We are proud to announce Brandon Schmidt as Action’s 17U Green Coach!

Brandon Schmidt enters his fifth season as the Hendrix pitching coach and strength and conditioning coach and first as recruiting coordinator in 2022.

He has coached four All-Southern Athletic Association (SAA) pitchers – one Newcomer of the Year, one first team, one second team and one honorable mention.

In 2021, Schmidt’s pitching staff averaged 6.83 strikeouts per nine innings, fourth best in program history. It registered the second most number of strikeouts looking and allowed the fourth fewest number of hits and fifth fewest number of walks.

Under Schmidt’s tutelage, Jack Hodgins tied for the most strikeouts looking in program history and allowed the second fewest walks per nine innings. Andrei Stoyanow set the single-game record for strikeouts, averaged the second most strikeouts per nine innings and recorded the third most strikeouts looking.

Hodgins and Kyle Wellman each pitched the second most innings in a game in Hendrix history. Hodgins also tied for fifth in the same category.

In 2020, Warriors pitchers allowed the fewest hits, runs, earned runs and walks in program history, third lowest opponent batting average and averaged the second most strikeouts per nine innings.

Hodgins set the Hendrix record for lowest opponent batting average, ranked second in the SAA and school history in earned run average (ERA) and sixth in the SAA and 48th nationally in strikeouts. Evan Ingram allowed the third fewest walks per nine innings in program history.

In 2019, Schmidt helped guide the Warriors to a share of its first SAA title.

Schmidt’s pitchers led the SAA and ranked third nationally in shutouts. It ranked third in the league in strikeout-to-walk ratio and fewest walks allowed per nine innings. 

The Hendrix staff posted the most wins, shutouts, saves and innings pitched in school history, posted the second most strikeouts and allowed the second fewest runs and losses and lowest ERA, third fewest earned runs and lowest opponent batting average and fourth fewest walks per nine innings.

Stoyanow was voted the league’s Newcomer of the Year. Hodgins was named to the All-SAA first team, while Taylor Barker was a second-team selection. 

Under Schmidt’s guidance, Barker led the conference and ranked ninth nationally in saves. Hodgins ranked first in the SAA and 45th in the country in ERA, while Stoyanow was second in the league and 76th nationally. Stoyanow was also second in the SAA and 35th nationally in wins.

Barker set the program record for saves in a season, while Hodgins recorded the most innings pitched. Stoyanow tied for second in wins. Hodgins tied for third in starts and strikeouts. Hodgins also posted the fourth best ERA, while Stoyanow was fifth.

In 2018, Schmidt’s pitching staff recorded the most strikeouts looking and third most shutouts in Hendrix history. 

Ingram was named All-SAA honorable mention.

Barker tied for the most strikeouts looking in a single season in program history, while Ingram and Evan Orren tied for fourth most.

Barker threw the most innings ever in a Hendrix game. Ingram threw the fourth most, and Seth Tucker tied for fifth. 

The top 17 spots on most innings pitched in a single game in program history have all occurred during Schmidt’s tenure.

In 2020, Schmidt was the skipper for the Texarkana Twins of the Texas Collegiate League and coached five Division I signees, including catcher Charlie Welch, a 19th round pick of the Seattle Mariners out of Arkansas in the 2021 MLB First-Year Player Draft.

Prior to Hendrix, Schmidt served as pitching coach for his alma mater, Little Rock Central (Ark.) High School, for three seasons (2015-17). He coached Aaron Mann, a 2021 second team and 2019 first team All-Great Lakes Valley Conference infielder who also pitches for the Panthers. With Schmidt’s help, Mann became a two-time all-state selection for the Tigers.

Schmidt pitched the 2015 campaign at Crowder (Mo.) after transferring from Central Arkansas, where he spent two seasons (2013-14). As a redshirt sophomore with the Roughriders, he appeared in 11 games, with seven starts, and went 4-2. Schmidt pitched 47.2 innings, including two complete games, and averaged 10.95 strikeouts per game.

As a redshirt freshman with the Bears, Schmidt appeared in three games, with two starts, and posted a 1-1 record.

In 2013, Schmidt and Central Arkansas won their first Southland Conference Tournament title and in the school’s first appearance in the Division I Baseball Championship advanced to the if necessary game of the Starkville Regional against College World Series runner-up Mississippi State.

Schmidt, a Little Rock, Ark. native, earned a Bachelor of Science in computer science from Central Arkansas in 2016.