Grand Canyon University announced the appointment of Jackson Abernathy as its new director of player development and analytics, a move that brings a blend of cutting‑edge baseball analytics and hands‑on coaching experience to the program.
Abernathy arrives after a season at Kennesaw State University where he served as director of analytics, overseeing the development of Shiny and Streamlit applications that transformed raw TrackMan and TruMedia data into intuitive pitch analyses, pitcher cards, batter dashboards and scouting reports.
His tools were designed to simplify complex statistical outputs, allowing coaches and players to translate numbers into actionable strategies on the field, a capability that earned praise from both staff and athletes.
Before his analytical career, Abernathy pitched for Kennesaw State in 2024 and 2025, appearing in 20 games and logging 23 innings, while also spending the summer of 2026 as an assistant pitching coach for the Hyannis Harbor Hawks in the Cape Cod Baseball League.
Coach Bieser’s Endorsement
Coach Steve Bieser highlighted Abernathy’s unique ability to bridge advanced data with practical coaching, stating that his insights will help the team make smarter decisions and elevate performance.
The GCU baseball program, under Bieser’s leadership, boasts eight conference championships since 2015 and 30 MLB Draft selections since the team returned to Division I in 2014, a legacy that Abernathy says excites him.
Abernathy, a native of Sugar Hill, Georgia, expressed enthusiasm about joining a faith‑centered baseball environment, noting his commitment to player development both on and off the diamond.