Baseball Hires Bryan Wolff as Pitching Coach
07/10/2003 | 12:00:00 | Baseball
July 10, 2003
Carbondale, Ill. - Southern Illinois University head baseball coach Dan Callahan announced the hiring of pitching coach Bryan Wolff. Wolff replaces former three-year pitching coach, Ty Neal, who accepted a similar position at the University of Cincinnati.
"We are excited about Bryan Wolff's addition to our coaching staff," said Callahan. "Although we will miss Coach Neal, we feel we won't skip a beat with Bryan. He will bring a vast amount of knowledge and experience to Saluki Baseball, and we are elated that he has chosen to continue his baseball career here at SIU."
Nearby Herrin, Ill., native, Wolff pitched at Oral Roberts University and was an 18th round draft pick of the San Diego Padres in 1993. He played professionally for 10 years in the Padres', Kansas City Royals', Houston Astros', Minnesota Twins', Cleveland Indians' and Chicago Cubs' organizations.
"The fact that Bryan not only pitched at the college level, but played professionally as long as he did, will indeed be a benefit to our pitching staff, as well as our coaching staff," added Callahan.
Although Wolff never pitched in the big leagues, he was part of two Major League spring training camps, and spent parts of four seasons pitching at the AAA level. He has also been giving pitching lessons locally for several years.
"I look forward to coaching at SIU," said 31-year old Wolff. "I grew up going to SIU games as a kid and am fortunate to have this opportunity. I feel like I can bring a lot of enthusiasm and experience to the program."