KVCC baseball coach Cody Piechocki joins Kalamazoo Growlers coaching staff
KALAMAZOO, MI – Kalamazoo Valley Community College (KVCC) head baseball coach Cody Piechocki will be joining the Growlers’ coaching staff this summer. Piechocki joins pitching coach Chris Smith and pitching coordinator Mike Ott on field manager Joe Carbone’s staff. Piechocki will be an assistant coach of position players and also serve as Carbone’s first base coach during game play.
“Cody and I will be working with the outfielders, infielders, and catchers on the defensive side of the ball and with hitting as well,” said Carbone, “he brings a wealth of college baseball experience to the table. We’ll be relying on (Chris Smith) and Cody’s knowledge of the league in preparing for teams and their style of play, as well as the conditions of the Northwoods League itself.”
The Growlers inaugural season will be Piechocki’s second coaching stint in the Northwoods League. Piechocki served as an assistant coach for the Battle Creek Bombers coaching staff as a fielding/position player coach last summer.
“It’s an honor to coach some of the top collegiate players from across the country and to help them continue their development towards pro ball,” said Piechocki, “the opportunity to play in front of crowds of up to 15,000 is exciting and something most northern college teams don’t get to experience.”
Piechocki enters his second season as the head coach of the KVCC baseball program, and fifth season as a coach at the school overall. In his time at KVCC, the Cougars have twice broken the school record for wins in a season, with 35 in 2010 and 40 in 2012. The program also broke multiple offensive records for home runs, batting average, runs scored, and RBI. 24 players have received scholarships to continue their baseball careers at four-year collegiate institutions over Piechocki’s four full seasons as a coach.
“I feel very fortunate to have all of these guys as my assistants. Cody and Mike are very experienced coaches with lots of ties in the Kalamazoo area. Chris and Cody are also experienced in the Northwoods League and their familiarity with the day-to-day challenges and processes will be invaluable to our club,” said Carbone.
Before KVCC, Piechocki served as an assistant coach at Kalamazoo College in 2008 and 2009. Piechocki also helped lead the Mattawan High School varsity baseball team to a Southwest Michigan Athletic Conference (SMAC) championship during his sole season as an assistant coach. Mattawan also won their district and finished as a regional semi-finalist.
The Growlers home opener is Friday, May 30th against the Battle Creek Bombers at 7:05pm. Season tickets, flexible mini plans, and group outings are on sale now.
For more information on tickets contact Shane Stout at 269.492.9966 or via email at shane@growlersbaseball.com. The Growlers’ offices at Mayors Riverfront Park are open from 8am to 5pm Monday through Friday.
The Kalamazoo Growlers are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Playing its 21st season of summer collegiate baseball, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 18 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, more than 115 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including MLB All-Stars Max Scherzer (DET), Chris Sale (CWS), Jordan Zimmermann (WAS), Curtis Granderson (NYY), Allen Craig (STL) and Ben Zobrist (TB). All league games are viewable live and free of charge via the Northwoods League YouTube channel. For more information, visit www.growlersbaseball.com.
