Ryan Gilleland

Email: rgilleland@bedford.k12.va.us

College:  University of Virginia, B.A. 1998; Old Dominion University, M.A. 2000 

Gilleland has been the Head Varsity Coach at Jefferson Forest for two stints: one season in 2008, and from 2014 to present.  He was also the JF Assistant Coach under long-time Head Coach Jim Thacker from 2001 - 2013, and an Assistant Coach at Monticello High School in Charlottesville in 1998.

His JF teams were Seminole District Champs in 2008, 2015 and 2016, Region Champs in 2015, 2022 and 2026 and the VHSL AA State Runner-up in 2015.

Gilleland was named Seminole District Coach of the Year in 2008, 2015 and 2026; News Advance Coach of the Year in 2008 and Roanoke Times COY in 2016.  He was also coach of the West Team in the Virginia High School Coaches Association All-Star Game in 2016 and is the current Assistant Coach of the West Team for the Virginia Commonwealth Games.  In 2020, Gilleland was selected to the Virginia Baseball Coaches Association's South Region Advisory Committee, as well as being a member of the VHSL's Baseball Advisory Committee.

Gilleland has sent several players to the next level, including eight Division 1 scholarship players:  2015 - Zach Duff - Radford University and Christian Bourne - James Madison University; 2016 - Zach Peek - Winthrop University - currently playing in the Baltimore Orioles organization; 2017 - Cody Whitten - Winthrop University; 2019 - Griffin Agee - University of Virginia; 2020 - Jackson Cherry - Mercer University; 2021 - Connor Maggi - Gardner-Webb University and Spencer Williams - Gardner-Webb University

As a player, Gilleland had a stellar career.  He played for the University of Virginia from 1995-98 and helped UVa to the 1996 ACC Championship, and a final #13 ranking in the nation.  He was named a Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball Magazine.

In his high school career at  Jefferson Forest, Gilleland was the 1994 Seminole District Player of the Year and named to the 1993 and 1994 VHSL AA All-State 1st Team at Shortstop.

In 2020, Gilleland was honored by being selected to the University of Virginia Baseball Hall of Fame.

Coach Gilleland earned his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Virginia in 1998 and his Masters in Sports Management from Old Dominion University in 2000.

He lives in Forest with his wife Kylie, Testing Coordinator at JF, and his two boys Beckett and Merrick.