OTTAWA, Kan. – Ottawa University head baseball coach Jonathan Freemyer has announced the hiring of Mason Graves as an assistant coach for the Braves baseball program.

Graves joins Ottawa after spending the summer of 2026 as an assistant coach with the Greenville Yard Gnomes of the Coastal Plain League, where he served as the team's offensive coordinator and third base coach. He directed the club's offensive system, prepared scouting reports, threw batting practice, and helped lead one of the league's top offenses. Through 21 games, the Yard Gnomes led the league with 113 stolen bases and ranked second with 154 runs scored.

"We are thrilled to welcome Mason to our coaching staff and the Braves family," said head baseball coach Jonathan Freemyer. "Mason brings a proven track record of developing dynamic, high-powered offenses  that align perfectly with how we want to play baseball at Ottawa. His energy, detail in player development, and recent success at both the college and summer ball levels make him an outstanding addition as we continue building on our program's success."

Graves joins a Braves program that has compiled a record of 77-30 over the past two seasons and has established itself among the NAIA's top programs on both sides of the ball. Ottawa has ranked among the national leaders in several offensive and pitching categories while using an aggressive approach on the bases to consistently place pressure on opposing defenses. Graves' experience developing hitters, coordinating offensive systems, and teaching baserunning will complement the foundation established by Freemyer and the Braves' coaching staff as Ottawa looks to continue its success on the conference and national levels.

Prior to his time in the Coastal Plain League, Graves spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Johnson University in Knoxville, Tenn., serving as the program's hitting and infield coach while coaching third base. He coordinated the daily development of the position players, directed the team's offensive philosophy, and helped guide the Royals to unprecedented success.

Johnson finished 36-18 in 2025 and earned the first NAIA Opening Round appearance in program history. The Royals followed with a 40-14 record in 2026 and advanced to their first NAIA World Series. During his tenure, Johnson produced multiple all-conference hitters and Gold Glove infielders. The Royals scored 809 runs and stole 336 bases over the two seasons.

Before Johnson, Graves served as an assistant coach at Lincoln Memorial University from 2022 to 2024. He coached the outfielders, oversaw baserunning instruction, assisted with the hitters, coordinated prospect camps, and gained recruiting experience.

The Railsplitters recorded back-to-back 30-win seasons and made consecutive conference championship series appearances during his tenure. The 2024 offense set program records in home runs, doubles, and slugging percentage while producing the South Atlantic Conference Player of the Year and Southeast Region Player of the Year. Graves' baserunners successfully stole 222 bases in 267 attempts during his two seasons at Lincoln Memorial.

"I am very thankful for the opportunity to be joining Coach Freemyer and the rest of his staff at Ottawa," said Graves. "They have built a successful program during his time at the helm, and I am excited to come in to help keep that success going. I believe my offensive system aligns very well with the vision Coach Freemyer has for his program and cannot wait to see what we are able to accomplish together."

Graves also worked as the Southeast Regional Tournament Director for Perfect Game, where he managed team registrations, scheduling, payments, lodging, and tournament operations for hundreds of teams competing throughout the region.

A native of Schertz, Texas, Graves earned a Master of Business Administration in Sport Management from Lincoln Memorial University in 2024 after receiving his Bachelor of Business Administration in Business Management from Point University in 2020.

As a student-athlete, Graves played baseball at Shorter University and Point University. He served as a two-year team captain at Point and was a member of the 2019 Appalachian Athletic Conference Champions of Character Team.