Indiana University Athletics
Weatherford Added to Baseball Staff
8/25/2021 9:30:00 AM | Baseball
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – There is a familiarity between Indiana head baseball coach Jeff Mercer and the final piece of his 2022 on-field coaching staff. The fourth-year head coach will add one of his former pupils in Zach Weatherford as the volunteer assistant coach for the upcoming season.
"It is awesome for me to welcome Zach to our staff because he was one of the first recruits for us at Wright State and is such an incredible person, player and coach," said Mercer. "He was a big part of what Wright State was able to do offensively and on the base paths last season and has been a part of four NCAA Tournament teams as a player and coach, so he knows what it takes to compete on a national level."
A four-year letterwinner at Wright State, Weatherford also spent his first season in collegiate coaching with the Raiders. In his six seasons as a part of the program, Weatherford helped WSU to the NCAA Baseball Championships in three of those seasons, including 2021 in the director of operations role. Prior to returning to WSU as a coach, Weatherford spent time with the Cleveland Indians organization.
Weatherford spent five years at Wright State as a student-athlete from 2015-19 as he redshirted his initial year on campus before helping the Raiders to two regular season and two tournament titles in the Horizon League. In 2016 and 2018, Weatherford helped WSU to the NCAA Baseball Championships after winning the regular season and conference tournament each season.
The Raiders did the same thing during his only season on the coaching staff. That season included a Horizon League-record 28 conference victories.
On the field, Weatherford won the 2019 NCAA Rawlings Division I Gold Glove in the outfield, which is awarded to the nation's best defender at each position, and was a first-team All-Horizon League selection as a senior. In his final season with the Raiders, he was a major part of one of the best offensive teams in the history of the program, hitting .345 with nine home runs, 66 RBI and 21 stolen bases.
As a junior, he broke the WSU single-season stolen base record with 36 on his way to first-team all-league honors.
In his career, his 78 stolen bases came on 86 attempts, a success rate of 90.6 percent. His stolen base percentage ranks No. 2 all-time in program history, while the 78 career stolen bases sit No. 6 on the all-time list at Wright State.
"It is awesome for me to welcome Zach to our staff because he was one of the first recruits for us at Wright State and is such an incredible person, player and coach," said Mercer. "He was a big part of what Wright State was able to do offensively and on the base paths last season and has been a part of four NCAA Tournament teams as a player and coach, so he knows what it takes to compete on a national level."
A four-year letterwinner at Wright State, Weatherford also spent his first season in collegiate coaching with the Raiders. In his six seasons as a part of the program, Weatherford helped WSU to the NCAA Baseball Championships in three of those seasons, including 2021 in the director of operations role. Prior to returning to WSU as a coach, Weatherford spent time with the Cleveland Indians organization.
Weatherford spent five years at Wright State as a student-athlete from 2015-19 as he redshirted his initial year on campus before helping the Raiders to two regular season and two tournament titles in the Horizon League. In 2016 and 2018, Weatherford helped WSU to the NCAA Baseball Championships after winning the regular season and conference tournament each season.
The Raiders did the same thing during his only season on the coaching staff. That season included a Horizon League-record 28 conference victories.
On the field, Weatherford won the 2019 NCAA Rawlings Division I Gold Glove in the outfield, which is awarded to the nation's best defender at each position, and was a first-team All-Horizon League selection as a senior. In his final season with the Raiders, he was a major part of one of the best offensive teams in the history of the program, hitting .345 with nine home runs, 66 RBI and 21 stolen bases.
As a junior, he broke the WSU single-season stolen base record with 36 on his way to first-team all-league honors.
In his career, his 78 stolen bases came on 86 attempts, a success rate of 90.6 percent. His stolen base percentage ranks No. 2 all-time in program history, while the 78 career stolen bases sit No. 6 on the all-time list at Wright State.
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