TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State Baseball head coach
Mitch Hannahs announced the promotion of assistant coach
Brian Smiley to Associate Head Coach. Smiley is entering his ninth season with the program.
"Brian is very deserving of this title change," Hannahs said. "He's played an important role in our success and will be relied upon heavily as we continue to grow as a program. His recruiting ability and his passion for player development are the foundation for the continued success of our program."
A native of Mount Vernon, Ind., Smiley serves numerous roles within the baseball program, including working with the team's infielders and hitters, coaching third base as well as serving as recruiting coordinator.
Smiley has recruited or coached some of the biggest names to come out of Indiana State over the last nine seasons including Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Sean Manaea (1st Round), Jeff Degano (2nd Round), Jake Petricka (2nd Round), Dakota Bacus (9th Round), Colin Rae (12th Round) and Ryan Strausborger (16th Round) among many others. Smiley recruited all four Sycamores that were taken in the 2017 MLB Draft. The class of
Will Kincanon,
Tyler Friis,
Jeremy McKinney and
Damon Olds was the largest ISU draft class since 2009.
Smiley has been a part of two NCAA Tournament berths in his time in Terre Haute, including the first NCAA appearance by the Sycamores since 1995. Working primarily with the Sycamore infield on the diamond, Smiley has watched his defense continually improve, ranking as high as fifth in the nation in fielding percentage in 2016 with a .980 fielding percentage. The Sycamores been ranked in the top-50 in the nation in fielding over the last three seasons and have been consistently ranked at the top of the Missouri Valley in the category.
Three of his infielders have been taken in the last two draft classes in
Andy Young,
Hunter Owen and
Tyler Friis.
For the latest information on the Sycamore Baseball team, be sure to visit
GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media on
Facebook,
Twitter and
Instagram.
