BGSU promotes Kyle Hallock to interim head baseball coach

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio -- Two days ago Kyle Hallock was mulling over his future and wondering where he was going to live. On Wednesday night, he was named interim head coach for Bowling Green State University's newly saved baseball program. BGSU athletic director Bob Moosbrugger made changes to the Falcons' coaching staff a day after announcing that alumni donations had saved the program. Longtime head coach Danny Schmitz will move into an advisory role, where he will work to cultivate alumni relations. Hallock, a 2007 Perkins High School graduate, was elevated from pitching coach to interim head coach. "My family and I cannot thank the administration enough for their vote of confidence to lead the BGSU baseball program into the future," Hallock said in a text late Wednesday. After BGSU announced in mid-May that it was dropping the baseball program, Hallock fielded coaching offers and he and his wife, Morgan, sold their house in Findlay. Now they're looking for a new place to live as BGSU moves toward restarting the program in the fall. Hallock recently completed his second season as pitching coach. Perkins' baseball program congratulated Hallock on Twitter, describing him as a "great coach, even better man." During an interview Tuesday, before he was promoted, Hallock talked about the first step to restarting the program. Twenty-nine Falcons entered the NCAA transfer portal after the initial announcement in mid-May. "There will be a lot of phone calls," he said. "We'll be fielding a team and continue building the vision we have as a staff. We're very confident in our roster and we're trying to keep that intact." Vermilion graduate Mason Montgomery, who was a freshman on this year's team, plans to return to BGSU and said most of the players will come back. He was one of the players in the transfer portal. "I had some coaches contact me from around the area, but nothing major," Montgomery said. Hallock is no stranger to the Mid-American Conference, having played at Kent State from 2008 to 2011. He played on four consecutive MAC championship teams and played in three NCAA regionals. He had a successful minor league pitching career before transitioning to coaching. Hallock spent four years as the pitching coach at Malone University before coming to BGSU. In 2019, the Falcons pitching staff ranked in the top five in the league in ERA and fewest hits allowed. Bowling Green was second in the league in total runs allowed. Ryan Shay, a former Falcons baseball player and six-year assistant coach, remains an assistant for BGSU. Schmitz steps down after serving as head coach for 30 years. A three-time MAC Coach of the Year, he delivered seven conference championships (regular season or tournament) and was the MAC's active leader in coaching wins. His teams qualified for the NCAA tournament three times (1998, 1999 and 2013). The Falcons won four MAC regular-season titles and seven division championships in his tenure. "We are extremely thankful for Danny's 30 years of service to BGSU," Moosbrugger said. "He is the longest tenured coach in the history of the BGSU Athletics Department and his legacy is unmatched. Danny was my coach at BGSU and he gave me an opportunity to play Division I baseball." Schmitz said he is leaving his job on his own terms. "First and foremost, I want to thank (Columbus Clippers manager) Andy Tracy and everyone involved with the process of reinstating BGSU baseball," Schmitz said. "I couldn't be more proud of the collective effort and I'm thrilled to no end that the baseball family came together. Their efforts were truly remarkable. "I am so thankful for 30 incredible years as head baseball coach at BGSU. I am going out on my own terms and fully trust the staff that is in place. This program has new life, and I think it's time for a new direction. I am not leaving Bowling Green. I am excited to be staying on at BGSU and will help the department and baseball program in any way that I can. I am excited to see the baseball program thrive for years to come." A group of alumni spearheaded an effort to raise $1.5 million to save the baseball program. BGSU athletic director Bob Moosbrugger, in a conference call earlier this week, stressed the importance of alumni contributions in college athletics. "When the main guys in this effort went to school the university was probably 75 percent funded by the state of Ohio," Moosbrugger said. "Today it's around 20 percent. That model has completely flipped. "Some of the leaders of this campaign were giving the last few years. They said, 'Quite frankly, I didn't know it was that bad, but I knew you told me it could get that bad.' With COVID-19 and the financial crunch that we're in, it changed everything."