JMU Baseball Team Announces Hiring of New Pitching Coach, Shane Halley

HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) – James Madison baseball head coach Marlin Ikenberry announced Wednesday that Shane Halley will join the program as its new pitching coach.

“We are very excited to have Shane and his family become a part of our JMU baseball family,” Ikenberry said. “He brings a wealth of knowledge having coached and played at the professional level and has done an incredible job over the last four years at Marymount. He has been around some of the best in the business and we are really excited to have him really help our pitching staff and be a part of this program.”

Halley has been with Marymount, his alma mater, for four years, including three as pitching coach and recruiting coordinator. During his tenure, Marymount earned its first top-25 ranking and set a program record with 31 wins in a season. He also has experience as a pitching coach in Nanjing, China, where he helped develop the first Chinese pitchers to sign a professional MLB contract. Halley also spent time as an instructor at Prime Time Baseball, LLC, working with athletes ranging from middle school to college.

Halley said he was “thrilled” to join the Dukes this year.

“It’s an incredible honor to join Coach Ikenberry and the JMU baseball family as our new pitching coach,” Halley said. “When you think of JMU baseball, you think of a tough, competitive and hungry pitching staff, and I’m thrilled to be a part of it. My wife and I are excited to continue our journey in Virginia, and I look forward to working with this talented group of pitchers.”

Halley has played for two MLB teams: He was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in 2012 and then played in the Colorado Rockies organization, where he advanced to Triple-A. He also played for Virginia for four years on two ACC championship teams and UVA’s first two College World Series appearances. He finished his career ranked third in winning percentage for the Cavaliers.

Halley holds a pair of bachelor’s degrees, earning his first in foreign affairs from Virginia in 2012 before earning his second in politics from Marymount in 2020. He also holds an MBA from Marymount, which he received in 2022.