC teams, five NAIA All-Americans, and the GSAC Player of the Year. During his time there, Calhoon coached five players who signed professional contracts, including four Major League Baseball draft picks, with one making his MLB debut in 2018 Andrew Vasquez. One was a Calhoon catcher, Brandon Gildea, who was selected in 2014 by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
 
As a player, Calhoon started his career at Azusa Pacific University before transferring to Skagit Valley College for his freshman and sophomore season. At Skagit Valley, Calhoon split time as a freshman before becoming an all-conference catcher as a sophomore. Following Skagit Valley, Calhoon transferred to Niagara University in Niagara Falls, N.Y., where he started for two years. Calhoon received all-conference academic honors as a junior.
 
Calhoon graduated from Niagara in 2013 with a bachelor's degree in communication studies and received a master’s degree from Concordia University (CA) in December 2018 with focus in Coaching/Athletic Administration. A native of Snohomish, Wash., he now resides in Claremont.