CODY PIECHOCKI – FIELD MANAGER
2023 will be Piechocki’s eighth season as Growlers manager and 10th season as a coach in the Northwoods League. Piechocki received his start in the Northwoods League in 2013 with the Battle Creek Bombers as an assistant coach before joining Kalamazoo for its inaugural season in 2014. Piechocki claimed his first Northwoods League title in 2022.
Coach Piechocki recently left his head coahing position at Kalamazoo Valley Community College after nine seasons. In 2016 Valley received its first national ranking in program history, getting as high as #19 in the NJCAA poll. Under Piechocki’s guidance, the Cougars also received the program’s first Rawling’s Gold Glove Award and first Marucci Elite Hitter Award in 2014. Valley has been honored by the NJCAA and MCCAA for team academic awards twice during Piechocki’s tenure.
Previously, he spent three seasons as the assistant coach for Bernie Vallier in which time the program set the mark twice for wins in a season with 40 in 2012 and 35 in 2010. Piechocki spent two years, 2008 and 2009, as an assistant coach at Kalamazoo College where he served as the catcher/hitting coach as well as having a large role in the recruiting process. In 2007, Piechocki was a varsity assistant baseball coach at Mattawan High School where he worked primarily with the catchers and hitters.
Piechocki played baseball at Mattawan High School and one season at Glen Oaks Community College before suffering a career ending injury. He was a three-year varsity letter winner at Mattawan High School, and earned First Team All-SMAC, First Team All-District and Second Team All-Region honors as a catcher/third baseman. Piechocki is a graduate and proud alumni of Western Michigan University.
Ben Harley – PITCHING COACH
Harley brings a wealth of coaching experience to Kalamazoo. 2023 will be Harley’s second season with the team, following the championship win in 2022. His coaching career began at Rex Putnam High School in Milwaukie, Oregon. He then became the pitching coach for Peoria High School in Peoria, Arizona. Harley was next named the head baseball coach at Valley Catholic High School in Beaverton, Oregon and was the Driveline Baseball Academy Assistant Coordinator for nearly two years. He later joined the Centralia College coaching staff in 2020 and after two seasons with the program, Harley was named the head coach in July of 2021. He currently resides as the head coach of Centralia.
Kyle Houts – HITTING COACH
2023 will be Houts’ first season in Kalamazoo. Originally from Spring Lake, Michigan, Houts is the current assistant coach at Ave Maria University in Ave Maria, Florida. Houts previously worked as the associate head coach at Lane University in Jackson, Tennessee and as a grad assistant at Iowa Lakes Comunity College. Prior to his coaching career, Houts played baseball collegiately at Calvin University.