COACHES

VARSITY COACHES

MARK GIBBS '96

HEAD COACH / 15TH SEASON 304-80 OVERALL RECORD / .792 WINNING %

Mark Gibbs heads into his 15th year as head coach for the Cadets. He played for St. John’s from 1993 to 1996 and was a three-time first team All-WCAC selection and a two-time first team Washington Post All-Met selection. Following his senior season, he was named WCAC Player of the Year and Gatorade Player of the Year, as well as one of College Sport Magazine’s Top 100 players in the country. Gibbs played four years of college baseball at George Mason University. He was a four-year starter at shortstop for the Patriots and finished in the top 10 in hits, games played, hit by pitches and fielding chances. After college, he was signed as a free agent by the Baltimore Orioles and spent three and a half years in professional baseball, advancing to Double A (Bowie) with the Orioles.

In six of Gibbs’ 13 seasons, the Cadets were nationally ranked by the major baseball publications (Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball, ESPN, Rivals.com, Perfect Game and USA TODAY). Before their 2008 season, St. John’s graced the cover of Baseball America and the Cadets enjoyed a profile article in the magazine’s high school preview. St. John’s was the first team from the mid-Atlantic to ever be profiled in the preview issue. Gibbs has sent 110 players into college baseball, had 17 players who were drafted by or signed to free agent contracts with professional teams and has an overall record of 304-78, including twelve 20-win campaigns.

Players from St. John’s have advanced to some of the most prestigious college programs in the nation, including College World Series participants University of Virginia (Scott Silverstein, Nick Howard), University of Mississippi (Errol Robinson, Jake Steinberg), University of North Carolina (L.J. Hoes, Josh Leehmuis) and Coastal Carolina University (Cam Remalia) as well as SEC powers Mississippi State University (Nick Routt, Alex Deise) and University of Tennessee (Michael Flax, Brodie Leftridge). During his 17 years as the head infield instructor (2004-19), Gibbs had 19 different infielders earn college scholarships (31 total played college baseball).

The Cadets have won or tied for ten WCAC regular season titles (2007, 2010, 2012-19) and seven WCAC tournament titles (2011, 2014-19). During that time, the Cadets have posted a 170-31 WCAC regular season record, which represents a winning percentage of .845. Gibbs was named as an assistant coach for the 2009 Under Armour All-American game at Wrigley Field in Chicago and the Washington DC Extra Coach of the Year in 2010. He was also named WCAC Coach of the Year in 2012, 2013 and 2015, the USA TODAY Washington, DC, Coach of the Year in 2015, 2016 and 2017, as well as The Washington Post All-Met Coach of the Year in 2016. Following the 2019 season he was selected as the DC State Coach of the Year.

Gibbs is heavily involved with youth baseball in the Washington, DC, area. He is a partner in Diamond Skills Baseball, a local baseball camp recognized around the country for its outstanding camps for junior high and high school players. In 2020, Gibbs brought in more than 60 college coaches to work at the Diamond Skills All-American Camp, which is designed to allow serious high school players the opportunity to learn from top college coaches during the winter. His Diamond Skills Baseball Prospect Camp also brings in some of the top college coaches from across the nation to work with serious junior high players during the summer. His work with college coaches during recruiting season and with these camps has allowed him to develop an extensive network of close friends and contacts within the college coaching profession.

Gibbs works in the Alumni and Development Office at St. John’s and lives with his wife Mindy, son Matthew and daughter Allie in Silver Spring, MD.

MARK GIBBS BY THE NUMBERS CAREER RECORD

YR. REC. WCAC WCAC FINISH POST-SEASON

POST SEASON RECORD

2007 23-6 14-2 1ST* 2008 20-7 13-3 2ND 2009 18-7 10-4 2ND 2010 23-4 15-1 1ST

WCAC FINALS 2-1 WCAC SEMIFINALS 1-1 WCAC SEMIFINALS 1-1 WCAC SEMIFINALS 1-1 2011 22-9 10-6 5TH WCAC CHAMPIONS 4-1 2012 23-3 15-1 1ST WCAC QUARTERFINALS 0-1 2013 21-6 14-2 1ST WCAC SEMIFINALS 1-2 2014 26-6 13-3 1ST WCAC, DCSAA CHAMPIONS 8-0 2015 25-6 14-2 1ST WCAC CHAMPIONS 5-1 2016 23-8 14-2 1ST WCAC CHAMPIONS 5-1 2017 24-7 14-2 1ST WCAC CHAMPIONS 5-1 2018 26-6 13-3 1ST* WCAC CHAMPIONS 5-1 2019 30-3 13-0 1ST WCAC, DCSAA CHAMPIONS 8-1 2020 0-2 0-0 — SEASON CANCELED –CR. 304-80 170-31 46-13

MARK GIBBS

VARSITY COACHES

ANDREW LOWMAN

ASSISTANT COACH / 14TH SEASON / CATCHERS The 2021 season will be Andrew Lowman’s 14th as a coach in St. John’s baseball program. Lowman is responsible for the day-to-day development of all SJC catchers. Since he took over as head catching instructor, the Cadet backstops have thrown out more than 60 percent of base-stealers and averaged less than 10 passed balls per year. He has tutored 10 catchers who have gone on to play at the collegiate level, including five to the Division 1 level (UNC-Wilmington, Delaware, Southern, La Salle, Iona and VCU). Lowman is a 1991 graduate of Riverdale Baptist and was a college athlete at Frostburg State University. He currently lives in Lothian, MD, with his wife Alyssa, son Josh and daughter Ansley.

