High Point University has added Jerry Edwards as the new Pitching Coach, announced by head coach Joey Hammond on Monday, July 10.

"We are excited to add Jerry and Amy to our HPU family," Hammond stated. "Jerry carries a reputation as a relentless recruiter, a proven winner, and builder of young men."

Edwards joins the Panthers after spending the past four seasons at Jacksonville University. While with the Dolphins, he helped develop one of the top pitching staffs in the ASUN Conference, won the 2021 ASUN Baseball Championship, and helped advance the team to the Columbia Regional. Additionally, three pitchers have been selected in the MLB Draft, with four others signing professional contracts. Tyler Vogel (12th Round - Giants) and Mason Adams (13th Round - White Sox) were drafted in 2022 MLB Draft and Trent Palmer was drafted in the third Round of the 2020 MLB Draft by the Blue Jays.

Multiple school records were broken during Edwards time at JU, which included breaking the program record for K/9 in a season, set just one year prior, with 9.70 over 492.0 innings pitched. He also helped the team break a 32-year-old program record for lowest batting average against in a season, allowing opponents to bat just .247 which made for the third fewest hits allowed in a season, all during the 2022 season.

During his four seasons, he compiled a list of one All-American selection (2023), two ABCA/Rawlings All-Region Team honoree (2023), one ASUN Freshman of the Year (2023), two ASUN first team All-Conference selections (2023), and two ASUN All-Freshman recipients (2022 & 2023).

Prior to Jacksonville, Edwards spent seven years in North Carolina at UNCG, where he was a part of Link Jarrett's staff. Eleven of his pitchers went on to be drafted, including a school-record four in 2018. Two Spartans went on to win SoCon Pitcher of the Year, and UNCG captured the 2017 SoCon Championship, advancing to the Clemson Regional and picking up a win over St. John's.

Before UNCG he served as the head coach at Hiwassee, where two of his players were taken in the First Year Player Draft. He guided nine of his pitchers at Louisburg College to sign with Division I schools and groomed two more in top-12 round MLB Draft selections.

He also spent two years at NC Wesleyan under former North Carolina head coach Mike Fox. He won the 1999 Division III National Championship at NC Wesleyan with Head Coach Charlie Long.

While at Eastern Kentucky, he groomed the Ohio Valley Conference Pitcher of the Year in 2012 and capped off a four-year run with the Colonels in which he facilitated a pitching renaissance. EKU won its first OVC Tournament game in three seasons in 2010, thanks to a near-record setting eight-inning, 10-strikeout performance vs. Murray State.

Over his college coaching career, Edwards has tutored 16 MLB Draft picks during stops at UNCG, Eastern Kentucky, North Carolina Wesleyan, Louisburg (N.C.) College, Hiwassee College and JU.
Prior to college athletics, Edwards was an Associate Scout for three years with the Atlanta Braves under the guidance of Area Scouting Supervisor Billy Best.