Canyon Thunder Baseball
Derek Amicone
Derek Amicone enters his first season with the Canyon Thunder and first season with Grand Canyon University Baseball team, serving as the Director of Operations. Derek previously spent 4 years at Utah Valley University, most recently serving as the teams recruiting coordinator and working with infielders. In his first season as a full-time assistant with the Wolverines, Amicone led a defense that ranked eighth in the nation in double plays, turning 61 -- an improvement of 14 from the prior season. The defense also committed 22 fewer errors, a nearly 25 percent improvement. The 2016 team also tied a school record with a .971 fielding percentage. The Wolverines also led the WAC in WAC only fielding percentage by fielding at a .977 clip. Amicone played at UVU for three seasons (2009-11) and was a part of two Great West Conference regular season and tournament championship teams. In 2010, a season highlighted by UVU's NCAA team batting title with a .372 average, Amicone batted .352 with eight doubles.
Paul Panaccione
Paul enters his first year with the Canyon Thunder and first year as an assistant coach at Grand Canyon University. A GCU Baseball alum, where he posted a team-best .376 batting average as a Sophomore, a mark that ranked 26th in Division I. He went on to be drafted by the Washington Nationals in the 10th round of the 2016 MLB Draft, playing two seasons professionally in the Nationals organization.
Garrison Schwartz
Garrison Schwartz, a Canyon Thunder alum, enters his 2nd year on the Canyon Thunder staff and recently finished his 2nd professional season with the Atlanta Braves. Gary is a native of Arizona, playing high school baseball at Desert Vista and collegiately at Grand Canyon University, where he was honored as WAC Freshman Player of the Year in 2015 and WAC player of the year in 2017. He was a 16th round pick of the Atlanta Braves in 2017, and he will work exclusively with hitters and outfielders for the Thunder.
Isaiah Overman
Isaiah Overman enters his first season with the Canyon Thunder as well as Grand Canyon University Baseball, where he serves as a team manager. Isaiah has an unmatched passion for the game of baseball and serves both Canyon Thunder and GCU Baseball in a variety of roles, taking on challenges while continually growing within the game.