Washington Township native John Yurkow named head coach at Penn

As the No. 1 assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the University of Pennsylvania baseball team, John Yurkow spent nearly two months in a tough spot after it was learned that John Cole would not be back as the head baseball coach next season.

But after an extensive nationwide search process, the Quakers solved many of Yurkow?s problems and made the wait worthwhile by promoting him to the head job after seven years as an assistant.

?There are recruits who we?ve been working with for months,? said Yurkow, a Gloucester Catholic High School graduate and Washington Township native. ?Not knowing (who would be head coach) was a distraction, it was tough at times. You make the decision to stick with this thing, if it doesn?t work out as a head coach you can stay as an assistant. But it worked out really well, it was worth it in the end.

?They asked me to stay on and keep working, and I told them if I was going to do that I had interest in the position. I felt pretty good throughout the whole thing, I?ve been there seven years. I knew all the answers, I felt like as an internal candidate I had an advantage. A lot of the younger alums got behind me, the support was great.?

Yurkow has spent more than a decade as an assistant since graduating from Rowan in 2000, first with the Profs and four years at Duke before coming back to the Philadelphia area.

With all the work he?d done over the years ? in addition to leading recruiting he was also a hitting and fielding instructor and third-base coach ? the thought of becoming a head coach had already been in his mind. That made the whirlwind nature of getting the job last week easier to deal with.

?I started getting the itch I?d say three or four years ago,? Yurkow said. ?I?ve done the travel, the fundraising, I?m ready for the opportunity. I?ve had to deal with all those types of things. You definitely have to wear a lot of hats, whether it?s as an assistant coach or head coach.

?I was in California, I got the call on Tuesday. I flew home on Thursday night, went out to dinner with my wife, daughter and parents and then flew out again the next morning to Atlanta and just got back Thursday. I was home for a night, when I got back it was nice to be in the office for a few days. It couldn?t have worked out better, I couldn?t be any happier.?

Being at an Ivy League school like Penn which doesn?t offer athletic scholarships presents unique challenges that Yurkow?s well acquainted with. The trip to California shows how far he must go to find players who not only have the physical ability to play for the Quakers, but also the academic qualifications that otherwise eliminate so many top talents.

?When it comes down to it, Penn isn?t a hard place to sell,? said Yurkow. ?They?re getting one of the top 10 educations in the world. The upgrades in recent years to the facilities have been amazing. You?re recruiting academic guys, but there aren?t a lot out there so you have to go all over. When you go to events you don?t have to look at 95 percent of the kids because they can?t get in there.?

Despite the high standards, Yurkow has managed to bring in some big South Jersey names to star for the Quakers over the years. Lenape?s Jeff McGarry is a rising junior pitcher/outfielder, pitcher Vince Voiro (Cherry Hill West) was drafted twice and third baseman Dan Williams (Seneca) left Penn holding three offensive school records.

While the talent has definitely improved with Yurkow leading the way on the recruiting trail, it hasn?t always shown up in the standings. Last year?s team was 22-21, but just 7-13 in the Ivy League with seven straight conference losses to end the season. Getting back on top of the standings is one of his top priorities.

?It?s been a while since they won an Ivy League title, we?re getting close to 20 years and that?s something I think we?ve got to take care of soon,? he said. ?We finished a game above .500 and we only lost three seniors. Our incoming class is very good. We should be able to compete.

?We?ve played better against scholarship schools than teams in our league. That shows the talent?s there, we?re not that far away.?

Yurkow still plans on keeping a big hand in the recruiting, though assistant coach Mike Santello will move up to coordinator after proving invaluable during the transition period. And when the head coaching job hits full speed in a month or two, he?s planning on utilizing everything he?s learned from the experience he gained playing and working with several men he respects.

?It hasn?t really set in yet,? said Yurkow. ?I feel like I could work for seven days, 24 hours and still have work to do. I?m really excited, I still have that euphoria of being named head coach. We have a lot of work to do, but pretty soon we?ll have to start turning our attention to fall ball.

?When I?m talking to recruits I?m used to saying you?ll get to talk to the head coach, and now they?re talking to him. I think occasionally, wait, I?m the head coach, I can do whatever I want. I?ve been very fortunate to play for some very good coaches. I played for Al Radano, Dennis Radano, Pop Barth, Juan Ranero at Rowan, John Cole. It?s probably why I stayed in coaching and gravitated toward it.?

And Yurkow has every intention of staying at Penn as long as it takes to win that Ivy League championship ? and beyond.

?It?s always good to come home and work at a place like Penn, it just made a lot of sense to me,? he said. ?The No. 1 goal is to become a head coach, but it was a bonus to be able to stay at a place like Penn which is such a great place to work. That made it that much sweeter. I?m just trying to enjoy it. I?m not planning on going anywhere anytime soon.?

Contact Scott Chappelear at 856-845-9478 or schappelear@southjerseymedia.com

Source: http://www.nj.com/south-jersey-sports/index.ssf/2013/07/washington_township_native_joh.html

red sox white sox chuck colson ufc 145 results orrin hatch marlon byrd charles colson