Indiana Hires Glant as Pitching Coach, Promotes Simmons to Recruiting Coordinator

Dustin Glant is replacing Justin Parker as Indiana's pitching coach, the school announced on Friday. Glant has had record-breaking success at every level of baseball and is a Fort Wayne, Ind., native. Simmons is being promoted in his third season at Indiana.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana baseball coach Jeff Mercer rounded out his coaching staff on Friday, hiring Dustin Glant as pitching coach and promoting Derek Simmons to recruiting coordinator.

“We are extremely excited about elevating Derek to recruiting coordinator and adding Dustin to complete our full-time coaching staff,” Mercer said in a release from the school. “We feel like this is group brings a great feel for coaching the game, recruiting and competing nationally and developing great people on and off the field. I am excited to get them in place and get started.”

Glant, a Fort Wayne, Ind., native, has spent the past two years in the New York Yankees organization, coaching their Triple-A affiliate in Scranton/Wilkes Barre, Pa. Prior to that, he was the record-setting pitching coach at Ball State for three years, and has been a head coach at Anderson University (2016), Lapel High School (2015) and Mount Verson High School (2014.)

Dustin Glant's pitching staff at Ball State set NCAA records for strikeouts per inning in 2019. (Photos courtesy of Ball State Athetics.)

Glant played collegiately at Purdue and he was selected in the seventh round of the 2003 MLB Draft by Arizona. He spent six years in the Diamondbacks' organization and then three more years playing independent ball before getting into coaching in 2013, when he was a volunteer assistant at Ball State. 

“Dustin is an Indiana guy. He was born and raised in this state and is very familiar with our university,” Mercer said in the release. “One of the big things for me in talking to him was that his philosophy on player development falls in line with what we are doing at IU. 

"He has a track record as one of the top pitching coaches in the country and for developing and caring for college arms. We are excited to have Dustin join our program and continuing the growth and development of our program on a national scale.”

Glant replaces Justin Parker, who left last month to become pitching coach at South Carolina. His Indiana pitching staff finished No. 3 in the country in earned run average (3.16) a year ago, and second among Power 5 school behind only Texas, which advanced to the College World Series. Indiana went 26-18 last year in a COVID-shortened Big Ten only season and failed to make the NCAA Tournament.

Glant has had success at every level. His pitching staff ranks in the top three in many categories this year and at Ball State, his staff set an NCAA record in 2019 when they averaged 11.1 strikeouts per nine innings. 

Simmons will be starting his third season at Indiana and will continue to work with the hitters and coach the infielders, moving from the volunteer role into the assistant coach spot. The recruiting coordinator title will also be added to his title, a role he has seen success in during his career.

“Derek is a guy that has already left his imprint on our program and, personally, I am excited for him to move into the recruiting coordinator role,” said Mercer. “He has recruited on a high level at each of his previous stops, has experience with USA Baseball and won championships at almost every stop on his coaching journey. 

"His relationships with our current roster, as well as with our incoming recruiting class, are big reasons for him earning this position. There is no doubt that he will be terrific in his new role.”

Simmons spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Kent State (2018-19), where hehelped land the second-highest recruiting class in program history during the 2018-19 cycle. He served as the recruiting coordinator for the Golden Flashes and worked with the position players and hitters.

Related stories on Indiana baseball

• SCHWARBER RETURNS: Former Indiana baseball star Kyle Schwarber came off the injured list on Friday and played his first game with the Boston Red Sox. He was 0-for-2 but walked twice, and scored both times. CLICK HERE
• 2022 SEASON OPENER: Indiana will open its 2022 baseball season in Texas, where national powerhouses Arkansas, Stanford and Louisiana will await. CLICK HERE
• BARR, RICHARDSON DRAFTED ON FINAL DAY: Indiana third baseball Cole Barr (Seattle Mariners) and Grant Richardson (New York Yankees) were drafted on the final day of the MLB Draft. CLICK HERE
• McCADE BROWN TO ROCKIES. Indiana pitcher McCade Brown was the first Hoosier drafted this year when he was picked in the third round of the MLB Draft by the Colorado Rockies. CLICK HERE
• TOMMY SOMMER TO WHITE SOX: Lefty pitcher Tommy Sommer wasn't expected to be selected on Day 2 of the MLB Draft, but the Chicago White Sox had a better plan, and it all worked out in the 10th round. CLICK HERE