Jess Dannelly is the founder of the baseball program at USC Salkehatchie. He was hired in 1975 and began the program using the local high school field. During that first year, he and his team built the current baseball field, sodding the field themselves. During his nine years as head baseball coach and athletic director at USC Salkehatchie, the field continued to improve, including the addition of lights. During his first three years, the Indians were runners-up each year in the Region. Over 300 young men participated in the program at USC Salkehatchie under Coach Dannelly.
Between 1974 and 1985, when he left to become head women’s softball coach at Coastal Carolina University, Coach Dannelly amassed a record of 273 wins and 244 losses. He has just recently been inducted into the Coastal Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame.
Coach Dannelly is also a USC Salkehatchie alum and a graduate of USC Columbia. He and his wife Wendy (who did team laundry for the Indians) have two sons, McKuen and Travis.