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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 championships. 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 curricula, along with his coaching and playing experience at both the collegiate and professional levels, separated him from an extraordinary 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 create 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 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 players 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 organization 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.
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