Meet the Coaches

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In his fifth season at the helm of the Miami University baseball program, head coach Dan Simonds has his RedHawks poised to continue Miami’s winning tradition and capture their 12th

season of 30 or more wins in the last 13 years. Simonds became just the fifth member of Miami baseball’s century club last season, as he earned his 100th victory at the helm of the RedHawks on April 15, 2009 with a 6-1 win over Cincinnati. His biggest win may have come on March 9, 2007, however, when he led the ‘Hawks to a 6-2 upset of No. 13 Texas in Austin.

Simonds has led the RedHawks to three winning seasons in four years and guided them to a berth in the Mid-American Conference Tournament in each of those winning seasons as well, with Miami winning at least one game each time at the league champion-ships. The Boston native has coached 10 Major League Baseball draft picks in four seasons in Oxford, with half of those players drafted in the first 10 rounds, including Graham Taylor, who made his debut with the Florida Marlins in 2009. Under Simonds’ watch, Miami has produced six First-Team All-MAC selections, including 2009 All-Mideast Region honorees Tommy Nurre and Adam Eaton, and five second-team recipients, as well as four Academic All-MAC honorees, including 2009 Miami co-Scholar-Athlete of the Year Matt Erwood. He has compiled a record of 113-110 in his four years patrolling the Miami dugout, including a 56-50 league mark.

An assistant at Miami from 2000-04, Simonds was a key component to five of those 11 30-win seasons and that understanding of the tradition of success at Miami makes the future of Miami baseball as promising as it has ever been.

“The combination of Dan’s significant past contributions to our baseball program and his understanding of the rigor of our cur-ricula, along with his coaching and playing experience at both the collegiate and professional levels, separated him from an extraordi-nary pool of nationally-respected candidates,” said Miami University Director of Athletics Brad Bates upon Simonds appointment as Miami’s head coach in July 2005.

“We are looking forward to watching Dan, his staff, and our student-athletes take the championship foundation he helped cre-ate and continue to build a program of scholars, future leaders in our communities and champions.”

Prior to taking over as the head coach at Miami, Simonds led Xavier to a 19-35 record in 2005, up from the Musketeers’ 16-38 mark in 2004. An 11-5 victory over Miami at McKie Field on March 4, 2005, marked the first win of his collegiate head coaching career. As a team, Xavier hit .279 with 26 home runs in 2005 compared to a .248 average with 18 long balls the year prior to Simonds’ arrival.

Prior to his one-year stint as Xavier’s head coach, Simonds was the hitting coach and recruiting coordinator at Miami for five seasons (2000-04). The RedHawks went 178-121-1 (.595) during those years and batted .315, including a .320 average in 2004. In 2000, he helped guide Miami to the Mid-American Conference Tournament title, its first since 1983, and a bid in the NCAA Tournament, where the RedHawks defeated Creighton.

Under Simonds’ tutelage as an assistant, nine Miami hitters went on to professional careers, including Mike Ferris, a second-round draft pick of the St. Louis Cardinals in 2004, Justin Knoedler, who made his major league debut with San Francisco in 2004, and David Cook, a ninth-round pick of the Chicago White Sox. Simonds also helped

Head Coach Dan Simonds

Born: ................................................................... February 7, 1965Alma Mater: ............................................Davidson College ‘87Degree: ....................................................................B.A. in History

COACHING EXPERIENCE/ACHIEVEMENTSMiami University .......................Head Coach, 2006-present Assistant Coach, 2000-04Xavier University ....................................... Head Coach, 2005San Diego Padres .......................................................... 1997-98 Manager, Fort Wayne Wizards (Midwest League) Hitting Instructor, Clinton Lumber Kings (Midwest)Baltimore Orioles .................................................................1996 Roving Instructor Hitting/Catching Instructor, Bluefield (Appalachian)Lethbridge Mounties .....................................Manager, 1995Chicago Cubs ..................................Bullpen Catcher, 1992-94

the simonds File

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Dan simondsYears at Miami: Fifth seasonAlma Mater: Davidson ’87 Record at Miami: 113-110 (four years)Career Record: 132-145 (five years)

head Coach

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Head Coach Dan Simonds

“Dan was a very hard worker, very conscientious. He is what I would call a student of the game. I’m sure Dan will be a valuable addition to Miami University’s baseball program.”- Jerry Narron, former Cincinnati Reds manager and Simonds’ manager for two seasons in the minor leagues

