KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Western Michigan associate head baseball coach
Adam Piotrowicz has accepted an offer to become the next head baseball coach at Saginaw Valley State, it was announced on Friday afternoon.
"It's a bittersweet day, losing Adam after working with him for nearly a decade here at WMU," Western Michigan head coach
Billy Gernon said. "He has been an instrumental part of our program, leading our recruiting efforts and helping to put together some outstanding offenses over the years. At the same time, I'm thrilled for the opportunity he now has at SVSU, as he is more than ready to lead his own program.
Professionally, he has a tireless work ethic, along with being a talented recruiter that does a great job of developing talent. Personally, Adam is a remarkable person, husband, father, mentor, and friend, that truly served our program for 10 years. We wish him, his wife, Heather, and their two special little boys, Hunter and Elliot, all the best."
Piotrowicz heads to SVSU after spending nine seasons on Coach Gernon's staff at WMU, including the last three as an associate head coach. Since his arrival at Western Michigan, seven Bronco hitters have been drafted and a total of 10 have gone on to play professionally.
He helped the Western Michigan offense to an extremely successful 2022 campaign, as the team set a new single-season program record with 131 doubles. The 131 two-baggers were 22nd most in the NCAA, and the 2.43 doubles per game average was eighth-highest in the nation. The Broncos also launched 57 home runs, their most since 2008, with
Dylan Nevar and
Cade Sullivan becoming the first WMU teammates to hit double-digit home runs in the same season since 2001.
Among other highlights of Piotrowicz's tenure at Western Michigan was the 2017 Bronco offense, which hit .308 collectively, set a school record with 591 hits and had eight players finish with a .300 or better batting average. That year's WMU squad finished the season 18th in the NCAA in batting average. The Broncos also finished near the top of the MAC in hitting in 2016, boasting a .292 team batting average on the way to capturing the program's first-ever MAC Tournament title.
