SK alum Ellison named Huskies hitting coach

By Elisha Meyer Port Orchard Independent • January 17, 2024 1:30 am
University of Washington courtesy photo Jason Ellison wears the Husky purple, getting to work with his newest home in the Washington baseball program.
University of Washington courtesy photo Jason Ellison wears the Husky purple, getting to work with his newest home in the Washington baseball program.

South Kitsap High School alumnus and former Seattle Mariners outfielder Jason Ellison has spent much of the last decade working to recruit Major League Baseball-level talent as a scout.

Now he will be looking to develop said talent at the collegiate level, the University of Washington announcing Jan. 10 his addition to the Husky coaching staff of Jason Kelly.

“I am beyond excited for the opportunity to get back on the field,” Ellison said in a UW news release. “There is not a better place for me to coach, mentor, and share my baseball knowledge and experience than in my hometown at the University of Washington. I want to thank JK for giving my family and I the opportunity to be a part of this team and the Husky Family.”

Ellison was a crucial member of the 1996 state championship team at South Kitsap, the same team that fielded another eventual MLB player in another former Mariner, Willie Bloomquist. The season was the perfect end to a high school campaign in which he posted a spotless 20-0 record as a starting pitcher.

He continued playing at Bellevue Community College and later for Lewis-Clark State College in Idaho, where he won two NAIA World Series titles and was named tournament MVP in 1999.

His efforts got him drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the 22nd round in 2000, and he made his MLB debut as a centerfielder in 2003. His time with the Giants was largely spent in the shadow of the legendary Barry Bonds as his pinch runner, but he managed his most complete season for the Giants in his 2005 official rookie year.

The Mariners picked up Ellison in a 2007 trade, and he spent the majority of that season as Seattle’s fourth outfielder. He played 63 games for Seattle, only totaling 46 official at-bats before being designated for assignment to make room for eventual baseball star Adam Jones. Ellison was traded again to Cincinnati, where he finished the season. His last big-league action would come as a Texas Ranger in 2008.

Ellison has spent the past decade as a scout, becoming the Los Angeles Angels’ northwest supervisor and later their national hitting crosschecker. He joined the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2021 as a regional supervisor.

“Jason brings an incredible toolbox to our program,” Kelly said. “He brings experience in the big leagues, was a scout and crosschecker, and has been developing hitters in the Pacific Northwest for the past 15 years.”