Former Major League pitcher Daniel Schlereth joined the Western Michigan baseball staff as its pitching coach in August of 2022. The 2024 campaign was his second in the Bronco dugout.
The 2024 season was a historic one for Western Michigan as it won 32 games, its most since 1993, and went 19-11 in the MAC to finish second in the regular season standings, its highest league finish since 1990. As the No. 2 seed, the Broncos dominated the MAC Tournament, outscoring their opponents 29-3 on the way to the second MAC Tournament Championship in school history and an NCAA Tournament berth. WMU's pitching staff topped the league with a 5.55 ERA, set a new single-season program strikeout record and its seven shutouts were second-most in the nation and one shy of the school record.
Senior Nolan Vlcek earned All-MAC Second Team honors, and both Vlcek and fellow righty Luke Thelen were College Sports Communicators Academic All-District selections. Thelen was selected by the Colorado Rockies in the 15th round of the 2024 MLB Draft. After finishing his WMU career second all-time in innings pitched, fourth in strikeouts and tied for fourth in wins, right-hander Brady Miller signed with the Chicago Dogs of the American Association of Professional Baseball.
In Schlereth's first season with the Broncos, WMU went 18-11 in conference play and returned to the MAC Tournament. A trio of players earned Second Team All-MAC honors, with Jimmy Allen, Brady Miller and Cade Sullivan receiving the accolade. Miller was one of the top starting pitchers in the conference, as he tied for the league lead in conference wins with seven. The righty also finished among the MAC leaders in innings pitched (89.0, 3rd) and strikeouts (89, 7th). As a staff, Western Michigan trimmed nearly a full run off of its ERA from the prior season, and the Broncos compiled a total of 380 strikeouts, then the third-highest, single-season total in program history.
Prior to his arrival in Kalamazoo, Schlereth completed his first season as the manager of the Joliet Slammers, a member of the Frontier League. The first-year skipper steered the Slammers to a 49-47 record. He returned to the Joliet dugout for the 2023 campaign, leading the team to a 46-50 mark. In his two seasons, the Slammers ranked third (4.01) and fifth (4.40) in the 16-team Frontier League in team ERA.
Before beginning his coaching career, Schlereth spent a season working in the player development and scouting department for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
A first round pick of the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2008 out of the University of Arizona, Schlereth reached the Majors quickly, making his debut for the Diamondbacks in May of 2009. The southpaw made 21 appearances for Arizona in 2009 before he was traded, along with Max Scherzer, to the Detroit Tigers in the offseason.
In three seasons with Detroit, Schlereth made a total of 73 appearances and posted a 3.98 ERA in 74.2 innings. During his time, the Tigers won back-to-back AL Central Division titles in 2011 and 2012. Schlereth helped the Tigers reach the 2011 ALCS and the 2012 World Series.
Over 13 professional seasons, Schlereth played for 10 different Major League organizations, including three stints with the Tigers. In MLB with Detroit and Arizona, the lefty pitched in a total of 94 games and posted a 4.35 ERA with 91 strikeouts in 93.0 innings. In the minor leagues, Schlereth pitched in 214 games and owned a 2.80 ERA. He racked up 262 strikeouts in 234.1 innings.
Schlereth and his wife, Bree, have three children, Quinn, Drew and Zane.
