(Phoenix, AZ) Sun Devil Baseball has named former Major Leaguer Jason Ellison as the program’s next hitting coach, as announced by head coach Willie Bloomquist today.
Ellison, who spent over a decade as a scout at the MLB level, joins the program after a season as the hitting and outfield coordinator at the University of Washington.
“To say I have known Jason for a long time would be an understatement and no one was as excited as I when he got into the coaching ranks last season,” Bloomquist said, “It takes someone with exceptional baseball savvy and knowledge to earn the front office’s trust for as long as Jason did and for him to come in and immediately have an impact at the collegiate level was no surprise. Jason is a baseball guy and has been his whole life. His guys came in and put up 40 runs at Muni against us last season. To have that ability on our coaching staff this season will be a boom for this program and our future.”
During Ellison’s lone season on Montlake, he oversaw the development of All-Pac-12 honoree Aiva Arquette, who rose to stardom as a sophomore. The Hawai’ian native led the Huskies and ranked 11th in the Pac-12 in batting average (.325) and slugging percentage (.574) and was UW’s leader with 68 hits and 45 runs scored, also driving in 36 runs.
Under Ellison’s tutelage, AJ Guerrero also experienced a power surge during his junior campaign, slugging a career-high 15 home runs to enter the top-10 on Washington’s career record list.
Ellison’s hitters certainly put on a show when the Huskies visited Phoenix Municipal Stadium in 2024, combining for 39 runs on 41 hits with 15 extra base hits – nine of which left the yard.
“I could not be more excited and grateful for the opportunity that comes with being a part of this historic program. I want to thank Coach Bloomquist, Graham Rossinni and the staff and players who have welcomed me with open arms,,” Ellison said. “Some of my earliest memories of baseball involve Willie. We won a high school championship together and to see his continued success through his career is inspiring. His teams have taken on that rugged, never-count-us-out mentality that Willie had through his career and to be able to join him as he continues to guide this program back to the heights we know it can reach is humbling and a true honor. I can not wait to get to work.”
Ellison, who enjoyed a six-season Major League career with the San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, Cincinnati Reds and Texas Rangers, had been an MLB scout since 2011 prior to his time at UW, serving with the Los Angeles Angels and Pittsburgh Pirates.
Ellison, a 22nd round draft pick of the Giants in 2000, was an All-American standout and two-time national champion at Lewis-Clark State in Idaho. He moved through the minor league ranks quickly and made his major league debut with San Francisco in 2003 and emerged as a primary starter in center field as a rookie for the Giants in 2005.
Ellison was traded to the Mariners ahead of the 2007 season and appeared in 63 games before being claimed off waivers by the Reds to finish out the season. He spent the 2008 season with the Rangers before retiring in 2009.
After retirement, Ellison spent two years as a youth camp director and 14U coach. He was then top of his class in the MLB Scout Development Program in 2011 and accepted the Northwest Supervisor role with the Angels.
In 2016, Ellison was promoted to national hitting crosschecker for the Angels, a position he held until 2021 when he joined the Pirates organization as regional supervisor.
The relationship between Ellison and Bloomquist spans several decades as the two were high school teammates (and roommates) at South Kitsap High School in Port Orchard, Wash., leading the Wolves to a 23-0 record in 1996 and earning the Class 3A title and a No. 15 ranking nationally. The two would later reunite in Seattle with the Mariners as teammates in 2007.
Ellison will be joined in the Valley of the Sun by his wife, Raelena, and two children, Ariana and Jaxon.
Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Jeremy Hawkes
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