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Simmons Joins Duke Baseball Staff
7/24/2024 10:07:00 AM | Baseball
DURHAM, N.C. – Head coach Chris Pollard announced the addition of assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Derek Simmons to the Duke baseball staff. Simmons joins the Blue Devils following a five-year stint at Indiana and will coordinate all developmental aspects for the infielders and lead training protocols for baserunning.
"We are thrilled to welcome Derek, Erin, Bella, and Braxton to the Bull City," Pollard said. "Derek arrives with an outstanding reputation as a national recruiter. He also has deep ties with USA Baseball and has been a catalyst in the recent success of the 15u national team. I have zero doubt that he will have a major impact on the continued success of the Duke Baseball program."
In addition to Simmons joining the staff, Pollard announced that pitching coach Brady Kirkpatrick has been elevated to Associate Head Coach, while Eric Tyler joins Simmons as one of Duke's recruiting coordinators. After two record-setting seasons for the Duke offense, Tyler will continue as Duke's primary hitting coach. Duke baseball also welcomes former right-hander John Natoli to the staff, as he assumes the Director of Baseball Operations role.
"We will miss Danny Jung. He has been the glue of this program for the better part of the last three years. He is a special person and I wish him success in all his future endeavors. John Natoli brings a unique skill set to the Director of Operations role within our program. He has worked closely with DJ since January and is more than ready to transition from a pitching analyst into an expanded role that includes day-to-day operations and camp direction. John is an elite baseball mind with an advanced understanding of analytics, but he is also a grinder, and he knows what it takes to be successful in the ACC."
While with the Hoosiers, Simmons worked with the hitters, trained and coached the infielders, and was the program's recruiting coordinator for three seasons. The 13-year coaching veteran has thrived on the recruiting front in previous stops, securing a pair of top-25 classes to go along with four other top classes per Collegiate Baseball Newspaper. In 2023 the Hoosiers class was tabbed as the 17th best class in the country, the highest in Indiana program history.
"The sustained excellence and success Chris Pollard and his staff have created at Duke is what undoubtedly brought my family and I to Durham," Simmons said. "Coach Pollard is a man of the highest integrity with great core values and beliefs who has built this program on personal relationships, recruiting, and player development. I am gracious and honored for this opportunity and would like to thank Coach Pollard, Nina King, and Brad Berndt."
In 2024, Simmons and the Hoosiers appeared in the Knoxville Regional, finishing first in the Big Ten in hits (625), a program record in doubles (140), runs (482), total bases (1,030) and RBI (451). The Hoosiers saw six players drafted in the 2024 MLB Draft, including four in the top-5 rounds, a new program best.
During his time in Bloomington, Simmons helped oversee the development of multiple MLB Draft picks, three Freshman All-Americans in 2022, one freshman All-American hitter in 2023, and a program record 26 Big Ten victories during the 2021 conference-only slate.
Before his time at Indiana, Simmons was an assistant coach at Kent State, where he helped the Golden Flashes land the second-highest recruiting class in program history during the 2018-19 cycle as the program's recruiting coordinator. The 2019 freshman class entered as the No. 25-ranked class in the country by Collegiate Baseball.
Additionally, Simmons was named one of 20 assistant coaches nationwide to Baseball America's Coaches to Watch List in 2018 and 2019 and one of 30 assistant coaches invited to the Surefire Baseball Forum for elite assistants.
Simmons also had stops at Alabama (2017) and Kennesaw State (2013-16) before joining the Golden Flashes in 2018. He began his coaching career as a volunteer assistant coach at Central Michigan (2011-12), helping the Chippewas claim a 2011 Mid-American Conference West Division title with seven student-athletes on the all-MAC squad.
The Duluth, Georgia, native started his playing career at the University of Montevallo and helped the Falcons to the Division II College World Series in 2006. A two-year letterwinner at UM, he went on to earn two more letters and was named team captain at Georgia State. The first player in Panthers history to earn first-team all-conference honors twice, he finished his career among the top 10 in numerous single-season categories with a career batting average of .344.
In his career, he has coached or recruited 63 all-conference honorees, three conference "Player of the Year" award winners, 10 All-Americans, and five Freshman All-Americans. Simmons has donned the Stars and Stripes for USA Baseball numerous times over the last half-decade, including coaching stints with the 18u National Team, the 14u National Training Development Program, and the 15u National Team.
For more information on Duke Baseball, follow the Blue Devils on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching "DukeBASE".
