Eldredge Named Assistant Baseball Coach

PROVO -- David "Boy" Eldredge has been appointed full-time assistant baseball coach at BYU.

Eldredge, 38, was approved last month to assist new head coach Vance Law in leading BYU's baseball fortunes. Eldredge replaces long-time assistant Bobby Noel who has moved to a teaching position in BYU's College of Health and Human Performance.

"Dave Eldredge enjoys a tremendous amount of respect from people in the

baseball community," said BYU Athletic Director Val Hale. "He was a successful head coach in Hawaii, and he had valuable Division I coaching experience at Loyola Marymount. He is going to be a strong addition to BYU's baseball program."

Last year Eldredge rejoined the Cougars as a graduate assistant coach. He was the assistant coach and recruiting coordinator from 1996-98 at LMU. From 1990-95 he was head coach at Hawai'i Pacific University where he tallied a 125-79-1 (.652) record. He was selected five years in a row as NAIA District 29 Coach of the Year from 1990-94 with the Sea Warriors.

He graduated from BYU in 1984. He was a catcher for the Cougars from 1979-83 and was selected All-Western Athletic Conference Northern Division in 1982. He recorded 845 putouts and 126 assists in his 154 game BYU career for a .971 fielding average. He is the nephew of former BYU catcher Pal Eldredge (1966-68).

"I am pleased to add a man with his experience and his knowledge of baseball," said Law. "He comes from a great baseball family. He was agreat player in his own right. He specializes in catching and pitching which will upgrade our program. We complement one another and are on the same page when it comes to baseball philosophy."

"E" has been on the receiving end of some of the greatest moments in BYU baseball. When he caught for the No. 1-Ranked Cougars in 1983, Scott Nielsen pitched his NCAA record-setting 26th consecutive victory. In addition to Nielsen on that team, he also caught Rick Aguilera, another major-leaguer. Eldredge was behind the plate for both of Peter Kendrick's no-hitters in 1981 and Kendrick's 257-pitch, 16 consecutive-inning, two game defeat over their native sixth-ranked Hawai'I to win the league championship.

Eldredge was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in 1979 and was a prep All American at Punahou High in Honolulu, Hawaii. He was born January 6, 1961 and is married to the former Valerie Albert-Thenet and they have three sons, Kaiana, Kiakahi, and Kanai.