Seth Von Behren enters his fourth season as a Jaguar assistant coach in 2010. He serves primarily as the Jags' hitting coach and co-recruiting coordinator.
Von Behren’s hitters have improved in each of his three seasons, and have broken school records in each of the last two years. USA hit .302 as a team in 2007, .309 in 2008, and a school-record .328 in 2009 – two points higher than any previous team in the program’s 44-year history.
Von Behren also helped Derek O’Reilly win the Sun Belt Conference batting title in league play with a .426 batting average. O’Reilly hit .295 in his first season with the Jags in 2008, and was hitting just .211 through his first 22 games in 2009 before getting his season turned around and finishing with a .354 batting average.
O’Reilly wasn’t alone, as Jake Overstreet got his season turned around and hit .390 in league play, good for seventh in the conference. Between O’Reilly, Overstreet and Adam Heisler, the Jags had three of the league’s top seven batting averages in conference play.
The success didn’t stop there, as Clint Reynolds, who entered the season with one start in his first two years at USA, hit .328 and posted a .407 on-base percentage while making 48 starts in the outfield.
Additionally, Heisler hit .390 on the year, giving him the fifth-highest single-season batting average by a USA player in the last 22 years, and Overstreet raised his batting average from .295 as a freshman to .336 as a sophomore while also clubbing 18 doubles. Heisler ranked fifth in the SBC, while David Doss ranked sixth with a .378 batting average on the season.
Nine Jags hit .300 or better in 2009 – the most since 2003. Seven Jags hit .300 or better in 2007 and 2008, giving Von Behren 23 such hitters through his first three seasons.
South Alabama set a school record with 139 doubles in 2008, four more than the 2003 squad. USA also ranked third in school history by hammering 79 home runs that year.
In 2007, Von Behren coached Jeff Cunningham to a new school record with 22 home runs in a season.
Von Behren also over saw the transition of Doss from a third baseman to a catcher. Doss didn’t miss a beat, becoming one of the top catchers in the conference, as well as a 2009 All-American and a two-time selection in the MLB draft.
At least two hitters have been drafted into professional baseball from each of Von Behren’s squads, and each team has also had a position player named an All-American.
Cunningham was named All-American as a first baseman in 2007, Ryne Jernigan was named as a second baseman in 2008, and David Doss was selected as a catcher in 2009.
Cunningham (seventh round – Colorado Rockies) and Joel Collins (10th round – Toronto Blue Jays) were both drafted in 2007. Ray Kruml (11th round – New York Yankees), Ryne Jernigan (30th round – Oakland Athletics) and Doss (44th round – Chicago Cubs) were drafted in 2008. Doss was again drafted in 2009 (31st round – Philadelphia Phillies), and Heisler (45th round – St. Louis Cardinals) was also selected.
Through three seasons, Von Behren has amassed an impressive list of accomplishments with the Jags:
2009: Team hit .328 – the highest batting average ever by a Jaguar squad; coached Sun Belt Conference batting champion in league play
2008: Jags set a new school record with 139 doubles and ranked third in school history in home runs
2007: Coached Jeff Cunningham to 22 home runs, the most by any USA player in a single season
Seven position players selected in MLB draft
Three All-Americans
Four all-region players
Five all-conference selections
Before coming to South Alabama, Von Behren spent three seasons at the College of Charleston. During his time in Charleston, the Cougars enjoyed an incredible amount of success.
2006: 46-17, Ranked No. 12 nationally – reached the Atlanta Super Regional
2005: 48-15, Ranked No. 22 nationally – reached the Clemson Regional
2004: 47-16, Ranked No. 29 nationally – reached the Baton Rouge Regional
One NCAA Super Regional
Three NCAA Regionals
Nine players drafted
Three All-Americans
19 all-conference selections
Prior to coaching the Cougars, Von Behren coached at Division II West Chester, where he worked as the recruiting coordinator and hitting instructor. In that one season, West Chester went 30-25, recording its first 30-win season in history. His squad racked up school records for hits, runs, doubles and RBI.
He enjoyed a standout college career at Illinois State. A four-year starter at ISU, he was an All-Conference selection in 2000. He ranks second on the ISU all-time list for hits and doubles.
Von Behren is married to the former Meredith Banal of Vandalia, Ill. The couple resides in Mobile, Ala. with their dog, Omaha.
