Coach Learnard comes to the Cobras in 2020-21 after three seasons with Illinois State University, where he served in the roles of Assistant Coach, Director of Baseball Operations, and Director of Camps. His playing experience includes two years at Purdue University where he earned NCAA All-American honors in both seasons and was named Big Ten Pitcher of the Week (April, 2018). During his junior season, when he was recognized as the team’s Pitcher of the Year, he put together a streak of 35.2 consecutive scoreless innings. His 0.58 ERA established a new Purdue single season record, eclipsing a benchmark that had stood since 1965. His 0.42 ERA in Big Ten play was also a new record, and his 0.863 WHIP ranked second on the Purdue all-time single-season list.
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A native of Salt Fork, Ill., Learnard committed to Parkland out of high school. During his sophomore season, he helped lead the Cobras to an M-WAC Championship, a Region 24 Championship, and an 8th-place finish in the 2016 NJCAA World Series. Individually, he compiled an 8-1 record, with 59 strikeouts and a 1.96 ERA. Learnard was selected as Parkland’s Male Athlete of the Year in 2016 and was later selected to the Cobras Baseball All-Decade Team.
Learnard earned his bachelor’s degree in Agribusiness from Purdue in 2018.
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