May 26, 2024 By George Von Benko 6 min read

Jory Coughenour was a baseball standout at Uniontown and the University of Pittsburgh and played minor league baseball. He turned his passion for baseball into his life’s work.

“I started playing baseball at nine years old,” Coughenour recalled. “I think we had 9 and 10 divisions and 11 and 12 divisions so I started playing then and it’s history, I’ve had baseball in my life from then and I still do to this day.

“Baseball was part of my family life. My brother played and my mother played softball and my dad played baseball so I grew up around baseball.”

Coughenour played four years at Uniontown and developed into a reliable pitcher for the Red Raiders.

“I was a catcher and shortstop once I turned junior, senior and I pitched all four years,” Coughenour said. “I think catching helped my arm strength as a pitcher.

“We were middle of the pack at Uniontown. When I was in high school I played summer ball with the Connellsville kids. Where I grew up, where our house was located, the school districts, I could have went to Connellsville or Uniontown. In the summers I played in Connellsville. My memories in baseball were playing against them and they were my friends and they were really good. Uniontown was in the same section with Connellsville and they dominated every year. Laurel Highlands was in the section and they were pretty good and they had Jason Bowers.”

Coughenour made progress as a pitcher for the Red Raiders. He was All-Section 2 as a senior.

“I progressed and being a pitcher I was also a swimmer at Uniontown,” Coughenour offered. “Being from an athletic family and being athletic and having a strong arm contributed a lot to pitching. I progressed at Uniontown and played American Legion ball.

“I played Legion ball for Colonial. I had zero offers for college baseball coming out of high school and I was going to walk on at Davis & Elkins. In Legion ball you would progress and get to throw at like a showcase. I ended up making it to Three Rivers Stadium and threw seven pitches off the mound and the assistant coach from Pitt was there and asked me if I wanted to go to Pitt on scholarship and my choice was walking on at Division III Davis & Elkins or now I have a chance to go to a Division I school.

“It was unbelievable and I looked at my parents and the coach and said we are going to sign some papers and I’m going to Pitt.”

Coughenour played on Panther squads that went 19-26 in 1996-97, 12-21 in 1997-98, 27-27 in 1998-99 and 31-24 in 1999-2000.

“I had Mark Jackson as my coach at Pitt as a freshman and then Joe Jordano the rest of the way,” Coughenour said. “We were competitive and I progressed nicely, and I worked my way into the rotation and I was healthy.”

Coughenour served as Pitt’s ace pitcher while compiling a career earned run average of 4.23. In April of 2000 his outstanding ERA of 2.06 ranked him 20th in the NCAA. Coughenour completed the 2000 season with a record of 5-5 in 14 appearances for a career high in wins. He led the team in both innings pitched (76 2/3) and strikeouts (52), also career highs.

Coughenour, a team co-captain, averaged 14 games a season during his four-year career at Pittsburgh. In his last regular-season game against Boston College, he set a school record for career innings pitched at that time with 233. He currently stands 17th on the all-time list. Coughenour is 13th in career appearances with 56 and also appears in Pitt’s all-time list for career victories (12) and strikeouts (154, good for 20th).

“I was a workhorse,” Coughenour said. “Swimming and catching made me stronger. The Pitt experience was great.”

Coughenour, a right-hander, was selected in the 20th round by the Houston Astros in the 2000 Major League Baseball first-year player draft. Coughenour was the 607th pick overall.

“This is a great honor for Jory,” said Pitt head coach Joe Jordano at the time. “He had the best year of his career this season. He really worked hard and did a wonderful job for us.”

Coughenour pitched five years in the minors, reaching as high as Class AA. Overall, he was 22-21 in the minor leagues.

Houston assigned him to the Auburn Doubledays where he had a 4-7 record and a 5.06 record in his pro debut.

In 2001, Jory had a 11-5 record with a 3.78 ERA for the Class A Michigan Battle Cats. He started 14 games and relieved in 21, earning two saves. While his opponents hit .291 against him his control was sharp as he walked just 22 in 126 1/3 innings. Coughenour improved further in 2002. In five games with Michigan he had a win and three saves with a 1.46 ERA and no walks in 12 1/3 innings. Promoted to the Class AA Round Rock Express, he had a 3-2 record with three saves and a 3.52 ERA, but opponents hit .298.

Returning to Round Rock in 2003, he struggled, going 2-5 with three saves and a 7.09 ERA in 34 games. Opponents hit .324 and his control began to wane as he walked 30 in 53 1/3 innings. Sent down to the Salem Avalanche, he had a win and a save with a 2.08 ERA in 10 games with an ERA of 4.16 and a 1.56 WHIP.

“What stands out about the minors was the players,” Coughenour explained. “Guys like Adrian Gonzalez and Mark Teixeira, guys that could dominate and hit. That’s one thing. The other thing is John Massarelli, he was my coach my first year in the minors and my life now as a coach, man, I learned everything from him.”

Coughnenour pitched for the Washington Wild Things in 2004 and was 0-2 with a 4.57 ERA in five games.

“I hurt myself my last year in the Houston organization,” Coughenour reported. “I ended up with a leg injury which ended up contributing to an arm injury. Looking back I was very fortunate and I still coach baseball today.”

Coughenour after his playing days forged a successful coaching career first working for his old coach Joe Jordano and then teaming up with Patrick Cutshall to form Beaver County Sports Zone and coaching some very successful travel baseball teams. He is now with the Gametime Prospects Organization in Raleigh, N.C.

Now 45, Coughenour resides in Raleigh with his wife Erica. They were married in 2012 and they have a nine-year-old daughter, Hannah.

“Baseball is still my life,” Coughenour stated. “I have not had a year off from baseball since I was seven years old. Athletics played a huge role in my life.”

George Von Benko’s “Memory Lane” column appears in the Sunday editions of the Herald-Standard. He also hosts a sports talk show on WMBS-AM radio from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.