The 2024 season will be Coach Upwood's 10th as the associate head coach and pitching coach for the Vikings baseball program.
Upwood played collegiately at Ithaca College in New York from 1998-2002 under Hall of Fame coach George Valesente. As a member of the Bombers pitching staff, Upwood earned First Team All-Conference honors his sophomore and junior years as well as an Academic All-American nomination. He went on to play professionally as a member of the Gary Southshore Railcats and Lincoln Salt Dogs of the Northern League. From there, after leading the Railcats in earned run average with a 1.86, Upwood was signed by the San Diego Padres organization and played for their Class A affiliate the Fort Wayne Wizards out of the Midwest League. After stints with the Arizona Padres Rookie League as well as the New Jersey Jackals and Can-Am Grays, Upwood went on to play for the Sussex Skyhawks as well as the South Georgia Peanuts where he helped lead the team to a 2007 South Coast League Championship with a team-best 2.53 ERA. He was also second in appearances with 35.
While a player in the minor league systems, Upwood also served as the pitching coach at Onondaga Community College in Syracuse New York from 2006-2011. He then moved on to serve as the pitching coach for the Railcats for two seasons where he helped lead the team to the 2013 American Association Championship. As the Railcats’ pitching coach, Upwood had at least one starting pitcher finish in the league’s top-ten in ERA as well as earning top-five team records in wins, ERA and WHIP (walks, plus hits, plus innings pitched) under his tutelage. He also had one player’s contract purchased by a Major League team and his pitching staff led the postseason in every category.
His time at North Park has seen a continuation of the upward trajectory of the development of the pitching staff. Upwood has led staffs that have thrown strikes consistently, shown durability, and continued to display a knack for pitch-making. Upwood’s work with the 2015 staff saw considerable growth in a number of his pitchers. Their 92 walks as a staff (a paltry 2.37/nine innings) was the lowest in the CCIW, and their 12 complete games were the highest.
"Jake’s ability to teach pitchability to a variety of types of pitchers is really an asset. He works with our pitchers to pound the strike zone, and gets guys with different stuff to compete at a really high level. In the two years he’s been here, a significant number of high innings contributors to our staff have seen quantifiable improvement. He fits very nicely in the niche that we’ve carved out for our pitching coach position,” states head coach Luke Johnson.
Upwood also handles Strength and Conditioning for the Viking program. He holds certification as a CSCS from the National Strength and Conditioning Association. As the Associate Head Coach, he holds significant administrative responsibilities in all facets of the program. Upwood holds a B.A. in Sport Management from Ithaca and is completing his MBA at North Park.
“He’s had success in a nationally prominent NCAA Division III program as a player at Ithaca, as well as a professional baseball background with the Padres and at the Independent level. He’s prepared guys to pitch at both the college and professional level, which is something that makes him pretty unique. He continues to deliver on the expectation that our program is used to, having our staff being prepared professionally, and his background in strength and conditioning is a big plus. Our pitchers throw strikes, compete in every spot in the strike zone, and are durable." states head coach Luke Johnson.
