Brayden Kennedy is an NAU School of Communication student assigned to cover Apollo High School for AZPreps365.com

After a successful tenure as head coach of Apollo’s baseball program, Jerod Aker has decided to step away following his 19th season with the Hawks.

A coaching resume that stretches across three decades, Aker spent time at Holbrook, Morenci, Tolleson, and, most recently, Apollo. 

He announced his decision shortly after Apollo’s 4-2 loss to the Tolleson Wolverines in their 6A play-in game. He led the Hawks to a 21-8 (6-2, 6A West Valley) record this year – their first season in the 6A.

The Apollo baseball program saw longstanding success throughout Aker’s time as the head coach.

“During my time here at Apollo, we made the playoffs 17 of my 19 seasons,” Aker said. “Out of those playoff runs, we reached the Elite Eight twice.”

Aker maintained a winning record in every full season at Apollo. He finishes with a 367-186 overall record with the Hawks and 547 career wins — 180 of those came from his time at Morenci.

Despite the success and on-field achievements, Aker points to one moment that stands out. 

During a 2019 regular-season home game against rival Sunnyslope, Aker and Sunnyslope head coach Jeff Shillington honored Julian Erives-Beltran in a truly memorable way.

Erives-Beltran, who has Down syndrome, had developed a close bond with the Apollo baseball team, regularly attending practices and playing pick-up basketball with the team. That night, he was given a chance to have an at-bat and be honored during senior night. 

What followed was truly exceptional. Erives-Beltran hit an inside-the-park home run, bringing out a flood of emotion as the whole team piled out of the dugout to celebrate with him.

 

“There are a lot of numbers and awards, but I think if I had to pick a specific moment, the coolest thing was filming that video for Julian (Erives-Beltran),” Aker said. “That was because we won the Musial Award and got to go to St. Louis, and it was just an amazing experience for him.” 

 

As for his legacy, Aker hopes to be remembered for his “hard-nosed, disciplined” coaching philosophy. 

It’s a philosophy that newly hired head coach Brett Aker, Jerod’s son, is very familiar with. He played under his father for four years at Apollo and has been part of the Hawks coaching staff since 2021.

“I think the legacy, hopefully, will be carried on by our coaching staff that's still on board,” Jerod Aker said. “I will remain on board as well. I'd like to help keep things going in the right direction and stay involved with baseball, I'll definitely stay in on that.”

Along with staying involved at Apollo, Aker will continue running camps across the country for youth travel teams.

Thanks to his success on the field and selflessness off it, Aker will be remembered as one of the greatest coaches in school history.