Head Coach: DG Nelson
  

   Prior to joining SLCC as an assistant in 2000, Nelson was an assistant at Dixie State College on their SWAC Championship and National Runner-up team. He also served as a hitting coach for the St. George Pioneerzz in 2002 and worked as a graduate assistant at BYU from 1998-1999.

   As a player, Nelson helped BYU win the WAC in 1994 and was an All-WAC player in 1997. He then played in the Western Baseball League making stops with the Bend Bandits and St. George Pioneerzz. He was a member of the league-winning Pioneerzz in 2000.

   Coach Nelson earned a bachelor’s degree from BYU in Sociology and English. He and his wife Jodi are the proud parents of three daughters: Kynra (8), Payton (6), and Kelsey (4).

Assistant Coach: Derek Waddoups

   Coach Derek Waddoups enters his first season as assistant baseball coach for Salt Lake Community College.  Prior to SLCC Waddoups spent the 2007 season at The University of Texas at Brownsville as the pitching coach and the ‘05-‘06 seasons at Bellevue University (NE) as the hitting and catching coach.  He spent the summer of 2006 with the Wisconsin Woodchucks of the Northwoods Collegiate League as an assistant coach.

As a player, Waddoups led Bellevue University to the NAIA World Series twice, finishing 3rd in ’03 and 6th in ’04.  He was a two year team captain and all-region catcher in ’03 and ’04 while becoming an Academic All-American in ’04.  Prior to Bellevue he played at College of Eastern Utah in the SWAC where he was a team captain.      

   A graduate of Roy High School in Roy, Utah, Waddoups lettered in football, basketball, and baseball and was named Athlete of the Year as a senior.  He served a mission for the LDS church in Mexico Torreon. 

   Waddoups received his Masters Degree in Leadership from Bellevue University in 2006.  

Pitching Coach: Kelly Downs

   Kelly Downs begins his first year as the primary pitching coach for the Salt Lake Community College Baseball Team.  A graduate of Viewmont High School in Bountiful Utah, Kelly spent 8 years as a major league pitcher. Drafted in 1979 in the 26th round by the Philadelphia Phillies, this right-handed pitcher eventually ended up with the San Francisco Giants were he won 13 games for the Giants in 1988. Kelly pitched his last major league game in 1993 for the Oakland A’s and retired from baseball in 1994.

   After retiring from baseball, Kelly began coaching his sons’ baseball team for eight years.  Starting in 2002 Kelly moved to his al mater Viewmont High School to become the Assistant Baseball Coach.  Over the past four years Kelly help Viewmont Baseball become one of the top programs in the state of Utah.  Salt Lake CC feels that with Kelly’s knowledge and experience he will help make the pitching staff tops in the SWAC.  

   Kelly is married to Shelley and together they have three children Danielle (21), Courtney (18) and Landon (17).