University of Alabama head baseball coach Brad Bohannon officially announced the hiring of Brock Bennett to serve as volunteer assistant coach for the Crimson Tide.A member of the UA baseball team from 2007-11, Bennett, along with assistants Jerry Zulli and Jason Jackson, complete Bohannon’s inaugural coaching staff with his hiring on Monday morning.

“I’m so excited to bring a former Alabama baseball player back to our program in Brock Bennett,” said Bohannon. “Brock has a tremendous reputation here and across college baseball. He brings a lot of energy and is very positive, and his personality matches our whole staff. He will coordinate our camps and work with our catchers, and I am very pleased to be able to have him as part of my staff here in Tuscaloosa.”

Bennett returns to the Capstone after spending the previous two seasons as a volunteer assistant coach with the Georgia State Panthers, working primarily with the catchers while also assisting with hitting instruction and coaching first base. Prior to GSU, Bennett spent three seasons as an assistant coach at Georgia Perimeter College. In his three years there, he helped lead the Jaguars to a pair of regional titles. He coached the first-team all-conference catcher each of the three years, while four GPC players were drafted during his time in Alpharetta.

Prior to coaching, Bennett spent four seasons as a member of the Alabama baseball team where he was a standout catcher, compiling an impressive .314 career batting average across his four seasons. A reliable backstop for the Tide, Bennett started more than 100 games at the Capstone, including 97 behind the plate, helping UA reach four straight NCAA Regionals and advance to the Super Regionals in 2010.

His final season in Tuscaloosa saw Bennett set the UA single-season record for sacrifice bunts with 21, going on to finish his career tied for the program lead with 28 career sacrifice bunts. In that final year, he batted .338 with 22 RBI and 39 runs scored. Defensively, Bennett made three errors in 379 chances to post a team-best .992 fielding percentage while gunning down 21 runners on the basepaths. His efforts earned him Johnny Bench Award Midseason Watch List recognition.

Following the 2011 campaign, Bennett was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the 33rd round of the 2011 MLB Draft.

A native of Tucker, Ga., Bennett graduated from the Capstone in 2011 with a degree in consumer affairs. He is married to the former Ashley Skorcz.

More From Tide 100.9