Photos from Penn State's Big Ten Tournament contest with Nebraska
Eric Folmar enters his sixth season as an assistant coach at Penn State. He serves as the program's recruiting coordinator and is responsible for coaching the infielders, outfielders and base running, as well as assisting with day-to-day operations. He also serves as the team's third base coach. Prior to Penn State, he spent four years as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Old Dominion.
Folmar has teamed with pitching coach Jason Bell to bring top talent to Happy Valley. He has brought in players like former pitcher Drew O'Neil, who went on to twice be selected in the top 10 rounds of the Major League Baseball Draft. After getting drafted in the eighth round by the Cincinnati Reds in 2007, he chose to remain in school and was then picked in the fourth round by the Chicago White Sox in `08. Folmar has also recruited some of the top in-state talent as 15 members of the current team are from the Keystone State.
Penn State has consistently been near the top of the Big Ten in double plays since Folmar's arrival. In 2009, the Nittany Lions turned the most double plays in the conference (66), four ahead of Indiana in second. They also finished the 2010 season with a .967 team fielding percentage, better than the Big Ten average and their best showing since 2006.
In 2008, the Nittany Lion infield fielded the second most double plays in the Big Ten (56). It was also second in assists with 640, led by Landon Nakata's conference-leading 179.
The Penn State infield had its second-consecutive solid year under Folmar's direction in 2007, as the Nittany Lions fielded at a .963 clip. Second baseman Matt Cavagnaro was one of the top defensive players in the country, finishing with just five errors and a remarkable .983 fielding percentage.
Folmar's work with the infield was instrumental in Penn State committing the second-fewest errors in the conference in 2006. The Nittany Lions were tied for third in the Big Ten in fielding percentage that year.
In addition, first baseman Cory Wine easily obtained the school record for career putouts with 1,903, a full 710 ahead of Mike DeRenzo in second place. He currently owns the top four single-season marks with 521 (2007), 505 (2008), 458 (2007) and 419 (2006), respectively.
While Folmar was at Old Dominion from 2002-05, he was responsible for coaching the infielders and catchers while assisting with recruiting. Folmar also served as the Monarchs' camp coordinator.
Prior to returning to his alma mater following the 2001 season, he served for two years as an assistant coach at Young Harris Junior College (Young Harris, Ga.), the same junior college as current Nittany Lions Michael Glantz and C.J. Smith. While there, he coached the team's infielders and catchers and acted as the baseball camp coordinator. The Mountain Lions won 82 games and two conference titles in his two years.
Folmar was a four-year starter at Old Dominion from 1996-1999, helping lead the Monarchs to three Colonial Athletic Association Championship game appearances. The Monarchs went on to win the 1996 CAA Championship and advanced to the NCAA Regionals.
A native of Chambersburg, Pa., Folmar earned his bachelor's degree in health and physical education from Old Dominion in 1999. He is married to former Monarch field hockey All-American Kim Miller, a former member of the U.S. National Team. The couple has four children, Bryce, Zac, Alex, and Tyler.
