PHOENIX – Grand Canyon has announced the hiring of Rich Dorman as pitching coach of the GCU baseball program.
"We are very excited to have Rich Dorman as our new pitching coach at GCU. He will bring tremendous passion and energy to our program," head coach Andy Stankiewicz said. "His impressive pitching background includes a nine-year professional pitching career and eight seasons as a pitching coach in the Seattle Mariners organization. Our pitching staff is in good hands and we look forward to continued success on the mound."
During his time with the Mariners organization, Dorman has been able to work with and mold some of the best arms in the game. Under his tutelage, eight players have reached the major leagues, including Taijuan Walker and James Paxton. Before arriving to GCU, Dorman was the pitching coach for the Clinton LumberKings, the Mariners Class A affiliate in Iowa.
"I am honored to be working with Coach Stankiewicz and be a part of this great university," Dorman said. "Having the opportunity to be a part of this university's growth and coach Division I baseball is an amazing opportunity that I am grateful for."
Arizona and the city of Phoenix will be nothing new to Dorman, having spent two seasons as the pitching coach for the AZL Mariners in the rookie league based out at the Peoria Sports Complex. From 2009-10 and 2012-13, Dorman served as the pitching coach with the Everett AquaSox, the Class A Short Season affiliate for the Mariners.
"I am able to communicate really well with players and my goal is to get the most out of each individual pitcher," Dorman added. "Every pitcher has different qualities and it is my job to get the best out of them and I will do my very best to help our program be successful."
Prior to Dorman's coaching career, he was selected in the 13th round of the 2000 draft by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays out of Western Baptist College. Dorman spent nine seasons pitching in Minor League Baseball, six within the Mariners organization. Dorman and his wife Cathy have two children, Alexa Anne and Blake William.
What They Are Saying About Rich Dorman... Taijuan Walker Seattle Mariners Pitcher
"He [Dorman] is one of the biggest reasons why I'm in the Big Leagues. My first full year of pitching was in 2011 and it was with Dorman and he taught me everything I knew about pitching. He taught me that I may not always have my best stuff everyday but you can always go out there and compete. He is a fun guy to be around and he loves to win. He will always fight for his players and it is because he cares and that is why I call him after every start. I always look to him for advice."
James Paxton Seattle Mariners Pitcher
"Coach Dorman is one of those coaches that gives up a lot of his time to work with you and it is because he cares. He knows what he is talking about and he has taught so much when it comes to the mechanical stuff and he is always preparing his pitchers for the game. This offseason I worked with Dorman in the Fall League and he has helped me improve my changeup and this season that has been one of my best pitches. He is isn't far removed from the game so he relates to us young guys really well and knows how to communicate his thoughts. He is definitely one of my favorite coaches."
