ARKADELPHIA, Arkansas — Decorated tennis professional and Ouachita Baptist University alumnus Jake Shoemake has been selected as the new head men’s tennis coach for the program he helped lead to three Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference championships.
Shoemake lettered for the Tiger tennis team while earning a bachelor’s degree in business administration. During his time as an undergraduate, he and the Tigers won three consecutive AIC championships in 1992, 1993, and 1994. The 1994 team was ranked as high as No. 8 nationally.
Since then, he has built a résumé filled with awards and honors as a tennis professional, coach, and facility manager.
“To say this is an honor and a dream come true for me to come back to Ouachita would be a tremendous understatement,” said Shoemake. “For me to come full circle is both an honor and a privilege. I am so excited to take over the program from my coach, mentor, and great friend Craig Ward, and can’t wait to carry on the tradition and success that he built. I want to thank Athletic Director David Sharp and President Dr. Ben Sells for this amazing opportunity. All I can say now is ‘1, 2, OBU!’”
Most recently, since 2018, Shoemake has been the head tennis pro and manager at the Bella Vista (Arkansas) Property Owners Association, where he has overseen the entire tennis program at the Kingsdale Tennis Center, managing the pro shop, hiring and training staff, teaching lessons, and running special events. His junior program has produced seven players in the last four years that have gone on to play tennis at the collegiate level.
Concurrently, while with the Bella Vista POA, Shoemake has coached for Team Arkansas in the USTA Southern Ozaki Junior Cup competition and has served as a volunteer coach for Bentonville West High School, helping the girl’s team win two state championships and the boy’s team to a state runner-up finish twice.
“I’m excited to have Jake back at Ouachita,” said Director of Athletics David Sharp. “Even after his playing days, he has been a supporter of the program, so I know he’s invested in maintaining the level of success we’ve had for a long time, which he knows all about. We’re blessed to have someone with his level of experience. He’s proven himself to be a professional in every sense of the word.”
Shoemake began his career in 1994 as an assistant pro at the Hardscrabble Country Club in Fort Smith. He was then hired as the head tennis pro at Summerhill Racquet Club in Rogers in 1998, a position he held for four years. During that time, he was selected as the Arkansas Pro of the Year by the Arkansas Tennis Association and began coaching in the Ozaki Cup competition. In 1999, his team finished second in the gold division.
In 2003, Shoemake moved out of state for the first time as the director of tennis at the Laurel (Mississippi) Country Club, where he helped the club win the Mississippi Tennis Association Facility of the Year award. He also coached a 14U junior team to a state championship.
Shoemake came back to Arkansas in 2005 as the director of tennis at the Walton Life Fitness Center at the Walmart headquarters in Bentonville. For the next eight years, he created and organized 84 classes, hired and managed 14 teaching professionals, coordinated five tournaments per year, and coached both youth and adults. His Spam Slam won tournament of the year in both 2009 and 2010. In 2008, he was honored as the Professional Tennis Registry Member of the Year for Arkansas. Continuing his coaching in the Ozaki Cup, he led Team Arkansas to its highest finish in state history as the winners of the silver division.
In 2013, Shoemake stayed in Bentonville, but took on a new role as tennis pro at the Ozark Tennis Academy, where he was primarily responsible for coaching, player development, and tournament operations.
Shoemake made one more move out of state in 2015 when was hired as a pro at the Merchant Centre Court in Owensboro, Kentucky. He was later promoted to general manager.
Shoemake’s family includes his wife Heather, son Hayden, and stepsons Joshua and Austin. Hayden is a recent graduate of The Citadel, where he was a two-time all-conference tennis performer. Joshua is a sophomore at The Honors College at the University of Arkansas. Austin is a junior at Bentonville West High School and is a member of the marching band.