2013 MURRAY STATE BASEBALL ASSISTANT COACH
#2 Dan Skirka Assistant Coach 4th Season Grand Valley State, ’08 Dan Skirka enters his fourth season as an assistant coach at Murray State. On top of his recruiting duties, Skirka works primarily with the outfielders and hitters, as well as camp coordinator and in charge of team travel. Skirka moved into his current role of third-base coach in 2012, after spending his first two seasons in the first-base coaching box. The Breds outfield had six players play at least 14 games. Ty Stetson and Paul Ritzheimer were mainstays in left and center, respectively, but injuries throughout the lineup forced a shuffle for the final spot. Despite playing so many players, the Breds outfield recorded more outfield assists than errors for the third-straight season. Ritzheimer and Colton Speed led the way with four each. Stetson showed a patient approach at the top of the lineup as he drew 53 walks, the second-most in a single-season at MSU. He also recorded 16 doubles and five triples on his way to scoring a team-high 50 runs. First-Team All-Conference utility player Travis Isaak was on his way to setting a new record for doubles in a season before an injury sidelined him for nearly a month. Isaak still managed 20 doubles and six home runs in just 45 games. Designated hitter Brandon Eggenschwiler earned second-team allconference honors after posting a .370 average with 32 RBIs. In 2011, the Breds outfield recorded 14 outfield assists, with Elliot Frey, Zach Noonan and Stetson each registering four assists each. In his first season, Skirka helped guide an offense that set new school record’s for hits, runs scored, doubles, RBIs and total bases, while also having the fifth-best batting average in school history.
2013 Media Guide
The Skirka File Born: May 20, 1985 Family: Married to wife Kelsey. Education: Graduated from Grand Valley State in 2008 with a bachelor’s degree in group social studies. Masters in human development from Muray State in 2010. Playing Experience: Played two seasons at Kellogg Community College. Spent final two years at Grand Valley State. Coaching Experience: Assistant Coach at Grand Rapids Community College (2008). Assistant Coach at Ouachita Baptist (2009). Assistant coach at Murray State (2010-present).
The offense was led by OVC Player of the Year, Wes Cunningham, who set new school records in runs, hits, triples, home runs, RBIs, total bases and slugging percentage, while also setting OVC records for RBIs and total bases. Defensively, the Breds’ outfield was one of the strongest in the OVC. As a unit, they collected 17 outfield assists, with Daniel Hill ranking among the nation leaders with seven outfield assists. Skirka came to MSU after spending the 2009 season as an assistant coach at Ouachita Baptist, where he worked mainly with the hitters and outfielders. Under his guidance, the Tigers went 37-20 and were paced by the Gulf South West Division Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year. In addition to his on-field duties, Skirka supervised academics, team travel and served as the interim sports information director for baseball. Skirka spent the 2008 season as an assistant coach at Grand Rapids Community College. He worked with the hitters, infielders and outfielders, and helped the Raiders to the NJCAA Division II World Series. During the summer of 2007, Skirka served as the head coach of Courtesy/Keene’s Stan Musial Team that captured the regular season championship and finished runner-up in the city playoffs. Skirka earned Rawlings/American Baseball Coaches Association All-Region First-Team honors during his senior season at Grand Valley State. The Union City, Mich., native hit .400 with 14 doubles, five triples, seven home runs and 43 RBIs. The efforts also earned him First-Team All-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference honors, as well as second-team all-region honors from Daktronics. The accolades were not just on the playing field as Skirka was named the Male Scholar Athlete of the Year in 2007. As a junior, Skirka hit .322 with six doubles, 28 RBIs and 56 runs scored. He was named to the North Central Region All-Tournament Team, after helping lead the Lakers to a runner-up finish. He began his collegiate career at Kellogg Community College, where he was named the Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2005. During that season, Skirka serves as a team captain, and helped the Bruins to a 30game winning streak on the way to a conference championship. Skirka graduated magna cum laude from Grand Valley State with a degree in group social studies. He completed his masters in human development and leadership from Murray State last summer. He is married to the former Kelsey Hanson, and the couple resides in Murray.
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