Zeke Pinkham has served on the Georgia Tech baseball coaching staff since Fall 2020 and was elevated to assistant coach in 2023. He works primarily with catchers, as well as helping coach offense and base-running.
Pinkham has been instrumental in the tutelage of freshman all-American Kevin Parada. Parada led the ACC with 20 doubles prior to the NCAA Tournament, and recorded four four-hit games on the season, becoming the first freshman to lead Georgia Tech in hitting since Matt Murton in 2001. Georgia Tech has a long history of producing elite catchers (Jason Varitek, Matt Wieters, Mike Nickeas, Joey Bart and more) and has earned the moniker “Catcher U.”
That mentorship proved successful in 2022 as Parada was named a unanimous All-American and become Georgia Tech’s 16th first-round MLB Draft pick when he was selected 11th overall by the New York Mets. In Parada’s final season, he slashed .360/.452/.709 en route to launching a school-record 26 home runs for a whopping 88 RBI.
Pinkham comes to The Flats after spending a year as the graduate assistant coach at his alma mater, Louisville. Primarily working with catchers, he mentored first-round MLB Draft pick Henry Davis and second-round pick Dalton Rushing. Pinkham also assisted in hitting development and saw the Cardinals hit .323 for the season, ranking third in the country.
Prior to coaching, Pinkham was a three-year starting catcher under Dan McDonnell, appearing in two College World Series (2017, 2019). He hit a career-best .324 his senior year, helping captain the Cardinals to Omaha where en route he earned 2019 NCAA All-Louisville Regional Team honors. He recorded 46 hits, 10 doubles and two home runs for 29 RBI.
An Elizabethtown, Ky. native, Pinkham earned a bachelor’s degree in sports administration from Louisville (2019) and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in higher education administration. He resides in Atlanta with his wife, Erin.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUT ZEKE PINKHAM:
“We had the pleasure of coaching Zeke through a very successful college career. Like many, he went through some tough times fighting through injuries but overcame, finished strong and got to play in two College World Series while being selected team captain, the greatest honor one can receive from teammates. Zeke excelled in his role as our graduate assistant getting a chance to be on the coaching side of things. He’s a competitor and a winner and will do a great job of helping players get better. I’m excited for his opportunity to work with Coach Danny Hall and his staff.” – Dan McDonnell, Louisville head baseball coach
“Zeke Pinkham is a young and upcoming rising star in the college baseball world. A hard-working professional who knows the game, yet is motivated to constantly learn. He will inspire players to reach their full potential on and off the field. Great hire, Georgia Tech just got better!” – Eric Snider, Louisville hitting coach/recruiting coordinator
“I had the opportunity to be teammates with Zeke for one year at Louisville. I knew right away he was up for any challenge thrown his way. He knows how to put in the work to make himself and his teammates better. He knows what it takes to win and there’s no question in my mind he will have a successful college coaching career. Georgia Tech is lucky to have him and will be an even better program with him there.” – Will Smith, Los Angeles Dodgers catcher
