Saturday, July 27th, 2024

Jimmy Shankle | 1972-1974 | Monterey High School | Baseball

Jimmy Shankle began playing baseball at Monterey High School in 1972. Playing as the starting catcher that year, Shankle aided the AAAA State Championship Team to hold a 36-4 record for the season, beating Houston Bellaire in the finals 2-1. Monterey carried their winning streak into 1973 with a 33-6 season. At the end of that season Shankle was awarded the AACBC Collegiate All-American District Award. Shankle continued as starting catcher in 1974, holding a 36-4 season record with 30 winning games in a row to finish the season. It was no surprise when Shankle earned the title of All-State First-Team Catcher and Texas High School Player of the Year, with a 30 game hitting streak, 55 hits in a season and 12 homeruns under his belt (a Monterey High School record at the time). Shankle was also awarded the AACBC Collegiate All-American District Award for the second time in his high school baseball career.In 1974 the Boston Red Socks drafted Shankle, where he continued to play professionally for the next four years. In 1978 Shankle retired from professional baseball.Taking no time off, Shankle was hired in 1978 as the assistant baseball coach at Texas Tech University under Kal Segrist. Shankle was instrumental in helping Texas Tech reach their first appearance in the Southwest Conference Baseball Tournament. In 1983 Shankle was hired as the assistant baseball coach at Lubbock Christian University under Coach Larry Hays, and in 1986 replaced Hays as head coach. During the next 5 years, Coach Shankle set a NAIA record with 244 wins, the most wins in a five-year period. In 1987 LCU became the District 8 Champions, earning a bid to host the Regional Tournament. Shankle went on to become the District 8 Coach of the Year.During his final year as head coach at LCU, the team went on to become District 8 Champions for the second time, placed 5th in the NAIA National Championship, and Shankle earned the District 8 and Area II Coach of the Year Awards.This impressive record caught the attention of the University of Texas at San Antonio, and in the summer of 1991 they hired Shankle as head coach of their baseball team. In 1994 UTSA had a 39-18 season record and won the Southland Conference Tournament Championship. They became the only team in NCAA Baseball History to start a team, and in just three years earn a bid to a NCAA Regional.

In 1995 Shankle went on to become head coach at Abilene Christian University. He took a team that was 17-36 the season before he got there, to go on and win the Lone Star Conference Championship. ACU hosted the South Central Regional with a record of 41-18, the first 40-win season in ACU baseball history. Shankle was awarded the Lone Star Conference Coach of the Year, and in the summer of 1996 retired from coaching. Unable to stay away from his passion, Shankle returned to LCU as head coach from 1999-2001. His impressive season record of 98-40 (cumulative) ended his coaching career record at 493 wins to 288 losses. Shankle retired from the game after the 2001 season, and is now the CEO of Robert Heath Trucking.
Back to class of 2016