Liberty baseball head coach Scott Jackson announced this week that Tyler Cannon has been named an assistant head coach.
Cannon will enter his sixth season on the Flames coaching staff this fall. In his five seasons at Liberty, he has assisted in all aspects of the Liberty baseball program, focusing on player development, hitting and team defense.
During Cannon’s time with the Flames, the Flames have made two NCAA Regional appearances and won multiple titles. Liberty has been a constant at the top of many NCAA statistical categories, including the nation’s best fielding percentage in 2021. Additionally, the Flames have led their conference in several different categories both offensively and defensively.
An infielder during his playing days, Cannon’s work with the Flames’ infield has produced the lowest error total and highest fielding percentages over the past three seasons than in any season in the past 17 years.
The 2021 campaign was arguably the most successful in Liberty Baseball history. The Flames secured an NCAA at-large bid for just the second time in the program’s history while Liberty’s 41-16 (.719) record set the school mark for winning percentage in a season at the NCAA Division I level. After its selection to the NCAA Knoxville, Tenn. Regional, Liberty posted two wins over ACC foe Duke and saw its season end in the regional final against host and College World Series participant Tennessee.
Cannon’s work with the Flames infielders and team defensive preparations helped Liberty finish the year as the top defensive team in the country in 2021. The Flames posted a nation’s best .984 fielding percentage, eclipsing the previous school record of .977 set by the 2018 Liberty squad.
From March 2-26, the Flames won 13 consecutive games, a Liberty NCAA Division I era record. After starting the year with a 2-5 mark, Liberty did not lose consecutive games for the rest of the year.
Six Liberty position players earned ASUN All-Conference recognition, led by second baseman Will Wagner and shortstop Cam Locklear. Wagner was named a unanimous all-conference first team selection for the second time (2019 & 2021) and went on to be picked by the Houston Astros in the 2021 MLB Draft. Meanwhile, Locklear set a school record by playing in 246 career games and grabbed ASUN Defensive Player of the Year honors to wrap up an incredibly reliable career.
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Chris Graham
