LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Brayden Simich has joined the Bellarmine University baseball staff after experiencing overwhelming success as a player then assistant coach at junior college blueblood John A. Logan College.

Simich will be an assistant coach/pitching for Bellarmine under first-year head coach Ben Reel.

"We're thrilled to welcome Brayden to our program as our new pitching coach," Reel said. "His track record of evaluating, recruiting and developing top-end talent while at John A. Logan College speaks for itself, and his ability to connect with players while elevating their performance aligns perfectly with our vision. We're confident Brayden's experience and leadership will make an immediate impact on our pitching staff and contribute to the continued success of Bellarmine University baseball."

Simich was a right-handed pitcher for NJCAA Division 1 John A. Logan from 2016-19. Immediately following his career, he joined the Volunteers' coaching staff and was an assistant from 2020-24.

In his five years as an assistant, John A. Logan went 192-65 and was consistently in the NJCAA D1 top 25. The team posted a 20-1 record in the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign and followed with four straight 40-plus win seasons. The Volunteers went 42-18 in 2021, 41-17 in 2022, 43-17 in 2023 and 46-12 in 2024, making the NJCAA D1 Tournament each year and capturing the Region XXIV championship in 2023 and 2024.

John A. Logan's pitching staff carried a sub-5.00 ERA in all five of his years. The Volunteers boasted a sparkling 3.09 ERA over 21 games in the abbreviated 2020 season.

During his coaching tenure at John A. Logan, seven players advanced to the professional ranks, 73 headed to NCAA Division I, four moved to NCAA Division II and 10 transitioned to NAIA.

Simich's success on the coaching staff carried over from his playing days with John A. Logan. In his three seasons with the club, the Volunteers went 122-42 with three appearances in the NJCAA D1 Tournament. They were 40-13 in 2017, 38-16 in 2018 and 44-13 in 2019, the latter in which they were the Region XXIV runner-up.

"I'm thrilled to join the Bellarmine University baseball team as the pitching coach," Simich said. "This is an incredible opportunity to work with a talented group of student-athletes and contribute to a program on the rise. It's been exciting getting to work and starting to help these players reach their full potential, both on and off the field."

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