Just when I thought I was out, they pull me right back in. Got confirmed today what I've been hearing for awhile: Ben Greenspan has officially been named the hitting coach for the IU baseball team. Below is the text of a short story I have for tomorrow's paper. Enjoy.
Ben Greenspan has been named as the next hitting coach for the IU baseball team, a source confirmed Monday.
A former catcher at IU and Connecticut, Greenspan replaces Tyler Best at the head of an offense that led the Big Ten last year. The former backstop had been helping with administrative and other responsibilities on an interim basis with the Hoosiers.
The son of recently-resigned Director of Athletics Rick Greenspan, Ben Greenspan had been working with the athletics department helping supervise facilities management before rejoining head coach Tracy Smith, under whom he played for two years.
Ben Greenspan played 73 games as a Hoosier, starting 43 of them. His best year at IU was his first, when the then junior catcher hit .311 with a team-best .447 slugging percentage and 19 RBIs.
The Hoosiers begin their 2009 season on Feb. 20 in St. Petersburg, Fla., in the Big Ten/Big East Challenge against West Virginia.
Their first home date comes four days later against IPFW.
An official announcement is expected within the next 24 hours.
And here it is. Click on to read the full release.
INDIANA BASEBALL NAMES GREENSPAN ASSISTANT COACH
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. \0xAD Indiana Baseball Head Coach Tracy Smith today announced the hiring of former Hoosier Ben Greenspan as an assistant coach for the 2009 season. Greenspan will serve as the full-time assistant coach that oversees hitting and catchers.
\0xB3Ben, even as a player, displayed leadership qualities that you just can\0xB9t teach,\0xB2 Smith said. \0xB3I always had in the back of my mind that he would make an excellent coach someday. Opportunities sometimes knock at unusual times. The fact that we had an opening at the break and that Ben had already been involved in our program make it the perfect fit for both sides. Adding Ben to our staff will be a seamless transition as we head into the upcoming season.\0xB2
Greenspan played two years for Smith and the Hoosiers after two years at the University of Connecticut. He played in 73 games over his two years for IU, serving as one of the team\0xB9s captains as a senior. He led the team in slugging percentage (.447) and hit .311 in 2006. He played in 43 games at both catcher and first base in his first year in the Cream and Crimson, driving in 19 runs with six doubles and two home runs.
As a senior in 2007, Greenspan was a captain for one of the youngest teams in the conference, helping the team to a 19-win season. In addition to his role as a clubhouse leader, he battled through injuries to play in 30 games and start 18.
Greenspan received his bachelor\0xB9s degree from IU in sport marketing and management in 2007 and his master\0xB9s in sport administration in the summer of 2008. He resides in Bloomington.
