University of Memphis Athletics
Photo by: Joe Murphy
Schoenrock Announces Staff Changes
Sep 29, 2016 | Baseball
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Following the departure of assistant coach Alex McClure, former Memphis Tiger player Drew Martinez has been promoted to assistant coach and camps coordinator, Memphis head coach Daron Schoenrock announced Thursday.
McClure, who came to Memphis from Arkansas State in July, has accepted a scouting position within the Chicago Cubs organization. With the staff changes, Nate Fichtner will also serve as a student assistant for the Tigers.
"We are thrilled for the opportunity Alex received with the Chicago Cubs, because he impacted our program in a big way in just a short tenure here, but we are equally as excited to bring a former Tiger back," Schoenrock said. "It's always special to have a former Tiger I coached join my staff. Drew loves this program and will do a great job."
Martinez was a standout centerfielder for Schoenrock from 2009-11, starting 162 career games and batting .342 with 237 hits, 152 runs scored and 78 RBI. He was named to the 2009 C-USA All-Freshman team, and later received second-team all-conference honors in 2010 and 2011.
The New York Mets drafted Martinez after his sophomore season, in which he had the second most hits in a single season for Memphis (98). He returned to the Tigers for his junior season and was then drafted by he Los Angeles Angels in the 10th round of the 2011 MLB Draft.
The Memphis native, played two seasons in the Angels organization before joining the Gary South Shore RailCats of independent baseball. He played four seasons of independent baseball with the RailCats and Laredo Lemurs before retiring in 2016.
"It's big for me coming back. I love being here and I like the way the coaching staff go about things," Martinez said. "That is part of the reason I committed here in the first place. I love what Coach Rock is all about. Coming back is kind of surreal, but I'm excited and happy to see what this opportunity brings."
Fichtner played baseball for Allderdice High School in Pittsburgh, Pa., before coming to Memphis in 2015. His father, Randy Fichtner, is the current quarterbacks coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers and a former Memphis Tigers football assistant.
The official fall baseball practice schedule gets started Oct. 4 and will run through Nov. 16. The fall will conclude with the annual Garibaldi's Series of intrasquad scrimmages.
McClure, who came to Memphis from Arkansas State in July, has accepted a scouting position within the Chicago Cubs organization. With the staff changes, Nate Fichtner will also serve as a student assistant for the Tigers.
"We are thrilled for the opportunity Alex received with the Chicago Cubs, because he impacted our program in a big way in just a short tenure here, but we are equally as excited to bring a former Tiger back," Schoenrock said. "It's always special to have a former Tiger I coached join my staff. Drew loves this program and will do a great job."
Martinez was a standout centerfielder for Schoenrock from 2009-11, starting 162 career games and batting .342 with 237 hits, 152 runs scored and 78 RBI. He was named to the 2009 C-USA All-Freshman team, and later received second-team all-conference honors in 2010 and 2011.
The New York Mets drafted Martinez after his sophomore season, in which he had the second most hits in a single season for Memphis (98). He returned to the Tigers for his junior season and was then drafted by he Los Angeles Angels in the 10th round of the 2011 MLB Draft.
The Memphis native, played two seasons in the Angels organization before joining the Gary South Shore RailCats of independent baseball. He played four seasons of independent baseball with the RailCats and Laredo Lemurs before retiring in 2016.
"It's big for me coming back. I love being here and I like the way the coaching staff go about things," Martinez said. "That is part of the reason I committed here in the first place. I love what Coach Rock is all about. Coming back is kind of surreal, but I'm excited and happy to see what this opportunity brings."
Fichtner played baseball for Allderdice High School in Pittsburgh, Pa., before coming to Memphis in 2015. His father, Randy Fichtner, is the current quarterbacks coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers and a former Memphis Tigers football assistant.
The official fall baseball practice schedule gets started Oct. 4 and will run through Nov. 16. The fall will conclude with the annual Garibaldi's Series of intrasquad scrimmages.
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