Aug 28, 2013
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State baseball announced the hiring of assistant coaches Ross Oeder and Brian Anderson Wednesday. Oeder followed Cooper to Penn State after serving as an assistant coach on his staff for four seasons at his alma mater, Wright State. Anderson comes to Penn State from Radford, where he was the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator for seven years.
Oeder will serve as the Nittany Lions' hitting and infield coach. The Wright State alum brings a wealth of knowledge in these areas, as he finished his career in the top 10 in Horizon League history in career runs scored, hits and triples, while topping the university's career chart in fielding assists.
As a coach, Oeder's success with Wright State continued, helping the team to the NCAA Tournament in 2011 and back-to-back Horizon League titles in 2010 and 2011. Oeder instructed the 2011 Horizon Player of the Year Jake Hibberd and three 2011 first team All-Horizon League players in Hibberd, Justin Kopale and Zach Tanner, all part of the Raiders' infield.
Brian Anderson |
The Nittany Lion pitching staff and catchers will be led by Anderson, who brings an abundance of experience and success from his time at Radford. Under Anderson's tutelage, Radford's pitching staff helped lead the Highlanders to a program-best mark of 31 victories. The 2011 Highlander pitchers combined to record the second-lowest ERA in team history and the second-lowest ERA in Big South Conference games for the 2011 season with a mark of 3.28.
As a player, Anderson was a standout catcher at George Mason where he was a four year starter for the Patriots and finished ranked in the top-10 in eight statistical categories.
Both Oeder and Anderson have experienced life in the professional ranks. Oeder was drafted in the 2008 MLB First Year Player Draft in the 28th round by the St. Louis Cardinals and spent two seasons in the minors before becoming an assistant coach. Anderson signed a free agent deal with the Expos organization and played the 2002 season in the minors.