Assistant Coach
JCCC '03
Union University '05
15th season at JCCC

David Canary returned to his alma mater in 2008 to serve as an assistant coach for the JCCC baseball team. Canary, who played middle infield for coach Shelley during the 2001 and 2002 seasons, will serve his 15th campaign as the Cavaliers third base coach in 2022. He will also handle the infielders and hitting instruction, and serve as a recruiting coordinator.

In his 14 seasons as an assistant coach, Canary has been instrumental to the success of the program that has racked up amazing numbers during his time on board. Canary has been a part of nine 40-win seasons and one 50-win campaign, three KJCCC Eastern Division Championships, five KJCCC runner-up finishes, two Region VI titles and two NJCAA JUCO World Series appearances.  Also in his 14 seasons, Canary has coached 12 All-Americans, one Rawlings Big Stick Award winner, one Rawlings Gold Glove winner, 27all-region and 120 all-conference performers, including a record 14 in 2017. Also since joining the staff, not only has the program developed into one of the most feared offenses in the country, but also he has helped build JCCC into a powerhouse on the diamond and in the classroom.

In each of the last six years, over 80 percent of the roster produced a grade point average of 3.0 or better. Nationally, 57 student-athletes have been recognized for academic achievement by the NJCAA, including a record 10 in 2018. In 2019, pitcher Dylan Bierman became the first JCCC male athlete to earn Google Cloud Academic All-America® College Division At-Large as named by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

In his first campaign, Canary helped guide the Cavaliers to its best season in the team’s history. The Cavaliers won 41 games, won a Region VI title, and earned a berth to the NJCAA JUCO World Series, the first for the program. At the plate, the Cavaliers ranked among the top hitting clubs in the country. Canary played a vital role in the turnaround season of Doug Otto, helping him go from a .231 average as a freshman to over .400 and a conference MVP and first-team All-America selection his sophomore campaign. Canary also coached all-conference outfielders John Lenherr and Parker Amos.

In 2009, Canary helped JCCC to another 40-win campaign with 43, the highest total in Shelley’s 22 seasons at JCCC. The Cavaliers also posted a runner-up finish in the KJCCC, and earned a Region VI Championship berth. Under Canary’s tutelage, the Cavaliers posted a team batting average of .356, which led the Jayhawk Conference and ranked ninth in the NJCAA. In addition, John Lenherr was selected as an All-American and received the Rawlings Big Stick Award for the top batting average in the Central District. Additionally, Canary coached five all-conference and two All-Region VI selections in 2009.

In 2010, Canary again helped guide the team to another school record campaign. The 2010 team finished with a 44-14 record, which ranks as the fourth-best season win total in JCCC baseball history, and best since 1986. The team also captured a Region VI Championship berth and a KJCCC Eastern Division Championship, the first since 1984. The 2010 team finished 12th in the country in the final NJCAA poll and fourth nationally academically with a grade point average of 3.32. Their fourth-place showing is the highest the Cavaliers have finished in the NJCAA Academic Poll.

Also in 2010, Canary coached one of the top hitting teams in the NJCAA. As a team, the Cavaliers posted a .362 batting average, which again led the Jayhawk Conference and ranked 13th nationally. Individually, Davis Morgan was selected as an All-American after posting an average of .442 with 22 home runs and 92 RBI. Those numbers ranked tied for 30th, tied for fifth and third in the nation respectively. Also, seven of JCCC’s 11 players who garnered all-conference honors were position players. He also coached two All-Region VI performers.

In 2011, the Cavaliers hit .330 as a team, but were one of the nation’s best on the base paths. Canary mentored the No. 2, No. 3 and No. 30 national stolen base leaders, and the team swiped a team record 263. The Cavaliers finished 33-26 and was one of only 13 junior colleges to appear in the first five NJCAA polls.  They qualified for their fifth straight Region VI Championship and lost in the super regional championship game.  The 2011 team was again one of the top academic teams in the country, finishing thirteenth in the NJCAA with a team grade point average of 3.12.

