High school baseball: Elyria assistant Jordan Connell excited to take over as main man

There won't be much of a learning curve for new Elyria baseball coach Jordan Connell. He's already quite familiar with the school and his new players. Connell, a 2014 Elyria grad and a member of last season's varsity coaching staff, was approved by the Board of Education on Wednesday to take over for Ed Piazza, who resigned earlier this season and is now coaching at Rocky River. "That is an indescribable feeling, going back to your home school, in your community and having the opportunity to lead a group of young men who want to be leaders in the community and go on to the next level," Connell said. "Knowing that you're giving back to your community is a great feeling." Connell, who was an All-Ohio football play at Elyria, started his coaching career as a middle school football coach at Eastern Heights and went on to coach at Elyria Catholic, where he is currently on coach Brian Fox's staff. However, Connell pointed out baseball has always been his true passion. "Baseball was always my No. 1 sport," he said. "People don't know this but coming into high school I was never going to play football, I was originally going to be strictly a baseball guy." Connell credits Piazza and Fox for helping him rise to the level of head coach. "I got lucky," he said. "Ed's first-year at Elyria he coached me so I quickly learned what Ed was about. He's about team-first and accountability," Connell said. "Those are the two things you need in life because without them you can't be successful." And joining Fox's staff was a big part of his development. "Honestly, that was probably one of the best decisions on my life," he said. "Brian was locked in with my goals and I felt he was putting the program in the right direction with his leadership. When you're locked into just Elyria, you don't understand how other people do stuff. Going over to Elyria Catholic and seeing how Brian leads his team helped me grow as a coach." Connell has wanted to be a coach ever since he had the chance to work with young football players when was still in high school. "We always did football camps for the younger kids and being around them and seeing their smiles and knowing you had something to do with it I found really rewarding," Connell said. Piazza recommended him as his replacement, Connell said. "We're looking forward to Coach Connell leading our team," Elyria athletic director Heather Beck said in a news release. "He was well-received by the players last year as an assistant coach. He brings great experience and knowledge to the program." Elyria returns a solid core from last year's 16-10 team led by senior pitcher Nic Chernitsky. "I think it will a seamless transition," Connell said. "These boys love me and I love them. If they didn't want me as a coach I wouldn't even have applied for the job. I think it's going to be easier than having a new guy coming in trying to make his mark on the program." Although the Pioneers have had their ups and downs in recent years, Connell thinks they're still an elite program in the Southwestern Conference, one the toughest leagues in the area. "This isn't a just a first-time stop in the road, this is a big-time Division I program, this is top of the line baseball in Ohio," Connell said. "Our conference is rugged and one of the best in Ohio. I think we're up for the test. Oh, my goodness, I'm so excited there are no words to describe it." Contact Todd Shapiro at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.