Bio

Shane Gardner was named the 34th head baseball coach in program history in July 2023 with his first season taking place in the spring of 2024.

Prior to Defiance, Gardner has 12 years of head coaching experience at the college level. Gardner spent the last four years at Trinity International University in Deerfield, Ill. after spending eight seasons at his alma mater, Hiwassee College, in Madisonville, Tenn. Over his head coaching career, he has a cumulative record of 269-291-1 with four appearances in the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) World Series and nine postseason berths. He has also mentored four All-Americans, 25 First Team All-Region selections and 10 players that signed pro contracts after their college careers.

Under his leadership at Hiwassee, the Tigers put together five straight 30-win seasons while also reaching the NCCAA World Series four years in a row from 2016-19. In the process, Gardner was named Mideast Regional and Tennessee Baseball Coaches Association College Coach of the Year in 2016 and finished as the Tigers' all-time winningest head coach with a 214-189 mark. He also served as the associate athletic director during his last eight years in Madisonville.

At TIU, he was charged with rebuilding the baseball program and was able to increase the roster by 10 players in just four years leading the Trojans. His first season was short due to the pandemic in 2020 as the Trojans finished 5-11, but went on to record win totals of 14, 17 and 19 to finish his four years with a record of 55-102-1.

The Yellow Jackets skipper has also coached as an assistant at Hiwassee, high school baseball at Loudon High School in Tennessee and for The Yard Baseball Academy's college placement program.

Gardner is a native of Philadelphia, Tenn. and completed his Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies at Hiwassee in 2013. He completed his master's degree in sport management from Missouri Baptist in 2019. He also has one son named Wyatt.