ERIE — This is not part of the path D.J. Cannon figured to be on right now.

But it was worth exploring.

And after just two years as head baseball coach at Chatham University — his first-ever head coaching job — the Mars graduate and Valencia resident has been hired for that same position at Gannon University.

“I am very surprised. This was totally unexpected,” Cannon, 32, said. “I was not planning on leaving Chatham so soon. We were building something there.

“I saw that the (Gannon) job had been posted and some coaching friends of mine said in a group text that I should go for it. I threw my hat in the ring, not expecting much to happen.

“This whole thing has happened so quickly. I'm excited about it,” he added.

Cannon played college baseball at Seton Hill, a Division II program in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, where Gannon also resides. He was an assistant coach on a Seton Hill staff that produced four consecutive 40-plus win seasons, two PSAC championships, six NCAA Div. II regional appearances and a trip to the D-II World Series in 2014.

He accepted the reins of a Chatham baseball program in its fourth year of existence. After an abbreviated 2-10 2020 season, Cannon led Chatham to a 12-23 record this past spring.

It marked the program's first double-digit win season and included 10 Presidents' Athletic Conference wins.

The Cougars also set a program record for highest team grade point average at 3.45.

“DJ's years of experience as an assistant/recruiting coordinator for Seton Hill, combined with the forward momentum he built at Chatham, was impressive in a relatively short period of time as head coach,” Gannon athletic director Lisa Goddard-McGuirk said. “At Gannon, we have a talented team of student-athletes and a solid foundation from which to build.

“DJ will build from that foundation and continue our forward momentum.”

Cannon said of Chatham: We had a good recruiting year and that program is definitely trending in the right direction,” Cannon said. “It was very hard to leave.

“But Gannon's had a lot of success of late and that's one of the reasons this job was so enticing. Plus, by playing and coaching in the same league, I knew their school, their program, their conference ... no way could I pass this up.”

Cannon succeeds Greg Coleman, who posted an 82-55 PSAC record over six seasons and won 135 games with the Golden Knights overall.

Gannon was 18-17 overall in 2021, including 16-12 in PSAC play and earning a conference tournament berth.

“They went to the NCAA Div. II regional tournament in 2019,” Cannon said. “This is a talented roster and I expect us to contend in the league. That's the challenge.”

Goddard-McGuirk said in a prepared statement that Cannon “stood out amongst a very talented player pool.

“David's experience as both an assistant and head coach combined with his approach to student-athlete development , and successful recruiting strategies will aid in continuing to elevate our program,” she added.

Cannon also inherits a Gannon team that has four former Butler County players on its roster — outfielders Brandon Wetherholt (Mars) and Alex Altmire (Knoch), catchers Cameron Vozel (Seneca Valley) and David Duffalo (Slippery Rock).

“This will be the first time I'll be coaching a fellow Mars alum at the collegiate level,” Cannon said. “I'm excited about that. I know the Wetherholt family well because my younger brother played ball with one of them.”

While Cannon knows how competitive the PSAC is — “Seton Hill, Mercyhurst, California, Slippery Rock .... everybody's good” — he also knows how different recruiting will be.

He served as Seton Hill's recruiting coordinator in 2012.

“He is very knowledgeable about our conference, which is important,” Goddard-McGuirk said. “He has the recruiting knowledge to continue to elevate our program.”

“Being able to offer scholarships to student-athletes and make school more enticing to them is a plus,” Cannon said. “But there's also 16 schools in this league, in this state, with many of us going after the same kids.

“That changes the landscape. That will be a challenge.”