ANDREW LOWMAN

ED GIBBS

ED GIBBS ’67

ASSISTANT COACH / 15TH SEASON/29TH SEASON OVERALL / BASERUNNING The 2021 campaign will be Ed Gibbs’ 29th as a coach at St. John’s. In 1993, Gibbs took control of a program that had gone several years without a winning season. In his first year, he guided the Cadets to a 13-12 record, and in his second season, Gibbs went 24-5 and began an amazing streak of winning 20 or more games in 13-straight seasons. He established St. John’s as an area powerhouse and pushed them into the national rankings. He compiled a 318-78 record. His accomplishments include seven regular-season championships, two WCAC conference championships (1999, 2005) and three WCAC Coach of the Year selections, as well as being named the 2005 Washington Post Coach of the Year. He sent six players into professional baseball and had 11 first team All-Met selections, seven Gatorade Players of the Year, five USA TODAY Players of the Year and 59 first team All-WCAC selections. He sent an incredible 41 players into college baseball and, in 2008, was inducted into the St. John’s College High School Athletic Hall of Fame.

Gibbs is in charge of the base runners and outfielders at St. John’s. During his time as coach, the Cadets have stolen at least 70 bases each year. He has also been the driving force behind many of the baseball facility renovations and recently had the baseball field at St. John’s named for him. He currently lives in Rockville, MD.

VARSITY COACHES

JON SIDILAU

ASSISTANT COACH / TENTH SEASON / HITTING/OUTFIELDERS

Jon Sidilau, now in his 10th year on St. John’s varsity staff, brings a great background and a wealth of knowledge to the program. His day-to-day duties include working with the hitters and infielders and managing the outfielders during the games. Sidilau graduated from Hilton Head High School in South Carolina in 1991 and played at the collegiate level for USC-Aiken and USC-Columbia. Since then, he has been involved with various high schools and organizations in the Washington metropolitan area.

From 1997-2001, Sidilau was the head JV coach at Robinson High School. During that time, he was also an assistant for the Fairfax Barnstormers and Harris Baseball, two of the elite showcase teams in the country. From 2003-2006, Sidilau was the director and head coach for the Herndon Baseball Club. Since 2008, he has been the head coach for the Diamond Skills Baseball 17U showcase team and worked at the Diamond Skills All-American Camp, the Diamond Skills Summer Prospect Camp and the St. John’s Winter Instructional Camp. In the spring of 2011, Sidilau was the assistant varsity coach at South Lakes High School in Chantilly, VA. He lives in Sterling, VA, with his wife Christine and two sons, Ander and Preston.

KEVIN GIBBS ’92

ASSISTANT COACH / SEVENTH SEASON / HITTERS/OUTFIELDERS Kevin Gibbs begins his seventh season as a coach for the Cadets. He is a 1992 graduate of St. John’s, where he was a standout baseball, basketball and football student-athlete. In baseball, he was a three-time Washington Post All-Met selection and a two-time WCAC Player of the Year. USA Today, Gatorade, Topps Baseball Cards, the United States Baseball Federation and the Maryland State Baseball Coaches Association all named him their Player of the Year following his senior season. He was also named the Scholar Athlete of the Year by the United States Army and The Washington Post. Following his senior year, he participated in the Junior Olympics as a member of the United States National Team. Gibbs played three years of college baseball at Old Dominion University, where he was a three-time All-American, two-time Academic All-American and CAA Player of the Year (1994). He led the Monarchs to two CAA championships and two NCAA tournament appearances. He was again selected to play for the United States National Team, where he led the team in average, on base percentage and stolen bases. Following his junior year, the Los Angeles Dodgers selected Gibbs in the sixth round of the amateur draft. He was a three-time All-Star, named the Dodgers’ “Centerfielder of the Future” by Baseball America in 1997 and reached the 40-man roster in 1998, 1999 and 2000. He spent a total of 10 years in professional baseball with the Dodgers, Rockies, Yankees and Phillies.

TOM BALLENGER

KEVIN GIBBS

In 2010, Gibbs was selected to the 25th Anniversary “All-Time CAA” Team and is a member of the St. John’s College High School Athletic Hall of Fame, Old Dominion Hall of Fame and Anne Arundel County Hall of Fame. He lives in Olney with his wife Michelle and their children Casey ’21, Colin ’25 and Emma.

TOM BALLENGER

ASSISTANT COACH / SECOND SEASON / PITCHERS The 2021 season will be Tommy Ballenger’s second in a Cadet uniform. Ballenger is a 2002 graduate from DeMatha Catholic High School, where he pitched for the Stags from 1998-2002 helping them win a WCAC championship his senior year. He then moved on to pitch at UMBC from 2002-2006. Ballenger’s coaching career began at Bishop McNamara High School in 2007 under Maryland Hall of Famer Larry Prange. He coached the pitchers at McNamara from 2007-2014 and helped the Mustangs to back-toback WCAC tournament final appearances in 2012 and 2013. From 2014-2017, Ballenger coached in the Stars Showcase organization leading them to multiple tournament championships including a bid to the WWBA world championship in Jupiter, FL. Ballenger headed back to DeMatha in 2017 as the varsity pitching coach helping the Stags to three straight WCAC tournament final appearances. Over the last two summers, Ballenger has also coached the Bradley Eagles summer college baseball team. Ballenger is husband to Michelle and father of Gloria, Cormac, Rory, Oona Maeve and Moira.