“Dan was a tremendous teammate and one of the best I’ve ever had. Dan has an unbelievable passion for baseball, which is second-to-none.”- Chuck Ricci, National Crosschecker, Cleveland Indians

“Miami has hired a great baseball guy who is passionate about his work. You won’t find a coach who works harder or is more dedicated to the game. I know that we are a better organization because Dan Simonds was a part of it for four years.”- Tye Waller, 3rd Base Coach, Oakland Athletics

What They Are Saying About Dan Simonds

lure hurler Chad Reineke (2001-04) to Miami, who has since gone on to pitch for the San Diego Padres and Oakland A’s.

During his nine seasons at Miami, five as an assistant and four as the head coach, 25 play-ers have been drafted by major league organizations, including nine players in the first 10 rounds. In 2007, pitchers John Ely (3rd round-Chicago White Sox) and Connor Graham (5th round-Colorado) went in the top 10 rounds, marking the third time during Simonds’ tenure that at least two RedHawks were selected in the first 10 rounds. With Simonds’ help in those nine years, all but two of Miami’s individual single-season offensive records have been broken, while he has coached 18 First-Team All-MAC recipients in Oxford.

The 44-year-old Simonds spent four years coaching in the San Diego Padres organization prior to his stint at Miami, managing the Class A Fort Wayne Wizards in 1999 and working as the hitting and catching instructor for the Class A Clinton Lumber Kings from 1997-98. He was a roving instructor/coach for the Bluefield Orioles in the Baltimore Orioles orga-nization in 1995-96. His first professional coaching experience was as an assistant coach and bullpen catcher for the Chicago Cubs from 1992-94.

A 1987 graduate of Davidson College, Simonds was the starting catcher and team captain as a senior while twice earning All-Southern Conference honors. Following graduation, Simonds was an eighth-round pick of the Baltimore Orioles in 1987 and three years later was acquired by the Chicago Cubs as a free agent. He earned All-Appalachian

League and All-California League honors in 1987 and 1988, respectively. In 1989, Simonds was selected by the Eastern League to play on the Diamond Diplomacy Tour in the former Soviet Union.

Simonds resides in Mason with his wife, Dawn, son, Sam, and daughter, Madison.

simonds’ Coaching Record at Miami OVERALL MACYEAR W L T PCT W L T PCT2006 33 25 0 .569 17 10 0 .6302007 32 24 0 .571 16 9 0 .5932008 18 36 0 .333 8 19 0 .2962009 30 25 0 .545 15 12 0 .556TOTALS 113 110 0 .507 56 50 0 .528

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A standout infielder at Miami University from 1998-2001, Jer-emy Ison begins his fifth season as a member of the RedHawk coaching staff. After spending 2006 as a volunteer assistant,

Ison begins his fourth season coaching Miami’s infielders and assist-ing with the offensive game plan.

Miami’s offense flourished under Ison in 2009, as the team recorded its highest batting average (.310), slugging percentage (.487) and on-base percentage (.397) of the past five years. The RedHawks have also scored more runs than the previous year each season since Ison began working with the offense and produced their most hits in the last four years in 2009 (621). Under his guidance, Adam Eaton and Tommy Nurre earned First-Team All-MAC honors last year, as Ison

has now helped produce six All-MAC sluggers, five of which were infielders, in his three years working with the offense. Nurre had one of the greatest offensive seasons in Miami history in 2009, batting .406 with 82 hits, 18 doubles, 17 home runs and 153 total bases, all of which rank in Miami’s single-season top-10. Jordan Petraitis also finished his career as one of the top sluggers in Red-Hawk history in 2009, all under Ison’s tutelage, as Petraitis finished in Miami’s career top-five in eight offensive categories, including first in career doubles (55) and second in total bases (440), hits (289), runs (186) and triples (12). Both Petraitis and Nurre (both infielders at Miami) were drafted in the 2009 first-year MLB draft.

