Eric Hallenbeck enters his twenty-third season as head coach of Garrett College’s baseball program. His 22-year record is 515-577-3. The Lakers were 33-18 during the 2026 campaign and finished Region 20 runner-up. Hallenbeck also recorded his 500^th career win on April 11, 2026 against Hagerstown Community College, beating the Hawks, 5-2. The Lakers set a school record for wins in 2025, going 36-19 and finished the regular season as the second seed in the region. The 69 wins in 2025/26 is the most in a two-year period in Garrett College history. Under Hallenbeck, the Lakers have made the Region 20 playoffs every year except for 2023. He has coached two first-team All-Americans, Ryan Krumlauf (2010) and Brandyn Gonzalez (2025), one third-team All-American, Noah Broadwater (2026), 17 first-team All-Region 20 players, four All-District players, six first-team All-Maryland Juco, two Rawlings Big Stick Award winners, and 59 student-athletes that have earned NJCAA All-Academic honors.

Prior to Garrett, Hallenbeck served as an Associate Head Coach and top assistant for seven years at Frostburg State University. During his tenure at Frostburg State, he helped guide the team to a 205-102-1 overall record while compiling a 54-19 Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) record. As FSU’s recruiting coordinator the Bobcats won three AMCC Tournament Championships (1998, 1999, 2004), had 44 All-AMCC selections, and four league Most Valuable Players.

A graduate of North Hagerstown High School, he was a three-sport athlete for the Hubs and was the starting catcher for the 1989 Class 3A state champs. A former catcher and designated hitter at Frostburg State from 1991-94, Hallenbeck started his coaching career in the summer of 1993 as an assistant for the Brunswick (MD) American Legion.

In 1994, he started his own American Legion program in Boonsboro, MD. Two years later, Hallenbeck joined the coaching staff at Frederick Community College as their pitching coach, where the team set a school record for wins with 29, finished 13^th in the nation, and posted a team earned run average of 3.50. In 1997, Hallenbeck returned to his alma mater to serve as an assistant.

For nine years, Hallenbeck was the catching instructor for the Ripken Baseball School. In addition to his coaching duties, Hallenbeck also serves as Co-Athletic Director along with Head Athletic Trainer Elizabeth Show. Under their leadership over the last five years, a new turf complex (First United Community Field), press box, LED lights, and scoreboard have been added. They also revamped the women’s volleyball and softball programs and added women’s soccer in 2023 and men’s soccer in 2025. At the end of July 2026, a new field house will be completed that will have locker rooms for both soccer programs, softball, wrestling and baseball. In addition, a new wrestling room, state-of-the-art weight room and coaches’ offices will also be in the renovated 700 Building.  

“We have been fortunate to have the support of the administration and Garrett College Board of Trustees as well as the county and community. Working together has allowed a lot of good things to happen here. Our facilities are high level, some of the best not only in the region but the country,” said Hallenbeck.

“The turf field is a game-changer for this program. We can get out early and more often to practice and play all of our home games. The first year we were out practicing on January 28 and two years ago we played the first home game in school history in February,” added Hallenbeck.

“We coach the same way; our culture is still the same. We still bring that blue-collar mentality, we still grind, and play hard up here on the mountain,” said Hallenbeck. “It just helps being able to play over 50 games a year and have the resources to develop young men not only as players but as good people.”

Hallenbeck noted that “Garrett Baseball is not for everyone.”

“You will be coached hard here. You will be challenged to not only be a better player but also a better student,” he said. “If you are looking for a program that plays the game the right way, with integrity, hard work, respect and play for a coaching staff that genuinely is in this game for the right reasons, Laker Nation might be a good fit.”     

Hallenbeck received his bachelor’s degree in physical education with concentrations in coaching and health fitness from Frostburg State in May 1997.

He is married to the former Kelli Palamar of Hagerstown, MD and is the proud father of two beautiful children, Madison Brooke (26) and Zachary George (23).