Michigan Announces Coaching Staff Changes Ahead of 2024 Season
1/23/2024 2:31:00 PM | Baseball
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- University of Michigan baseball head coach Tracy Smith announced changes to his staff on Tuesday (Jan. 23) with the addition of two student assistant coaches and the promotion of Josh Phegley.
The additions to the coaching staff are led by Michigan great and seven-season MLB player Zach Putnam, who returns to Ann Arbor to finish his degree. Recent graduate and three-year letterwinner Jack Van Remortel joins the staff as a student assistant coach. After spending a year as the director of player development, Josh Phegley was elevated to assistant coach. Last year's volunteer assistant coach Tyler Graham remains on the staff but has shifted to a support staff role as the director of hitting development.
"We are pleased to announce the addition of three former Big Ten student-athletes to the staff," said Smith. "All three are living proof that the NCAA legislation allowing former student-athletes the ability to either complete their undergraduate degree and/or begin a master's degree as members of the coaching staff is working. In addition to their collegiate experience, Josh and Zach bring years of major league experience and expertise to the team. Proud to welcome the addition of all three to Michigan Baseball."
Putnam played for the Wolverines for three seasons under former head coach Rich Maloney. Putnam earned second team All-America status in his sophomore and junior season and was a freshman first-team selection by Collegiate Baseball in 2006. The 2008 Big Ten Pitcher of the Year, he ranks among the top players on Michigan's career batting and pitching lists. He ranks 29th all-time in career home runs (19) and RBIs (114) while having pitched the 16th most innings (102.1) and has 23 wins, good for eighth all-time.
After the 2008 season, Putnam was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the fifth round. He made his MLB debut in 2011 and stayed in the majors for seven years and pitched with the Colorado Rockies, Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox. In his major league career, Putnam pitched 152 innings with 162 strikeouts and a 10-7 record and six saves.
Van Remortel graduated with a degree in sport management from the U-M School of Kinesiology in May 2023. He was a three-year letterwinner for the Wolverines and spent four seasons in Ann Arbor and one season at Umpqua Community College. Van Remortel had a strong final season, batting .290 with a .399 on-base percentage and six home runs -- including a walk-off shot against Central Michigan. He was named a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar in 2023 and will now pursue a graduate certificate in real estate while beginning his coaching career.
Phegley joins the coaching staff for the first time in his career. He joined Michigan last season under Smith after an eight-year major league career. Phegley had 35 career home runs across three teams (White Sox, Oakland A's, Cubs) and played in 387 career games. He played under Coach Smith at Indiana before being selected in the first round in the 2009 MLB Draft.
The Wolverines will open their 2024 campaign with a trip to Camelback Ranch in Phoenix, Ariz., to take on Western Michigan in a four-game neutral-site series from Feb. 16-18.
