In his first year at Oklahoma Panhandle State University, Head Coach Jason LaRocque achieved the winningest record of Panhandle Baseball, going 25-32 on the season and 12-15 in conference. LaRocque also cemented the milestone of taking his team to the post season to compete in the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament for the first time in known school history, where the Aggies sealed a momentous victory over the No. 23 nationally ranked Texas Wesleyan Rams in round one.
This Austin, Texas native served as the assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Ottawa University in Kansas from 2014-2016, where he also earned his Masters Degree in Business. While at Ottawa, his players received several accolades and in 2016 the Braves pitching staff broke Strikeout and Saves records under LaRocque’s leadership. His strong recruiting efforts paid off at Ottawa, allowing the program to excel to outstanding achievements and the team’s junior varsity program to become a full developmental program. LaRocque also served as the head coach of the Baldwin City Blues of Baldwin, Kansas, a summer collegiate team and member of the Mid-Plains League. LaRocque earned the 2016 East Coach of the Year title and an opportunity to coach the East Division All-Stars for the Midwest Plains League.
LaRocque has held assistant coach positions at the University of Illinois-Springfield in 2013, Austin College in 2012 and Menlo College (Calif.) in 2011. Throughout his career, he has served primarily as a recruiting coordinator and produced program-high recruiting numbers and player achievements, including All-American, All-Conference, Freshman of the Year, and Gold Glove award winners. LaRocque has also produced many MLB Draft Selections and has helped lead teams to post-season play and conference championships, while setting several program records along the way, including twenty program records at University of Illinois Springfield and the first GLVC Conference Tournament appearance in program history.
LaRocque participated in an assistantship from 2009-2011 at Texas A&M University in Corpus Christi, where he had the privilege of guiding the Islanders through the longest winning streak in the nation. The team became runners-up to the Championship of the Southland Division I Conference Tournament after knocking off the fifth-ranked University of Texas Longhorns.
He earned his Bachelor of Science degree with emphasis in Kinesiology, Education, and Sports Management at TAMUCC and served as a Baseball Biomechanics Lab Liaison, which provided him a unique skillset for kinesthetic evaluation and identification that will bring a diverse element to the athletics program as a whole. In addition, LaRocque prides himself on being “a restless competitor and innovator with a passion for the game.”
As a player, LaRocque received a four-year baseball scholarship at Briar Cliff University, where he achieved several accolades with the Chargers program. He believes that his intuition and vision for the game, along with his experience will present strong assets to Panhandle State. His course of work has provided a development and identification of strong character leader players throughout all collegiate levels and diversities.
