The Chillicothe Paints have selected a Chillicothe native and Zane Trace graduate to serves as the team's new Field Manager.
The Paints issued the following release on Tuesday, February 16:
The Chillicothe Paints, presented by Adena Health System, announced Tuesday the hiring of Chillicothe native John Penn as its new field manager ahead of the coming season, which begins Thursday, May 27.
"I'm just very thankful and humbled for the doors that have opened up for me to be able to take this roll," Penn said. "I'm looking forward to a great season. The Paints are a team with high standards and, technically speaking, are the defending champs. It should be exciting. I know Brian [Mannino] is doing a fantastic job of getting the right guys for us to make a run at another title."
Penn is currently an assistant coach at Bryant & Stratton Community College in Virginia Beach, Va.
Prior to joining the staff at Bryan & Stratton, Penn spent two seasons with NCAA DI Old Dominion working with catchers and hitters. The Monarchs reached the CUSA tournament and their catcher was selected in the 2019 MLB Amateur Draft by the Chicago Cubs.
Before his time at Old Dominion, Penn spent two seasons with Iowa Western Community College, working with catchers and hitters and assisting in recruiting. During Penn's two seasons at IWCC, the Reivers earned a spot in the JUCO World Series in 2018 and produced 20 NCAA DI signees, nine DII signees and three MLB draft picks.
Penn spent his first two seasons in coaching at NCAA DIII Bluffton University, serving as a graduate assistant.
A 2010 graduate of Zane Trace High School, Penn graduated from Wabash College with a Bachelor's Degree in Rhetoric, later obtaining his Master's in Business Administration with a Sports Management concentration from Bluffton University. At Wabash, Penn was a relief pitcher and a member of the 2011 team that won the North Coast Athletic Conference at VA Memorial Stadium.
"I've celebrated high school District Championships at VA Memorial Stadium and celebrated Wabash's first NCAC Championship in school history on that field," Penn said. "I have a ton of memories stretching back to being a little kid going to Paints [youth baseball] camps. It's all a little surreal that I'm going to be at the helm of a team in a town I grew up in."
The defending Prospect League Champion Chillicothe Paints open the 2021 season Thursday, May 27 at VA Memorial Stadium against the Lafayette Aviators at 7:05 p.m.