Staff Directory – Athletics

Jon Copeland begins his sixth season at the helm of the TBC Eagles Baseball program. In 2019, the Eagles continued their strong postseason tradition with a 3^rd-place finish in the NCCAA South Regional and the young program’s first invitation to the NCCAA College World Series.

In 2014, Coach Copeland was given the honor of starting and building the new Trinity Baptist College Eagles baseball program. The program’s first season in 2015 proved to be a very successful one as the Eagles more than doubled the average number of wins for a first-year program. In the process, TBC was a semi-finalist in the NCCAA South Region, defeated multiple NCAA DII and NAIA programs, including the eventual Sun Conference Champions and the Sun Conference Pitcher of the Year, all while completing one of the toughest schedules in the NCCAA.

In the short time since then, the Eagles have collected two more postseason regional semi-finalist finishes, a regional runner-up finish, and three 20+ win seasons.

The 2014 season was not the first time that Coach Copeland has been given the privilege of starting a new college baseball program.  In 2011, Copeland started the program at Florida Christian College (now Johnson University-Florida), and in their first two seasons, the Suns enjoyed one of the best program starts in college baseball history.  In Copeland’s first year at FCC, the Suns ended their inaugural 2012 season with a winning record (including a regular season filled primarily with NCAA DII and NAIA opponents), a #2 national ranking, and a runner-up finish at the NCCAA College World Series. The 2012 Suns also produced the South Region Player of the Year, four All-Americans, six All-South Region players, and two All-National Tournament selections from the College World Series. In 2013, the Suns racked up an impressive season, once again, building a winning record while finishing the season ranked #2 in the country and making it to their second consecutive regional final, and finishing in third place at the NCCAA College World Series. FCC placed five players on the All-South region squad and had four players named All-American, with one selection to the All-National Tournament Team.

A native of Southern California, Jon played four years of collegiate baseball at Biola University in La Mirada, California where he graduated with degrees in English and physical education. Upon graduation, and after his playing career had ended with stints in Texas and California — and in Europe with Athletes in Action — Jon spent the next eight seasons coaching in southern California at the high school level, five of them as a head coach — with three trips to the postseason.

Jon’s next stop was as an assistant coach/assistant head coach at his alma mater, Biola University, where he helped lead the Eagles to four consecutive GSAC Conference Championships, a #4 final NAIA ranking during the 2001 season, and a sixth-place finish at the NAIA World Series.

After Biola, Copeland spent one year at NCAA DI University of California-Irvine under the leadership of 2013 NCAA Div. I National Champion and UCLA Head Coach John Savage. In 2006, Copeland was named head coach at NCAA DII Nyack College in New York, where he turned a perennial losing program into a national contender in only three seasons. Copeland compiled an impressive list of accomplishments while at Nyack, most notably a semi-final finish at the NCAA DII CACC Championship Tournament, consecutive NCCAA Regional appearances, a #4 national ranking, and an invitation to the NCCAA College World Series. He also produced a CACC Player of the Year, a CACC Pitcher of the Year, nine All-CACC players, six NCAA Division II All-Region players, 10 NCCAA All-Region players, and a NCAA DII All-American — all during the most honored three seasons in Nyack College baseball history. Jon was then given the opportunity of spending the ‘09-‘10 season as an intern assistant coach at NCAA DI powerhouse Vanderbilt University (D1 National Champions in 2014 and 2019) under the tutelage of legendary coach Tim Corbin.

Jon is closing in on coaching win no. 700 and head-coaching win no. 400; he carries a .618 winning percentage.  He has 24 winning seasons in 30 years of coaching high school and college baseball.  Coach Copeland has seventeen former players who have been drafted or have signed to professional baseball contracts, including three who have reached the Triple A level.

Jon and his wife, the former Stephanie Nickel, have a son, Joshua, and a daughter, Sydney. Stephanie is Director of the Lifesong traveling worship team at TBC, a voice teacher, and a professional vocalist.