Duke Centennial
In 2024, Duke celebrates its Centennial, marking one hundred years since Trinity College became Duke University. Duke will use this historic milestone to deepen the understanding of its history, inspire pride and strengthen bonds and partnerships, and prepare for a second century of continued excellence and impactful leadership. To learn more, please visit 100.duke.edu.
#GoDuke
"We are thrilled to welcome Derek, Erin, Bella, and Braxton to the Bull City," Pollard said. "Derek arrives with an outstanding reputation as a national recruiter. He also has deep ties with USA Baseball and has been a catalyst in the recent success of the 15u national team. I have zero doubt that he will have a major impact on the continued success of the Duke Baseball program."
In addition to Simmons joining the staff, Pollard announced that pitching coach Brady Kirkpatrick has been elevated to Associate Head Coach, while Eric Tyler joins Simmons as one of Duke's recruiting coordinators. After two record-setting seasons for the Duke offense, Tyler will continue as Duke's primary hitting coach. Duke baseball also welcomes former right-hander John Natoli to the staff, as he assumes the Director of Baseball Operations role.
"We will miss Danny Jung. He has been the glue of this program for the better part of the last three years. He is a special person and I wish him success in all his future endeavors. John Natoli brings a unique skill set to the Director of Operations role within our program. He has worked closely with DJ since January and is more than ready to transition from a pitching analyst into an expanded role that includes day-to-day operations and camp direction. John is an elite baseball mind with an advanced understanding of analytics, but he is also a grinder, and he knows what it takes to be successful in the ACC."
While with the Hoosiers, Simmons worked with the hitters, trained and coached the infielders, and was the program's recruiting coordinator for three seasons. The 13-year coaching veteran has thrived on the recruiting front in previous stops, securing a pair of top-25 classes to go along with four other top classes per Collegiate Baseball Newspaper. In 2023 the Hoosiers class was tabbed as the 17th best class in the country, the highest in Indiana program history.
"The sustained excellence and success Chris Pollard and his staff have created at Duke is what undoubtedly brought my family and I to Durham," Simmons said. "Coach Pollard is a man of the highest integrity with great core values and beliefs who has built this program on personal relationships, recruiting, and player development. I am gracious and honored for this opportunity and would like to thank Coach Pollard, Nina King, and Brad Berndt."
In 2024, Simmons and the Hoosiers appeared in the Knoxville Regional, finishing first in the Big Ten in hits (625), a program record in doubles (140), runs (482), total bases (1,030) and RBI (451). The Hoosiers saw six players drafted in the 2024 MLB Draft, including four in the top-5 rounds, a new program best.
During his time in Bloomington, Simmons helped oversee the development of multiple MLB Draft picks, three Freshman All-Americans in 2022, one freshman All-American hitter in 2023, and a program record 26 Big Ten victories during the 2021 conference-only slate.
Before his time at Indiana, Simmons was an assistant coach at Kent State, where he helped the Golden Flashes land the second-highest recruiting class in program history during the 2018-19 cycle as the program's recruiting coordinator. The 2019 freshman class entered as the No. 25-ranked class in the country by Collegiate Baseball.
Additionally, Simmons was named one of 20 assistant coaches nationwide to Baseball America's Coaches to Watch List in 2018 and 2019 and one of 30 assistant coaches invited to the Surefire Baseball Forum for elite assistants.
Simmons also had stops at Alabama (2017) and Kennesaw State (2013-16) before joining the Golden Flashes in 2018. He began his coaching career as a volunteer assistant coach at Central Michigan (2011-12), helping the Chippewas claim a 2011 Mid-American Conference West Division title with seven student-athletes on the all-MAC squad.
The Duluth, Georgia, native started his playing career at the University of Montevallo and helped the Falcons to the Division II College World Series in 2006. A two-year letterwinner at UM, he went on to earn two more letters and was named team captain at Georgia State. The first player in Panthers history to earn first-team all-conference honors twice, he finished his career among the top 10 in numerous single-season categories with a career batting average of .344.
In his career, he has coached or recruited 63 all-conference honorees, three conference "Player of the Year" award winners, 10 All-Americans, and five Freshman All-Americans. Simmons has donned the Stars and Stripes for USA Baseball numerous times over the last half-decade, including coaching stints with the 18u National Team, the 14u National Training Development Program, and the 15u National Team.
For more information on Duke Baseball, follow the Blue Devils on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching "DukeBASE".
Duke Centennial
In 2024, Duke celebrates its Centennial, marking one hundred years since Trinity College became Duke University. Duke will use this historic milestone to deepen the understanding of its history, inspire pride and strengthen bonds and partnerships, and prepare for a second century of continued excellence and impactful leadership. To learn more, please visit 100.duke.edu.
#GoDuke
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