Hired prior to the 2012 season as an assistant coach, Shane Davis came to Western Illinois after two years as an assistant coach at Cleveland State.
As he enters his sixth year with the Leathernecks, he continues his role as pitching coach and recruiting coordinator.
The 2016 season saw an unprecedented amount of injuries to the pitching staff, highlighted by seven different Leathernecks earning a weekend start throughout the season. True-freshman Ian Koch, who eventually moved into the number one starting role, earned Second Team All-Summit League honors. Seniors Jordan Pannell and Joe Mortillaro both signed professional contracts to continue their pitching careers. Mortillaro and Koch both earned Summit League ‘Pitcher of the Week’ awards that season.
In 2015, senior pitcher Tyler Owings became the program’s all-time saves leader and earned Second Team All-Summit League honors.
Davis' third season at Western Illinois saw four Summit League 'Pitcher of the Week' honors, the most in program history. Preston Church was named Summit League ‘Pitcher of the Week’ on March 9, Aaron Michel twice on March 31 and April 14, Tyler Willman on April 7 and John White was the final Leatherneck to receive the honor on April 28. In addition, Willman was named First Team All-League, which marked the first time since 2006 that a WIU pitcher received First Team All-Conference honors.
Nick Milligan and Owings each finished their junior campaigns with 4-1 records on the mound. The .800 win percentage for both tied for 10th on the single season list (minimum five decisions). Additionally, Owings recorded six saves during the season, which is the second-most in a single season in program history. Owings was also honored with Academic All-Summit League honors.
Following the season, Willman was selected in the 12th round of the 2014 MLB Draft by the San Francisco Giants, making him the highest selection for a Western Illinois right-handed pitcher since 1970.
In his second season, he aided in the continued development of the pitching staff as the team ERA dropped from 4.85 in 2012 to 4.51 in 2013. Davis assisted in the development of then-freshman Michel who was named Second Team All-League and ended the 2013 season with a 1.23 ERA, the lowest season ERA in the program’s Division I era. Davis also assisted with the development of Brian Loconsole, who notched a record nine saves in 2013 and was drafted in the 20th round of the 2013 MLB Draft by the Los Angeles Angles.
In his first season, Davis was the recruiting coordinator for the Purple & Gold. He assisted in the recruiting of several freshmen that provided immediate impact for the Leathernecks in 2012. Seth Fuller, Mark Garton, Vince Howard, Milligan, Mason Pingel, Nick Smith and Brent Turner all saw extended playing time for the Leathernecks.
During his time with the Vikings, Davis assisted with CSU's recruiting efforts, focusing primarily in the Midwest. He also helped with summer ball placement and worked to arrange the team's travel plans and future scheduling.
Davis joined the Vikings after working as an assistant coach at the United States Air Force Academy where he was responsible for coaching the bullpen and catchers, while also assisting with the hitters. While at Air Force, the Falcon catchers ranked first or second in the Mountain West Conference in every defensive category.
Davis has also served as the co-head coach of the Stark County Terriers, an elite 18 and under summer league team that qualified for the ABCA Midland regional. He also coached the Varsity Shop Training Center Bullets, an 18 and under team based out of Detroit, during the summer of 2008.
In addition, he was an assistant coach at Eastern Michigan University during the 2008 season, serving as outfield coach, while assisting with hitters. He also served as a student assistant coach at EMU working with the pitchers and catchers during the 2007 season.
During his time at EMU he was part of a coaching staff that went 36-12 in the Mid-American Conference, including a regular season championship and tournament runner-up finish in 2007 and a West Division title and a MAC Tournament championship in 2008 with a berth in the Ann Arbor Regional.
Davis was a four-year letterwinner as a catcher for Eastern Michigan and earned his bachelor's degree in Secondary Education in 2007. He earned his master's degree in Communication from WIU in 2015.
