| Title: | Assistant Coach |
| Phone: | 717-948-4366 |
Billy Davis is set to enter his third season as an assistant coach for Penn State Harrisburg's baseball program in 2023-24.
The 2023 campaign saw Penn State Harrisburg host an NCAA Regional for the first time after winning a program-record 34 games in 2023. The Lions won a third straight United East Championship by rolling to a 27-7 victory over Penn College in the conference tournament’s deciding contest. Davis helped guide the team to six wins over nationally-ranked opponents the likes of Salisbury (twice), Arcadia (twice), Rowan, and Randolph-Macon, and the Lions ranked top-10 nationally in numerous offensive statistical categories, including batting average, walks, scoring, runs, on-base percentage, sacrifice flies, slugging percentage, and hits. Penn State Harrisburg hosted No. 2 Salisbury for a best-of-five NCAA Regional Series, highlighted by a 12-11 walk-off victory over the Sea Gulls in the second game of the series. The Lions finished the season ranked No. 30 in the ABCA/Collegiate Baseball National Poll and received 23 votes in the final D3baseball.com/NCBWA Top 25 Poll of the year.
During Davis' second season at Penn State Harrisburg, nine players combined for 15 all-region honors in 2023, with Kevin Lehner (1T), Josh Berzonski (2T), Fisher Druck (2T), Lucas Floyd (2T), Brendan Henn (2T), Dallas Hite (2T), Matt Parks (2T), Carlos Irizarry (3T), and Maddux Ryan (3T) earning ABCA/Rawllings All-Region accolades, while Lehner (1T), Parks (1T), Ryan (2T), Berzonski (3T), Druck (3T), and Hite (3T) secured D3baseball.com All-Region recognition. Irizarry was named the United East Rookie of the Year and was joined by Berzonski, Druck, Danny Eden, Henn, Hite, Lehner, Parks, and Ryan as all-conference honorees.
During his first season on head coach Ryan Bown's staff working primarily with the team's hitters and catchers, Davis helped guide Penn State Harrisburg to 30 wins in 2022. The Blue & White defeated the defending national champions from Salisbury, as well as nationally-ranked Shenandoah, and won 17 straight games to end the regular season and begin postseason play. The Lions earned a berth to the NCAA Tournament after besting Penn State Abington in the conference championship series and capturing the United East Championship. Penn State Harrisburg ended the year receiving votes in the season's final American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Collegiate Baseball News National Poll.
Following Davis' first year with the Blue & White, pitcher Drew Harshbarger was named to the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-America First Team, while United East Pitcher of the Year Zach Gettys was tabbed a first-team all-region selection by both the ABCA/Rawlings and D3baseball.com. Harshbarger, Matt Parks, Kevin Lehner, and Dallas Hite earned second-team all-region recognition from the ABCA, while Chase Smith was tabbed an ABCA All-Region Third Teamer. Parks and Hite also secured second-team all-region accolades from D3baseball.com. Gettys, Harshbarger, Parks, Hite, and Tyler Stabley picked up United East All-Conference First-Team honors to go along with second-team all-conference recognition for Lehner and Smith.
Davis also serves as the director of player performance at nearby In the Net. His duties include helping with the recruiting process, individual hitting and catching work, and the mental aspect of the game. He also serves as the hitting coach for the Central Penn Renegades.
Prior to his coaching days, Davis played collegiately at nearby Messiah University where he was a four-year starter at catcher for the Falcons. Between seasons at Messiah, he also started in the Carolina Virginia Summer Collegiate League in North Carolina. Davis graduated from Messiah in 2021.