UMES Baseball Adds Conrad Felks Jr., Bryan Liriano-Hernandez to Coaching Staff
By Brian Hradsky | Maryland Sports Blog
The University of Maryland Eastern Shore baseball program continued reshaping its future this week, adding Conrad Felks Jr. and Bryan Liriano-Hernandez to head coach Justin Thomas’ staff ahead of the 2027 season.
Felks will serve as the Hawks’ hitting coach and recruiting coordinator, while Liriano-Hernandez will take charge of the pitching staff. The additions give Thomas two assistants with Division I experience, player-development backgrounds and familiarity with building programs through recruiting.
The hires are among the first major moves by Thomas since UMES named him head coach on June 19. Thomas arrived in Princess Anne after three seasons as the pitching coach at Jackson State, where his staffs consistently ranked among the Southwestern Athletic Conference’s leaders in pitching categories.
For a UMES program attempting to climb the Northeast Conference standings, assembling a strong developmental and recruiting staff represents an important step.
Felks Brings Recruiting and Player-Development Experience
Felks arrives at Maryland Eastern Shore after spending two seasons at Queens University of Charlotte, where he worked in recruiting, player development and position instruction.
At Queens, Felks primarily worked with catchers and outfielders while helping oversee recruiting operations, prospect camps and campus visits. During the 2026 season, Queens earned its first victories against Power Four opponents, defeating South Carolina and Duke.
His impact also extended to player development. Queens credited Felks with helping develop Matthew Suppa, who became a program record-holder, as well as 2025 MLB Draft selection Landry Jurecka.
Before joining Queens, Felks spent six seasons at Coastal Carolina, initially joining the Chanticleers as a student manager before eventually working as a graduate assistant and field and equipment coordinator. His responsibilities grew to include recruiting, baseball operations and assisting the offensive staff with player development.
Coastal Carolina went 191-121-2 during Felks’ six seasons with the program and made four NCAA Tournament regional appearances while winning two Sun Belt Conference Tournament championships, according to UMES. The Chanticleers also produced 24 All-Sun Belt selections and 16 MLB Draft picks during that period.
That background could be particularly valuable for a UMES program that must identify and develop talent to compete consistently at the Division I level.
Felks’ role as recruiting coordinator may prove every bit as important as his work with the Hawks’ hitters. Recruiting at UMES requires finding players capable of developing into Division I contributors while competing against programs with larger recruiting budgets and resources.
Thomas now has an assistant with experience handling campus visits, prospect camps and recruiting operations at multiple Division I programs.
Liriano-Hernandez Takes Over UMES Pitching Staff
Liriano-Hernandez brings a more specialized pitching background to Princess Anne.
He most recently served as pitching coach at Presbyterian College during the 2025 season. There, he helped redshirt freshman Tyrell Williams earn Big South All-Freshman Team honors.
One of Presbyterian’s signature victories that season came against No. 23 Alabama. The Blue Hose defeated the Crimson Tide 11-8, with the pitching staff allowing just one earned run over the final 6 2/3 innings. Sean Hollister delivered 4 2/3 scoreless innings of relief in the upset.
Before returning to Presbyterian, Liriano-Hernandez spent two seasons at George Washington University. He coached the outfielders while also assisting with the pitching staff.
During that period, George Washington surpassed 30 victories for the first time since 2019 and returned to the Atlantic 10 Championship for the first time since 2018.
Liriano-Hernandez had previously served at Presbyterian as director of player development and baseball operations, where his responsibilities included scouting, pitching development, practice preparation and other operational duties. He has also coached with Florida SouthWestern State College and the Michigan Monarchs of the Great Lakes Collegiate League.
His experience as a pitcher should also help him relate directly to the Hawks’ staff. Liriano-Hernandez pitched collegiately at Newberry College before beginning his coaching career.
Pitching Development Will Be a Major Priority
The pitching assignment may be Liriano-Hernandez’s biggest challenge.
Maryland Eastern Shore finished the 2026 season 9-39, and pitching was one of the team’s largest weaknesses. The Hawks finished with a 10.07 team ERA, allowing 528 hits, 508 runs and 436 earned runs in 389 2/3 innings. Opponents hit .325 against UMES pitching.
Those numbers make improving the pitching staff one of the most obvious areas where Thomas and Liriano-Hernandez can change the trajectory of the program.
UMES had several pitchers gain valuable innings during the season, but none of its primary starters finished with an ERA below 6.00. Richard De Jesus led the qualifying group with a 6.46 ERA over 71 innings, while Esteban Torres recorded a 7.78 ERA and Cade Williams finished at 9.54.
Developing more consistent starting pitching, limiting walks and building greater bullpen depth will likely be significant priorities entering 2027.
Thomas should be particularly well equipped to help in that area.
While at Jackson State, his pitching staff led the SWAC with 459 strikeouts during the 2026 season while holding opponents to a .270 batting average. Jackson State also produced multiple all-conference pitchers during his tenure, including 2025 SWAC Pitcher of the Year Eric Elliott.
Pairing Thomas’ pitching background with Liriano-Hernandez gives UMES two coaches with extensive experience developing arms.
Felks Has Offensive Pieces to Work With
The offensive side offers some encouraging building blocks as Felks begins implementing his hitting philosophy.
Catcher Jonathan Gonzalez Perez led UMES with a .319 batting average in 2026 while producing 58 hits, 14 home runs and 58 RBIs. Julian Jimenez hit .299 with nine home runs, five triples and 58 runs scored.
Ansel Carson hit .288, while Diego Aponte finished at .278.
That provides Felks with a foundation as he evaluates the returning roster and recruits players for the future.
His experience at Coastal Carolina is especially interesting from an offensive-development standpoint. Coastal regularly developed professional talent during his time with the program, and Felks worked alongside its offensive staff while also contributing to recruiting.
Thomas Building His Own Program
The hirings further establish that Maryland Eastern Shore is entering a new era under Thomas.
UMES moved on from former head coach Danny Acosta after the 2026 season following a 9-39 campaign. Thomas was hired roughly a month later and immediately began constructing a staff designed around recruiting and player development.
Thomas brings significant coaching experience of his own. Before joining Jackson State, he spent five seasons as the head coach at Bethany College, winning 84 games and tying a school record with 27 victories in 2019. He previously coached Voorhees College and has extensive experience in collegiate summer baseball.
Thomas has also worked in several modern player-development systems and holds certifications involving Rapsodo hitting and pitching technology, Driveline biomechanics and pitching analytics.
Adding Felks and Liriano-Hernandez suggests Thomas wants his staff to emphasize the same combination of development, recruiting and analytics.
MSB Take
Maryland Eastern Shore is not going to turn around overnight, but these are the type of coaching hires that give the Hawks a chance to begin moving in the right direction.
Felks brings experience from winning environments at Coastal Carolina and Queens while also giving UMES someone who can handle the crucial responsibilities of recruiting and offensive development.
Liriano-Hernandez steps into perhaps the most important developmental role on the staff. A 10.07 team ERA shows how much improvement UMES needs on the mound, and both Liriano-Hernandez and Thomas have backgrounds centered around pitching development.
The most encouraging part is that Thomas appears to be assembling a staff with clearly defined responsibilities.
Felks will focus on hitting and recruiting. Liriano-Hernandez will focus on pitching. Thomas has experience building programs and developing pitchers.
Now comes the much harder part: recruiting enough talent, developing the returning roster and turning those improvements into wins.
For a Hawks program coming off a nine-win season, the 2027 campaign will be less about expecting an immediate championship and more about establishing evidence that the program is moving forward.
These two hires give Thomas more tools to begin that process.