Ison spent four seasons as Miami’s starting shortstop, appearing in 241 games and belting 38 home runs, which rank him second on Miami’s career list. He appears among the top five on four other career lists at Miami as well, ranking second in runs batted in (175), third in total bases (387), fifth in hits (237) and fourth in runs scored (162), while ranking seventh in doubles (47).

As a junior, Ison belted a career-high 15 home runs on his way to earning Second-Team All-MAC honors and helping the RedHawks

advance to the NCAA Tournament with the program’s first Mid-Amer-ican Conference Tournament title since 1983.

Following his years in Oxford, Ison signed as a free agent with the Chica-go White Sox and spent the next five years at various levels of professional baseball, including a stint as a player/coach with the Florence Freedom of the independent Frontier League.

Ben Bachmann begins his fifth season as an assistant coach at Miami, where he serves as the pitching coach and recruit-ing coordinator. Prior to Miami, he spent five seasons as the

pitching coach at the University of Maryland where he helped the pitching staff set numerous school records.

During his time as an assistant coach, Bachmann has worked with 18 pitchers and 37 players overall that have been drafted or signed free agent contracts with major league organizations. That list includes 2007 First-Team All-MAC selection and second-round draft pick John Ely and 2007 fifth-round selection Connor Graham. While at Miami

he also worked with Graham Taylor, a 2006 Second-Team All-MAC honoree who made his major league debut on the mound for the Florida Marlins in 2009. Bachmann has helped produce three First-Team All-MAC pitchers in his time with the RedHawks, as well (Ely twice and Matt Erwood in 2009).

At Maryland in 2003, Bachmann mentored Steve Schmoll, who pitched in the Big Leagues for four years, as the right-hander be-came the school’s all-time and single-season strikeout leader. In 2002, Maryland hurlers established school records for strikeouts (451) and saves (10).

Prior to his time at Maryland, Bachmann was part of the coaching staff at Lynn University for two seasons where he helped the pitching staff to a school-record 379 strikeouts in 1999.

He graduated from Lewis University in 1997 with a degree in business administration after being

an All-American at Kankakee Community College in Illi-nois. He earned his master’s degree in business/athletic administration from Lynn University in 2001.

Bachmann and his wife, Jane, reside in Oxford, with their daughter, Abigail, and son, Braden.

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Ben BachmannYears at Miami: Fifth seasonAlma Mater: Lewis ’97

asst. Coach

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JeremyIsonYears at Miami: Fifth seasonAlma Mater: Miami ’01

asst. Coach

Assistant Coaches

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Coaches/Support Staff

Danny HaydenAssistant CoachYears at Miami: Second seasonAlma Mater: Xavier ’08

George StegmillerHonorary CoachAlma Mater: Miami ’03

George Stegmiller, originally from Upper Arlington, Ohio, was a member of the RedHawks from 1999-2003, playing for then head coach Tracy Smith (during which Simonds was an

assistant coach). He played all nine positions during his career and was named a captain his senior year. He played in 125 career games for Miami (not playing in 2001), while making 97 career starts and totaling 43 RBI and three home runs in four seasons. Most notably, Stegmiller was a member of the 2000 MAC Championship team that went on to make an appearance in the NCAA Regional Tourna-ment and defeated Creighton before being eliminated. He gradu-ated in 2003 with a B.A. in Psychology.

After graduation, Stegmiller joined the United States Marine Corps in October 2004. He attended Officers Candidate School (OCS) in Quantico, Va. and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in De-cember of the same year. He graduated from The Basic School (TBS) in June 2005, also in Quantico. Stegmiller spent the next two years in flight school, moving to Pensacola, Fla., Corpus Christi, Texas, and back to Pensacola, all the while training to become a Naval Aviator. He pinned on his “Wings of Gold” in June 2007 and moved to Camp Pendleton, Calif. to begin flying the AH-1W Super Cobra. He deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom from November 2008 - May 2009 as part of the HMLA 369 “Gunfight-ers.” Stegmiller was most recently promoted to his current rank of Captain and is set to deploy to Afghanistan in the spring of 2010 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Stegmiller and his wife Kristen, who he met while attending Miami, currently live in Oceanside, Calif.

