This past spring, in his sixth season as an assistant to Canyon coach John Doan, Anderson got word like everybody else that this was going to be Doan’s last season. Anderson had mixed emotions about Doan’s decision to retire along with longtime pitching coach Wade Williams.
“Whenever (Doan) said he was retiring I told him ‘Don’t do it,'” Anderson said. “I’ve been blessed to be able to coach underneath him the last six years. To be able to coach baseball here at Canyon has been a dream come true for me.”
Now, Anderson will officially be in the position Doan was in for 21 years. On Tuesday, Anderson was officially announced to succeed Doan as Canyon’s next head baseball coach.
The decision has been approved by the Canyon ISD board a mere 13 days after Doan’s final game, a 3-1 loss to eventual Class 4A state champion Texarkana Liberty-Eylau in the state semifinals in Austin.
With the Eagles established as a perennial playoff team and losing only three starters to graduation from last season, Anderson is in an enviable position that would draw interest from aspiring head coaches near and far. The difference with Anderson is that he already had a foot in the door.
“I’m just excited about the opportunity to be able to coach all these kiddos and I was excited for coach Doan and coach Williams for having one heck of a run,” Anderson said. “I was one of the biggest cheerleaders for them and was just glad to be a part of it.”
CISD athletic director John Peterson is himself new to the job, having taken over the reins of the department only six weeks ago. He’s had to replace two longtime respected head coaches who ended their career with state tournament appearances in Randall boys basketball coach Leslie Broadhurst (replaced by longtime assistant Trevor Johnson) and Doan.
When he interviewed Anderson, Peterson knew that continuity would be an important factor in his hiring.
“As we went through the interview process (Anderson) did such a good job in presenting his plan in presenting what he wanted the program to be five and 10 years from now,” Peterson said. “He had a really good plan of how he was going to continue the success for that baseball program. There’s no one who’s going to add more to that program than coach Anderson with his relationship with those kids. It’s just a perfect fit for us.”
After six years in Canyon, Anderson knows how high the bar is set for the Eagles.
“I want to continue on that tradition of Canyon Eagle baseball and our kids wanting to be excellent at everything they do,” Anderson said. “Coach Doan did a really good job of teaching more than just baseball. He taught how to bring kids together and it was a family atmosphere and I want to continue to do that.”
Having worked under both Doan and football coach and boys campus athletic coordinator Todd Winfrey, Anderson already had a reputation. Doan let his opinion on Anderson be known to Winfrey and others responsible for deciding the school’s next baseball coach.
“Coach Winfrey was very gracious in listening to what recommendations I might have,” Doan said. “My exact words were ‘Your next baseball coach is already in our office.’ That would be Jed. Once I heard it would be him I was so proud of him. He’s a guy who’s so full of energy and passion for the game of baseball and for kids.”
Anderson looks like the right pick out of necessity as well. He’s the only returning member from Canyon’s coaching staff last year, as Doan and Williams have retired and Ben Havel will be the first baseball coach at Highland Park when that school begins its program next year.
While Anderson will spend most of the summer filling his coaching staff after he returns from a camping and fishing vacation with his family in Colorado this week, he has few such worries about the players he’ll put on the field. The Eagles return a lot of players from last year who were sophomores and juniors who figure to be a year better in 2025.
Anderson feels the responsibility of inheriting such talent and tradition.
“For sure there’s always expectations when you’re coaching at Canyon and that’s one of the great things about it,” Anderson said. “The kids expect to win and do well and they’ll do whatever is necessary to be successful. We have a big core of our group coming back and that brings pressure, but I think pressure is a good thing whether you’re applying it or feeling it.”
