Jake Ayers enters his third year within NCAA Division III conference administration in 2024-25. Originally hired to the Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) in 2022, Ayers transitioned to the United East Conference when the two leagues merged on July 1, 2023.
As Assistant Commissioner, Ayers works with the league office in all aspects of conference operations including governance, compliance, and championships. Additionally, he works with the Student-Athlete Adivisory Committee (SAAC) and as a part of the communications team maintaining historical records and administration of weekly and postseason awards. Nationally, Ayers was named to the NCAA Division III Baseball Committee in October 2024.
Before joining the conference, Ayers was the Director of Athletic Facilities and Sport Operations for Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in Claremont, CA. In this role he oversaw campus athletic facilities and game-day operations for all 21 varsity sports, hosting over 300 NCAA contests each year. Additionally, he had oversight of all postseason competitions on campus including SCIAC and NCAA Championships. In 2018 CMS hosted the NCAA Division III Men’s and Women’s Tennis Championships where he served as a Tournament Director.
While in Claremont, Ayers led the CMS senior leadership team in the bidding process for NCAA Division III Championship Site Selections. In October 2020, CMS was awarded hosting rights for the 2023 Women’s Volleyball Championships, 2025 Men’s and Women’s Tennis Championships, and 2026 Women’s Golf Championships.
Prior to moving into administration, Ayers coached baseball for 15 seasons at the Division III level with Knox College, Juniata College, Pomona-Pitzer Colleges, and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges. On the field, Ayers was a part of staff whose players earned multiple all-conference awards, seventeen all-region selections, seven Players of the Year, four all-Americans, two MLB signees, and one student-athlete who helped Team Israel qualify for the 2020 Olympics. Additionally, he was an instructor at camps and clinics including Stanford, USC, UCLA, and Penn State.
Collegiately, Ayers was a four-year starter on the Knox College baseball team and starred with the Prairie Fire football team while on campus. He spent three seasons in professional baseball: spending one season in the Israel Baseball League and two with the Lincoln Saltdogs of Lincoln, Nebraska, winning two championships in that time. Ayers is an active member of the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) and an honoree in the American Legion Post 140 Baseball Hall of Fame.
Ayers earned his bachelor’s degree from Knox College and a master’s degree from Concordia University-Irvine. He currently resides in State College, PA with his wife, Nikki, daughter, Kennedy, and son, Ben.