A former student-athlete, Danny Hayden begins his second season as a member of the Miami baseball staff, but first as a volunteer assistant coach, replacing Nick Otte, who left for

an assistant coaching position at Xavier. In his first year with the RedHawks baseball program in 2009, Hayden served as the video coordinator.

Hayden played for the RedHawks in 2003-04 for then head coach Tracy Smith. He then transferred to Xavier following the 2004 season, when then Miami assistant coach Dan Simonds was named the head coach of the Musketeers. Hayden was named team captain in 2008 as the Musketeers claimed the Atlantic-10 Confer-ence title. In three years at Xavier, Hayden played in 112 games, making 92 starts, and finished with 35 RBI and seven home runs. He graduated from Xavier University in 2008 with a degree in sport management and was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 2008 first-year player draft. Hayden spent his 2008 summer as the third base coach for the Midland Redskins, whom he also played for in high school.

A native of Cincinnati, Hayden earned four varsity letters on the McNicholas High School baseball team, where he was the captain as a senior.

Craig BennettAcademic Services

Coordinator

Michael WeismanAssistant Athletic Media

Relations Director

Debbie VogtAdministrative

Assistant

Jim SligerEquipment Manager

Russell KramesMaster Groundskeeper

Josh FentonAssistant Athletic Director/

Baseball Administrator

Paul EversoleAthletic Trainer

Matt CadyStrength and

Conditioning Coach

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Since arriving in July 2006 as Miami University’s 21st president, David Hodge has been a visible presence among students, staff, faculty, and alumni. At the heart of the Miami Experi-

ence is the engaged learning environment that is evident both in-side and outside the classroom, as students are immersed 24/7 in an environment designed to develop the whole person. President Hodge is championing this concept of “engaged learning” – where students are actively involved in shaping their learning experience -- through initiatives such as the Top 25 program to redesign Mi-ami’s foundation courses. Making the Miami Experience accessible for all students, regardless of background, drove his creation of the Miami Access Initiative, which provides tuition and fees to Ohio residents with family incomes of less than $35,000. Hodge has been a supporter of Miami Athletics and the ath-letic department’s goal to become a “Culture of Champions.” The Culture of Champions’ goals are interconnected with Hodge’s strategic plan for Miami, and all of the institutional goals within Hodge’s five-year plan have a mutually direct application to the athletic department’s goals. Hodge also helped dedicate two of Miami’s newest athletic facilities, as he participated in the rib-bon cutting ceremony at the Steve Cady Arena at the Goggin Ice Center and threw out the ceremonial first pitch at the new Miami Softball Stadium. The Hodges came to Miami following Dr. Hodge’s 31-year ten-ure at the University of Washington, where he served from 1998 to 2006 as the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, the uni-versity’s largest college, with 40 departments, 900 faculty, and 500 staff who serve more than 24,000 students. Joining the UW faculty in 1975, Dr. Hodge held the appoint-ment of professor of geography and adjunct professor of civil en-gineering. In 1990, he earned the prestigious University of Wash-ington Distinguished Teaching Award. Prior to his appointment as dean, he served as chair of the geography department (1995-97) and divisional dean for computing, facilities, and research (1996-98). His research, which has attracted grant support from the Na-tional Science Foundation and other federal, state, and local agen-cies, focuses on urban and transportation geography with special interest in the impact of telecommunications. Dr. Hodge served as program director at the National Science Foundation in 1993-94 and was editor of The Professional Geographer from 1994 to 1997. A native of Minnesota, Dr. Hodge earned his bachelor of arts degree in geography from Macalester College in 1970 and went on to earn his master’s degree (1973) and Ph.D. (1975) in geography from Pennsylvania State University. From 2000 to 2006, he served on Macalester’s Board of Trustees; prior to this, he served on the Macalester Alumni Board. An NCAA All-American, he is a member of the Macalester College Athletics Hall of Fame and remains the school’s outdoor track and field record holder in the 880 (now 800 meters) with a time of 1:50.2. President Hodge and his wife, Valerie, have two children: Gene, a graduate of the University of Washington, and Meriem, a graduate of Miami.

