Jonathan Hadra, Assoc. Head Coach/Recruiting Coord.
Jonathan Hadra, a four-year letterman and 2004 graduate of VMI, completed his fourth season of his second tour with VMI in 2013. Hadra works with the infielders and hitters, and in 2011, added recruiting coordinator to those duties. He was promoted to Associate Head Coach just before the 2014 season.
In 2013, Hadra saw one of his hitters, Rob Dickinson, post one of the best offensive seasons by a Keydet in recent memory. Dickinson hit .399 and earned Big South Player of the Year honors, becoming the first Keydet to ever earn a conference POTY award. Dickinson was also First Team All-Atlantic Region (American Baseball Coaches Association) becoming the first Keydet to accomplish that, and also Second Team All-ECAC. Hadra also saw Matt Winn earn Second Team All-Big South honors with a breakout offensive campaign, and added third baseman Ray Lopez to his infield, and at times, worked with a quartet containing only freshmen and sophomores. He also tutored Will Connerley at first base, while Connerley led the team in games started there and committed just two errors.
2012 had Hadra protege Jacob Morley enter VMI's all-time top-10 in in five different offensive categories and earn Second Team All-Big South honors, while George Piccirilli was the Second Team VaSID Designated Hitter.
2011 saw shortstop Sam Roberts named a semifinalist for the Brooks Wallace Award, presented to the nation's top shortstop, while Roberts also finished his career in VMI's top-10 in twelve different categories. That included being the Keydet record holder in hits, walks and runs scored, and he went on to be a 26th-round draft pick of the Oakland A's. Outfielder Graham Sullivan cracked the program's career top-10 list in hits, total bases and batting average, and paced the club in hitting during the season (.358), while catcher Alex Haitsuka joined Roberts as a All-Big South First Team honoree, marking the first time since 2005 that the Keydets had two players earn First Team All-Conference honors. As a whole, the team posted its fifth-highest batting average in program history (.300).
Hadra, who spent the 2009 season at Bradley, brought five years of coaching experience back to Lexington. Upon his graduation, Hadra coached with VMI in 2005 before working three years at Western Kentucky under VMI graduate Chris Finwood, where he helped the Hilltoppers to a berth in the 2008 NCAA Regionals after capturing the Sun Belt Conference Tournament.
As a cadet, Hadra was a four-year letterman who graduated with a degree in Economics and Business. Hadra served as team captain his senior year and helped the Keydets break the school record for wins during his junior season. His sophomore season, meanwhile, saw VMI finish with a 16-14 mark in the Southern Conference, breaking the program standard for most conference wins.
Hadra is married to the former Allison Toth, and the couple has a three-year old son, Colton. Their second child, daughter Kennedy, was born in February of 2013.
