Bob Sherlock is beginning his eighth year as the head coach of the St. Xavier baseball program in 2021. The Bomber baseball program continued to make progress under Sherlock and his staff in 2018 finishing second in the GCL just one game out of first place. The 2018 season was also marked by an appearance in the district final, and was the first time the Bombers had taken the season series from Moeller since 2011. In 2017, Coach Sherlock earned GCL Coach of the Year honors and helped lead the Bombers to their first outright Greater Catholic League South Division championship since 1999, along with sectional and district championships. The Bombers were also ranked fifth in the final Ohio High School Baseball Coaches’ State Poll. Prior to coming to St. Xavier, Sherlock was the head coach at Bishop Fenwick High School. Under Sherlock, the Falcons captured two consecutive sectional championships in 2012 and 2013 earning Sherlock Coach of the Year honors in each year.
A veteran of 33 years of coaching, Sherlock began his career in 1983 as an assistant at Walsh College after his graduation from Walsh in the same year. In 1984, he served as the varsity assistant coach at Marlington High School in Alliance, Ohio under Dale Herbert and was promoted to the head coaching position in 1985. He then returned to Walsh as an assistant under current Walsh head coach Tim Mead.
After stops at Cincinnati Sycamore High School and Cincinnati Princeton High School, he was named head junior varsity coach at Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller High School in 1996 and served in that capacity for six years until being promoted to varsity assistant in 2002 under legendary coach Mike Cameron. In his six years as a varsity coach, he helped lead the Crusaders to four straight regional appearances (2004 – 2007). In 2004, the Crusaders captured the Division I Ohio State Baseball Championship and were ranked 19th in the nation according to USA Today.
During his career, he has coached 89 players that have gone on to play college baseball including fifteen others that have been signed or drafted by Major League teams: Cameron Satterwhite, (50th round/Cleveland Indians/2005; free agent/Cincinnati Reds/2009), Tony Maccani (free agent/New York Mets/2007), Tyler Stovall (20th round/Cincinnati Reds/2008), Ben Hunter (29th round/Cincinnati Reds/2008), Greg Williams (31st round/Tampa Bay Rays/2008; 12th round/Texas Rangers/2011), Dan Remenowsky (free agent/Chicago White Sox/2008), Alex Wimmers (1st round/Minnesota Twins/2010), Brent Suter (31st round/Milwaukee Brewers/2012); Mark Harris (31st round/Cleveland Indians/2003); Marcus Davis (24th round/San Diego Padres/2013); Dan Burkhart (10th round/San Francisco Giants/2010), and Tom Belza (43rd round/Arizona Diamondbacks/2010). He has also been fortunate to have coached four players who have played in the major leagues: Eric Surkamp (6th round/San Francisco Giants/2008), Andrew Brackman (1st round/New York Yankees/2007), Brent Suter (31st round/Milwaukee Brewers), and Jensen Lewis (3rd round/Cleveland Indians/2003) who pitched for the Indians from 2007-2010 and was a member of the American League Central Division Champions in 2007. Lewis also appeared in the American League Division Series against the New York Yankees and against the Boston Red Sox in the American League Championship Series.
Sherlock’s playing career includes one year at Kent State University and three years at Walsh College where he was a three-year letterman as the starting catcher and was captain of the team during his senior year. He also played 13 years in Canton's Class “A” Amateur Baseball League and was selected to the Akron-Canton All-Star team four times. He was named the league’s Sportsman of the Year in 1990 and was inducted into the Greater Stark County Amateur Baseball Association Hall of Fame in 2002.
Sherlock is a 1978 graduate of North Canton Hoover High School and holds a B.A. in History from Walsh College. He is retired after 32 years of teaching Social Studies at Princeton High School, and is also employed by Major League Baseball as an Official Scorer at Cincinnati Reds’ games.