David HodgeMiami University PresidentYears at Miami: Fourth YearAlma Mater: Macalester College (BA, ‘70), Penn State University (MA, ‘73, Ph.D., ‘75)

A progressive and driving force behind Miami University’s athletic de-partment since his arrival in November of 2002, Brad Bates has been instrumental in not only upholding Miami’s storied athletic tradition

but also in ushering Miami athletics into the next generation of intercol-legiate athletics. Bates’ unique vision of developing a “Culture of Champions” at Miami has made the RedHawk athletic program a model for all intercollegiate ath-letic programs. In 2007, Miami president David Hodge rewarded Bates by extending his contract for an additional five years. Over the past nearly seven years, Bates has presided over a department that made back-to-back football bowl game appearances for the first time in nearly 30 years, while capturing conference championships in football, women’s cross country, ice hockey, baseball, men’s and women’s basket-ball, volleyball, men’s and women’s swimming and diving, soccer, tennis, softball and synchronized skating. In 2008-09, Miami’s women’s teams won the Mid-American Conference’s Jacoby Award for athletic excellence for the second consecutive year, including tournament championships and NCAA berths for softball and tennis. Also on the women’s side, the RedHawk swimming and diving and women’s cross country teams won the MAC championship and the syn-chronized skating’s senior and collegiate teams won national titles. The ice hockey program reached unprecedented heights, making it to its fourth straight NCAA Tournament appearance and playing in the NCAA Champi-onship game. Miami also has won the Reese Trophy, an all-sport award presented annually to the MAC institution with the best all-around men’s sports pro-grams, in three of his nearly seven seasons. In addition to the RedHawks’ athletic success during his tenure, Bates has spearheaded efforts to improve the “athletic classrooms” in which Miami’s student-athletes compete to rate among the best in the nation. Renovations to Yager Stadium continue, with plans for an indoor facility in the works. Already added to Yager are new stands on the east side, a state-of-the-art scoreboard, permanent lighting, Cradle of Coaches Plaza and a FieldTurf playing surface. Additionally, Miami unveiled several new and renovated facilities three years ago: a brand new softball field, a state-of-the-art ice hockey facility, and a renovated field hockey field that was upgraded with a new artificial turf surface and press box. Paramount among Bates’ accomplishments has been the department’s success in graduating its student-athletes. According to the most recent Federal Graduation Rates report, an extraordinary 75 percent of Miami’s student-athletes who started college in 2001-02 graduated within six years. That is 11 percent better than the national student-athlete graduation rate of 64 percent. Additionally, over the first three years of the NCAA’s Academ-ic Performance Rate (APR), Miami has consistently ranked among the best Division I-A programs nationally, with a number of its individual programs posting the highest scores nationally. Bates, who came to Miami after 17 years at Vanderbilt University, achieved a doctorate in education at Vanderbilt in 1997. This followed the bachelor’s and master’s degrees he earned in education at the University of Michigan in 1981 and 1982. At Vanderbilt, along with overseeing the administration of all 15 sports, Bates, a Senior Associate A.D. when he departed, was highly involved in the department’s budgetary, marketing, development, licensing and Title IX compliance decision-making. Athletically, Bates was a walk-on defensive back for Michigan from 1977-81. He played for then-Wolverine head football coach Bo Schem-bechler, a 1951 Miami alumnus and member of Miami’s legendary Cradle of Coaches. In his four years as a player, the Wolverines won three Big Ten Championships, posted a record of 37-11-0 and played in three Rose Bowls and a Gator Bowl. Bates and his wife, Michele, reside in Oxford.

Brad BatesDirector of AthleticsYears at Miami: Eighth YearAlma Mater: University of Michigan (BS, ‘81, MA, ‘82), Vanderbilt University (Ed.D., ‘97)

Administrators