In 2012, the Cavaliers finished 40-18 and was once again ranked in the national polls.  This marked the 5th consecutive season that the Cavaliers have been ranked nationally and that is the longest streak in school history.  They qualified for their sixth straight Region VI Championship and lost in back to back years in the super regional championship game.  The 2012 team also captured the KJCCC Eastern Division Championship, which makes them conference champs two out of the last three years.  The 2012 team was again one of the top academic teams in the country, finishing 7th, with a team grade point average of a 3.26.  This marked the fifth straight season that the team has been ranked in both baseball and academics.

The 2014 season proved to be one of the greatest in the program’s history. Johnson County posted a school record mark of 50-14, captured the East Jayhawk Conference and Region VI titles, finished ranked fourth in the final NJCAA Coaches Poll and made the program’s second appearance at the NJCCA JUCO World Series in Grand Junction, Colo. The season also produced one All-American, two All-Region VI and a record 12 All-East Jayhawk Conference performers.

In 2015 the squad nearly matched that win total, finishing 49-11 overall and ranked eighth in the final NJCAA poll. The Cavaliers were also one of the top power-hitting teams in the nation, finishing third with 106 team home runs. Individually, JCCC had two players in the top 10 in home runs. Anthony Miller was second with a school record 26 home runs, and Ben Calvano was sixth with 19. The season also produced a record 13 all-conference performers, and four All-Region VI selections.

In 2016 the Cavaliers finished 46-19 overall and appeared in the NJCAA national ranking is six of the seven polls. The Cavaliers were again among the top hitting team nationally. Johnson County ranked 17th in hits, 21st in doubles and 27th in home runs. Additionally, 10 players received All-East Jayhawk Conference recognition.

In 2017, Johnson County again won 46 games, finishing 46-16, runner-up in the East Jayhawk and in third place at the Region VI Tournament. The Cavaliers also finished 20th in the final NJCAA poll after reaching No. 8 on April 25. The Cavaliers offense was again a staple in the national rankings, finishing 12th in hits, 15th in doubles, 12th in triples, 20th in home runs, 14th in total extra base hits, 12th in total bases and 21st in batting average.

In 2018, the Cavaliers finished 38-23, tied for third in the conference and reached the semifinals of the Region VI Tournament. Johnson County also finished among the top hitting teams in the conference and NJCAA. The team led the conference and ranked ninth nationally with 506 RBIs. The also ranked second and eighth respectively with 665 hits, sixth and 28th with 119 doubles, fifth and ninth with 33 triples, fourth and 19th with 78 home runs, second and ninth with 550 runs and fourth and 21st with a team batting average of .340. The 506 total RBIs and 550 runs scored are a new team record, and their totals for hits and home runs are second-most in team history.  Canary also helped mentor one of top hitters in country and JCCC history. Freshman first baseman Malik Williams earned third-team All-American, first-team all-region and all-conference after hitting a .397 clip with 15 doubles, two triples, 17 home runs and 78 driven in. He ranked tied for third in the conference and 20th in the NJCAA in home runs, and sixth and 14th respectively in hits. Williams also set a season record with 31 multiple-hit games, and led the team with 21 multiple-RBI games, third highest total in team history.  His 89 hits and 78 RBI also rank third on JCCC’s season charts. He also ranks eighth in home runs and had a 16-game hitting streak during the season that ties the fifth longest at JCCC. Additionally, four other players were selected as all-conference performer for 2018.

