Jay Sanders is entering his third season as assistant baseball coach in 2021 after assuming the role on July 18, 2018.
Sanders previously served as a graduate assistant and part-time assistant at Fort Hays State, working primarily with hitters and catchers. He helped three Tigers earn all-conference honors as a part-time assistant in 2018. The Hays native saw the Tiger offense slug 76 home runs in 2015, leading the nation in home runs per game (1.62). He helped coach Kevin Czarnecki during his All-American 2015 season, one of six all-conference performers that season.
Additionally, Sanders coached the Hays Larks for five summers (2013-17). He helped lead the Larks to four top-four finishes at the National Baseball Congress World Series, including a runner-up finish in 2016. Fifteen Larks alumni during those five years have been selected in the MLB draft, with numerous others signing professional contracts. Sanders additionally served as an assistant coach at Hays High School from 2015-17, helping the Indians to a berth in the 2017 4A state tournament.
Sanders played four years for the Tigers from 2010 through 2013, helping the Tigers to their only appearance in an MIAAÂ championship game in 2012. The catcher served as a team captain in 2013, starting 41 of 45 games behind the dish. He totaled 90 hits in 108 career games as a Tiger (82 starts), batting .311 with 51 runs, 48 RBI, 15 doubles, two triples and five home runs.
Sanders is a three-time graduate of Fort Hays State University, completing a bachelor's in sports management in 2013 and a bachelor's in education in 2014 before wrapping up his master's in sports administration in 2016. After serving as a graduate assistant coach at FHSU, Sanders was a physical education teacher in the Hays Unified School District for three years. While teaching, he helped coach three sports at Hays High School - baseball, football and wrestling.
Sanders currently resides in Hays with his wife, Sophia.
