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GCU adds Abernathy for development, analytics
8/10/2026 10:37:00 AM | Baseball
Former Kennesaw State pitcher brings data-driven player development, scouting background to Lopes
Grand Canyon head baseball coach Steve Bieser announced the addition of Jackson Abernathy as the Lopes' director of player development and analytics, adding an innovative baseball mind with experience building data systems that connect advanced information to player development and game strategy.
Abernathy comes to GCU after serving as Kennesaw State's director of analytics during the 2025-26 season, following two seasons as a pitcher for the Owls. In his role at Kennesaw State, Abernathy worked closely with the coaching staff to support player development, scouting, game planning and performance analysis.
"Jackson is an impressive baseball mind who understands where the game is going," Bieser said. "He has the ability to take complex information and make it simple, clear and actionable for coaches and players. Jackson is driven and competitive, and he is going to be a valuable part of how we develop players and prepare to win games."
Abernathy built models and applications to help Kennesaw State players and coaches better understand pitching, hitting and scouting information. His work included Shiny and Streamlit applications for pitch analysis and swing-decision evaluation, pitcher cards, batter dashboards and scouting tools using TrackMan and TruMedia data.
"I've had the opportunity to compete against Coach Bieser and his teams for a number of years, and I've always admired the way he runs his program and how his teams go about their business," Abernathy said. "Getting the opportunity to now be a part of that program at a Christ-centered university, where I can continue to grow in my faith and honor God through the work we do, means everything to me. I'm incredibly excited and grateful for the opportunity to be a part of GCU Baseball."
His path into analytics began as a high school pitcher, when he became interested in TrackMan data and began teaching himself coding and data analysis. With no formal coding background at the time, Abernathy used online resources to learn programming and eventually became fluent in Python, allowing him to build tools that simplified large amounts of baseball data into usable information.
At Kennesaw State, Abernathy created an app that allowed coaches and players to filter pitching data by individual pitchers and specific date ranges through a simple link, helping turn raw data into a more efficient, player-friendly resource. His work helped bridge the gap between complex analytics and on-field performance.
Abernathy also spent the summer of 2026 as an assistant pitching coach with the Hyannis Harbor Hawks of the Cape Cod Baseball League, gaining additional player-development experience in the nation's premier summer collegiate league.
Before moving into a staff role, Abernathy pitched for Kennesaw State during the 2024 and 2025 seasons. He appeared in 20 games for the Owls, totaling 23 innings. His experience as a Division I pitcher helped shape his interest in player development and his ability to communicate analytical information in a way that connects with players.
A native of Sugar Hill, Georgia, Abernathy attended North Gwinnett High School before enrolling at Kennesaw State, where he is majoring in business administration.
Abernathy joins a GCU staff led by Bieser, who was hired after building Jacksonville State into a top-25 program and leading the Gamecocks to 48 wins, Conference USA regular-season and tournament championships and an NCAA Regional final in 2026.
GCU has won eight conference championships since 2015, reached three NCAA Regionals since 2021 and produced 30 MLB Draft selections since returning to the Division I level in 2014.
Abernathy comes to GCU after serving as Kennesaw State's director of analytics during the 2025-26 season, following two seasons as a pitcher for the Owls. In his role at Kennesaw State, Abernathy worked closely with the coaching staff to support player development, scouting, game planning and performance analysis.
"Jackson is an impressive baseball mind who understands where the game is going," Bieser said. "He has the ability to take complex information and make it simple, clear and actionable for coaches and players. Jackson is driven and competitive, and he is going to be a valuable part of how we develop players and prepare to win games."
Abernathy built models and applications to help Kennesaw State players and coaches better understand pitching, hitting and scouting information. His work included Shiny and Streamlit applications for pitch analysis and swing-decision evaluation, pitcher cards, batter dashboards and scouting tools using TrackMan and TruMedia data.
"I've had the opportunity to compete against Coach Bieser and his teams for a number of years, and I've always admired the way he runs his program and how his teams go about their business," Abernathy said. "Getting the opportunity to now be a part of that program at a Christ-centered university, where I can continue to grow in my faith and honor God through the work we do, means everything to me. I'm incredibly excited and grateful for the opportunity to be a part of GCU Baseball."
His path into analytics began as a high school pitcher, when he became interested in TrackMan data and began teaching himself coding and data analysis. With no formal coding background at the time, Abernathy used online resources to learn programming and eventually became fluent in Python, allowing him to build tools that simplified large amounts of baseball data into usable information.
At Kennesaw State, Abernathy created an app that allowed coaches and players to filter pitching data by individual pitchers and specific date ranges through a simple link, helping turn raw data into a more efficient, player-friendly resource. His work helped bridge the gap between complex analytics and on-field performance.
Abernathy also spent the summer of 2026 as an assistant pitching coach with the Hyannis Harbor Hawks of the Cape Cod Baseball League, gaining additional player-development experience in the nation's premier summer collegiate league.
Before moving into a staff role, Abernathy pitched for Kennesaw State during the 2024 and 2025 seasons. He appeared in 20 games for the Owls, totaling 23 innings. His experience as a Division I pitcher helped shape his interest in player development and his ability to communicate analytical information in a way that connects with players.
A native of Sugar Hill, Georgia, Abernathy attended North Gwinnett High School before enrolling at Kennesaw State, where he is majoring in business administration.
Abernathy joins a GCU staff led by Bieser, who was hired after building Jacksonville State into a top-25 program and leading the Gamecocks to 48 wins, Conference USA regular-season and tournament championships and an NCAA Regional final in 2026.
GCU has won eight conference championships since 2015, reached three NCAA Regionals since 2021 and produced 30 MLB Draft selections since returning to the Division I level in 2014.
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