Jan Weisberg, who spent time coaching in central Kentucky before winning more than 500 games and captivating the baseball world with a College World Series run as the head coach at Birmingham Southern College, was chosen as the head coach at Eastern Kentucky University on May 31, 2025.
In his first season with the Colonels, Weisberg led the team to seven more wins than the year before, including capturing his 600th victory as a head coach when EKU beat Illinois State, 10-6, on March 8. EKU ended the 2026 season by winning three straight games and eight of its final 11 contests. Under his guidance, Khaleel Pratt was chosen as the Atlantic Sun Conference Freshman of the Year, earned third team All-ASUN honors and was chosen to the ASUN All-Freshman Team. In addition, David Alvarez picked up second team all-conference recognition, and Pedro Moreno and Jacob Price were chosen to the third team.
In the classroom, three players earned spots on the Academic All-ASUN Team and three were selected to the Academic All-District Team. In the fall of 2025, the Colonels compiled a 3.43 team grade-point-average and posted a 3.23 GPA in the spring.
In his first season at the NCAA Division I level, Moreno was on the Brooks Wallace Award watch list, which honors the top shortstop in college baseball. Alvarez and Pratt each earned ASUN Player of the Week recognition during the season while Price was picked as the ASUN Pitcher of the Week twice. Price turned in seven quality starts during the season and went 3-0 with a 1.35 ERA in his final three starts of 2026.
As a team, EKU struck out the fewest times in the ASUN and had the fourth-best on-base percentage in the conference.
“You will get a lot of passion from me as we move forward to create sustained success as a program,” said Weisberg. “EKU is a beautiful place and there is great tradition in this program. We will work tirelessly to create a high-expectation, high-achievement culture that will lead to great successes on and off the field.”
Weisberg served as the head coach at NCAA Division II Valdosta State University in 2025, leading his team to 30-plus wins for the 12th time over a period of 16 years.
After Birmingham Southern made the announcement in March of 2024 that it would shut down after 168 years of operation, Weisberg’s team made national headlines with a magical run to the NCAA Division III College World Series. BSC, the No. 7 seed, lost in the national semifinals.
In 17 years as the Panthers’ head coach, Weisberg compiled a record of 544-209-1 (.722). He led the program to 14 conference titles, nine NCAA Regional appearances, three trips to the NCAA Super Regionals and two College World Series (2019, 2024) appearances. BSC was the fourth-winningest baseball team in Division III during the 2010s.
“Throughout the process, I was looking for a head coach who had been successful at every level,” said Vice President and Director of Athletics Kyle Moats. “I thought it was important to have someone who was respected throughout the baseball community. Jan’s reputation as a coach, mentor, father and husband are undeniable. He is a coach who will not take short cuts, and expects the best every day from his staff and players.”
Weisberg was chosen as the Alabama Coach of the Year four times, he produced five Academic All-America selections, three NCAA Gold Glove winners, 15 All-America honorees, one National Pitcher and one National Player of the Year, and has coached four MLB Draft picks. In 20 total seasons as a head coach, Weisberg has compiled a record of 613-290-1 for a winning percentage of .679.
Weisberg’s ties to central Kentucky include two seasons as a player at the University of Kentucky (1991-92), 13 seasons on the Wildcats’ coaching staff (1993-2005) and one year as the head coach at Transylvania University (2006).
As a player at UK, Weisberg helped the Wildcats to what was then a school record 41 victories and an NCAA Regional berth in 1991. In 1992, he finished with the fifth-most RBIs in a single season in program history.
Weisberg spent the 1993 and 1994 seasons as a graduate assistant at Kentucky. He served as a full time assistant from 1994 through the 2005 season. In 1999 Weisberg added recruiting coordinator duties and engineered three top-25 rated recruiting classes. He also coordinated the team offense, instructed hitters, catchers and infielders, and coached third base.
As the head coach at Transylvania in 2006, Weisberg guided the Pioneers to a runner-up finish in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference, the highest finish in program history up to that time.
In 2025, Weisberg’s Valdosta State squad finished the season 30-22 overall and 22-10 in the Gulf South Conference (GSC). The Blazers finished second in the league standings, missing a share of the conference title by just ½ game. Under Weisberg’s guidance, Orlando Pena earned GSC Player of the Year and First Team All-GSC honors. He and teammate Ryan Brown were also a second team National Collegiate Baseball Writer’s Association (NCBWA) All-South Region picks.
Weisberg earned a bachelor’s of arts degree in economics from Kentucky in 1993.