In 2019, Johnson County began the season a consensus Top-25 ranked team. They appeared in all five preseason polls. Baseball America had them No. 14, followed by the NJCAAA at No. 16, Perfect Game No. 17, JUCO Baseball Blob at No 21 and Prep Baseball Report at No. 23. The Cavaliers finished 46-12, which included a program record 22-game win streak and a No. 6 national ranking. Eleven players were selected all-conference, five earned all-region honors, and outfielder Anthony Amicangelo earned first-team NJCAA All-American. Amicangelo, a South Carolina signee, batted .492 (91-for-185) with 23 doubles, five triples, six home runs, 62 runs and 68 RBIs. His .492 average led the conference and ranked second in the NJCAA. It also is the second-best recorded in JCCC history. As a team, the Cavaliers led the conference and ranked fifth nationally with batting average of. .354. They also led the conference and ranked seventh in the NJCAA with 657 hits, and led the conference and ranked fifth nationally with 559 runs. 

In the COVID-19 pandemic shortened season of 2020, Johnson County raced out of the gate, winning 20 of 23 games. They were ranked third nationally in batting average (.398) and led the nation in hits (290), home run (47), RBI (228) and slugging percentage (.729). They were also tied for second in doubles (62), runs scored (256) and third in triples (19). Sophomore outfielder Brady Slavens was once pace to possible have the best hitting season ever at JCCC. He was batting at a .507 clip when the season was cut short, with nine doubles, two triples, 14 home runs and 47 RBI. His home run and RBI totals led all of baseball. After the season ended, Slavens was selected All-American the National Player of the Year by JUCO Baseball Blog. All-America honors also were bestowed on freshman outfielder Quinton Hall. In 21 games, Hall batted .462 (30-for-65) with seven doubles, two triples, six home runs, 32 runs and 23 driven in. 

Last year while serving his first season as assistant to Eric Horner, the Cavaliers raced out of the gate winning its first 25 games and were ranked as high as No. 5 in early April. The Cavaliers would go on to finish the season 43-10 and ranked 16th in the final NJCAA D-I Poll.  He helped coach nine all-conference performers, with three landing on the first-team, and two All-Region VI performers. Off the diamond eight student-athletes earned NJCAA All-Academic honors. In 2021, the Cavaliers were one of the top hitting teams in the NJCAA. They led the country in slugging percentage (.690), and ranked second in batting average (.399), second in triples (35), fourth in hits (687), fourth in extra base hits (271), fourth in total bases (1189), fifth in runs (622), fifth in RBI (570), sixth in home runs (98) and seventh in doubles (138).

While new to the Cavaliers staff in 2008, Canary was not a stranger to coaching at the collegiate level. He joined the staff after serving three years as an assistant for Union University in Jackson, Tenn. Canary served as a hitting coach and recruiting coordinator for the Bulldogs. In his three seasons on staff, Canary helped the Bulldogs post back-to-back 30-win seasons in 2006 and 2007, and hit collectively .299 as a team over those three years. The 2006 squad belted 607 hits, hit .312 overall and earned a spot in the NAIA Region XI Tournament. Additionally, Canary helped foster the career of Jud Powers, who earned NAIA All-America accolades following the 2006 campaign. Canary also helped coach 11 all-conference players, three Rawlings Gold Glove winners and two all-region selections.

Prior to beginning his coaching career, Canary played two seasons at Union. As a junior in 2003, Canary was the Bulldogs’ staring shortstop. He played in 51 games, 48 as a starter. He collected 27 hits with five doubles, a triple and 14 runs batted in. His senior year, Canary was moved to the bullpen where he became a successful reliever for the Bulldogs in 2004. He posted a 4-0 record with one save in 21 appearances. Canary threw just over 35 innings and had an earned run average of 5.80.

Canary began his collegiate playing career at JCCC. In his two seasons, Canary ripped 52 hits with four doubles, a triple, a home run and 21 RBI. He also scored 74 runs and stole 19 bases. His sophomore season, Canary was second on the team with 14 steals, and led the squad with eight sacrifices. His eight sacrifices tie the sixth highest season mark in team history.

Before his college career, Canary was a two-sport athlete at Cookeville (Tenn.) High School where he lettered four years in baseball and two in football.

Canary earned his bachelor’s degree in sports management from Union University in 2005, and his master’s degree in education in 2007.