Anthony Bush

PHS Assistant Coach

(218) 393-9687

Coach Bush made an immediate impact on PHS baseball when he joined Tim Rohweder's coaching staff in 2004 by helping to guide the Rails to their first winning season in 11 years and first playoffs victory in nine years. Bush served as the Rails' third base coach from 2006-2009, with a Section 7AA Final Four appearance in 2007. In Bush's 11 years as pitching coach, the Rails have had seven winning seasons and made five appearances in the Section 7AA Final Four, including section championships in 2011 and 2012.

The 2014 Rails pitching staff averaged 6.33 strikeouts per seven innings, the highest in Bush's coaching tenure. Freshman John Aase recorded a 1.34 ERA.

The 2013 Rails pitching staff posted a 1.66 team ERA, the lowest in Bush's coaching tenure. Senior Matt Dolsen posted a 1.30 ERA.

The 2012 Rails pitching staff posted a 1.87 ERA and set school records for innings pitched (175.2) and fewest walks allowed per seven innings (1.91). Rails pitchers Jake Lewis and Ben Nelson were named Co-All-Area Player of the Year by the Duluth News Tribune. Lewis, a senior, became the school's leader in career wins (25), and was named to the All-State and All-State Tournament teams. Lewis was 8-1 W-L with a 0.65 ERA. Nelson, a junior, was 7-2 W-L with a 1.96 ERA. Junior Jack Nikko recorded a 2.47 ERA.

The 2011 Rails pitching staff posted a 2.37 team ERA and set school records for wins (22), win percentage (.846), and innings pitched (171). Junior Jake Lewis was 8-1 W-L with a 2.41 ERA. Sophomore Ben Nelson was 6-2 W-L with a 2.55 ERA, and senior Alex Oachs was 5-1 W-L with a 2.26 ERA.

In 2010, the Rails set school records for wins (15) and complete games (17), and they had a 2.64 team ERA. Sophomore Jake Lewis was 7-1 W-L with a 1.88 ERA and junior Alex Oachs was 6-3 W-L with a 2.87 ERA.

The 2009 Rails pitching staff posted a 3.53 ERA with 11 complete games. Senior James Ostrander allowed 1.52 walks per seven innings.

In 2004, senior Ryan Vanderscheuren became the first Rails pitcher to win five games in a season since 1987, and junior Kyle Wojtysiak recorded three saves, which ranks tied for seventh in state records.

Bush has served as the head pitching instructor for the U.S. Baseball Academy at PHS in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012, 2013, and 2014. He was a volunteer pitching coach at Wisconsin-Superior from 2004 to 2006. He coached at the VFW level for Proctor from 2004 to 2008.

He is the president/general manager of the Duluth-Superior Dukes amateur team. As a player, he is a 16-year veteran of amateur baseball and served as the player-manager of the Proctor/Duluth Padres (now the Dukes) from 2007 to 2011, and again in 2014. Bush split his college playing career between Bemidji State (NCAA Div. II) and Wisconsin-Superior (NCAA Div. III). He earned the UWS Most Inspirational Player Award in 1999. He was a three-year letter-winner as a pitcher for PHS (1992-1994). He led the Rails in innings pitched (38.0) and strikeouts (36) as a junior. He helped the Rails win the Lake Superior Conference Championship in his sophomore year.

Bush will graduate from UW-Superior with a Bachelor of Science degree in Interdisciplinary Studies-Historical Journalism in 2014. He earned an Associate in Arts degree from Bemidji State University in 1998, and graduated from PHS in 1994. He has been a special education assistant at Congdon Park Elementary School in Duluth since 2002, where he also serves as the fifth grade math club advisor. He lives in Duluth.