2022 DANVILLE DANS Official Program 9
Polks connection to the Danville Dans goes back to the start of the current franchise . About 34 years ago , he first sent one of his staff to coach in Danville . He even traveled to Danville to be a guest speaker at a local sports banquet .
Our coaching staff and players will learn a lot from him . said Rick Kurth , Danville Dans co-owner . I believe his time here will lead to some pretty exciting games , too . After all , were all about player development and a fun time at the ballpark . Its a genuine honor to have Ron Polk join the Danville Dans .
Coach Polk has coached at Georgia Southern University and University of Arizona but is most famous for his 29 years as head coach of the Mississippi State baseball team . With a total of 31 seasons as a head coach in the SEC , Polk is often referred to as the “ Father of Southeastern Conference Baseball .”
He has coached summer baseball in the Cape Cod League for the last eight years , but wanted to get closer to home during the season . He offered to help out in Danville , and team management welcomed him with open arms .
Polks unmatched expertise will benefit the college athletes from across the country who come to Danville , IL to develop their baseball skills during the upcoming Prospect League season .
“ Anytime you get to work with a baseball legend like Coach Polk , it ’ s an honor , said Dans manager , Eric Coleman . His knowledge of the game is second to none . We couldn ’ t be more excited for our players and coaches to learn from him this summer .”
Polks coaching technics get results . Nearly 200 of the players he has coached have signed professional baseball contracts , with 29 of those athletes played in Major League Baseball . Eight of those major leaguers were first round draft picks . This success is why his textbook , The Baseball Playbook , is the chosen teaching tool at 450 colleges and has sold more than 125,000 copies .