Bryan Prince, Jeff Opalewski Named Dirtbags Assistant Coaches
7/19/2023 1:20:00 PM | Baseball
Both Prince and Opalewski bring decades of coaching experience and years of championships and national success to Long Beach.
LONG BEACH, Calif. – Interim Head Coach Bryan Peters has filled out the rest of his coaching staff for the next Dirtbags season with the additions of Jeff Opalewski and Bryan Prince as the new assistant coaches.
Bryan Prince will take over as the new Dirtbag hitting and catching coach, joining the staff after spending the last few years as an advisor and scouting director. Prior to the move to Long Beach, he served as the West Coast Director at Elite Sports Advising helping players navigate the recruiting process. Before that he was the Scouting Director and Recruiting Coordinator for the baseball division of Ballengee Group.
"Prince was an extremely easy decision for me to make and will be an incredible coach for our hitters and catchers," said Peters. "We have been friends for over 20 years built on a mutual respect of coaching philosophies and decision-making. His mindset on hitting and our approach is perfect for our group of players moving forward and we are lucky to have him on staff."
He began his coaching career at his alma mater of Georgia Tech in 2005-06 for his first of two stints on the Yellow Jacket coaching staff. Totaling over a decade as the Recruiting Coordinator and Assistant Coach, he brought in seven top ten recruiting classes and three top five recruiting classes. In his time on staff, Georgia Tech went to eight NCAA Regionals, a Super Regional, and the 2006 College World Series. Individually, he coached 15 MLB players and recruited/coached 13 first round MLB Draft selections.
As a player, Prince was a two-time All-Conference First Team selection at Georgia Tech and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2014. He played just over three years of professional ball, earning two MiLB All-Star selections in the Cincinnati Reds' organization.
Jeff Opalewski will handle the Dirtbags' pitching staff, coming to Long Beach after two seasons at Miami University at Ohio. Under his tutelage, the Redhawk arms broke the school's single season record for strikeouts (594) last year which ranked fifth in all of NCAA. Over each of the last two seasons, the team ranked in the top four of the Mid-American in ERA and featured multiple All-MAC selections. This year, he had one pitcher selected in the MLB Draft and two others sign non-draftee free agent contracts as well as an eighth-round selection in the 2022 draft.
"Opalewski is exactly the right person we wanted for our pitchers," Peters said. "We wanted a coach that has the knowledge of all the new age data, but also have the 'old school' style of feel that can teach beyond just numbers. He fits that philosophy and mindset perfectly and we are very excited for him to lead one of the best pitching staffs in the nation."
Prior to his time at Miami, he worked with the pitchers at IMG Academy where he created the day-to-day programming for 89 different athletes. Through his mentorship, he saw 48 pitchers move on to the collegiate ranks and three go on to be drafted professionally (Jackson Ferris, second round 2022; Drew Gray, third round 2021; Mason Albright, 12th round 2021).
Coach Opalewski also spent 10 seasons coaching at his alma mater of Central Michigan University where he helped guide the team to two Mid-American Conference Championships and four MAC-West Division Championships, as well as 17 All-MAC pitchers, three All-Region pitchers, 20 pitchers who were drafted or signed professional contracts, three Freshman All-Americans, two MAC Freshman Pitchers of the Year, and one MAC Pitcher of the Year.
Bryan Prince will take over as the new Dirtbag hitting and catching coach, joining the staff after spending the last few years as an advisor and scouting director. Prior to the move to Long Beach, he served as the West Coast Director at Elite Sports Advising helping players navigate the recruiting process. Before that he was the Scouting Director and Recruiting Coordinator for the baseball division of Ballengee Group.
"Prince was an extremely easy decision for me to make and will be an incredible coach for our hitters and catchers," said Peters. "We have been friends for over 20 years built on a mutual respect of coaching philosophies and decision-making. His mindset on hitting and our approach is perfect for our group of players moving forward and we are lucky to have him on staff."
He began his coaching career at his alma mater of Georgia Tech in 2005-06 for his first of two stints on the Yellow Jacket coaching staff. Totaling over a decade as the Recruiting Coordinator and Assistant Coach, he brought in seven top ten recruiting classes and three top five recruiting classes. In his time on staff, Georgia Tech went to eight NCAA Regionals, a Super Regional, and the 2006 College World Series. Individually, he coached 15 MLB players and recruited/coached 13 first round MLB Draft selections.
As a player, Prince was a two-time All-Conference First Team selection at Georgia Tech and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2014. He played just over three years of professional ball, earning two MiLB All-Star selections in the Cincinnati Reds' organization.
Jeff Opalewski will handle the Dirtbags' pitching staff, coming to Long Beach after two seasons at Miami University at Ohio. Under his tutelage, the Redhawk arms broke the school's single season record for strikeouts (594) last year which ranked fifth in all of NCAA. Over each of the last two seasons, the team ranked in the top four of the Mid-American in ERA and featured multiple All-MAC selections. This year, he had one pitcher selected in the MLB Draft and two others sign non-draftee free agent contracts as well as an eighth-round selection in the 2022 draft.
"Opalewski is exactly the right person we wanted for our pitchers," Peters said. "We wanted a coach that has the knowledge of all the new age data, but also have the 'old school' style of feel that can teach beyond just numbers. He fits that philosophy and mindset perfectly and we are very excited for him to lead one of the best pitching staffs in the nation."
Prior to his time at Miami, he worked with the pitchers at IMG Academy where he created the day-to-day programming for 89 different athletes. Through his mentorship, he saw 48 pitchers move on to the collegiate ranks and three go on to be drafted professionally (Jackson Ferris, second round 2022; Drew Gray, third round 2021; Mason Albright, 12th round 2021).
Coach Opalewski also spent 10 seasons coaching at his alma mater of Central Michigan University where he helped guide the team to two Mid-American Conference Championships and four MAC-West Division Championships, as well as 17 All-MAC pitchers, three All-Region pitchers, 20 pitchers who were drafted or signed professional contracts, three Freshman All-Americans, two MAC Freshman Pitchers of the Year, and one MAC Pitcher of the Year.
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