Baseball
- Title:
- Assistant Coach/Infielders
In a 2020 season that was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Wolverines finished 8-7 with some memorable moments along the way. With few individual postseason honors bestowed, the season's success could be seen in Major League Baseball's shortened First Year Player Draft. Four players were selected in the five-round event, including three hitters directly under Schnabel's tutelage. Outfielder Jordan Nwogu (3rd - Cubs), outfielder Jesse Franklin (3rd, Braves) and shortstop Jack Blomgren (5th, Rockies) joined starting pitcher Jeff Criswell (2nd, Athletics) as selectees in the 2020 draft, giving the Wolverines the second-most picks among college programs. Two other hitters, first baseman Matthew Schmidt (Royals) and catcher Joe Donovan (Indians), signed non-drafted free agent contracts, and along with lefty pitcher Benjamin Keizer (Yankees), joined the professional ranks.
The 2019 season featured Michigan’s eighth trip to the NCAA College World Series and its third-ever trip to the CWS Finals, where the Maize and Blue finished as the national runner-up. The Wolverine lineup finished fourth in the nation with 150 doubles, and seventh in total hits (685), eighth in walks (354), and 10th in runs scored (487). Additionally, Michigan hitters led the Big Ten Conference in batting average, on-base percentage, stolen bases, runs scored, doubles, and walks. Under Schnabel’s guidance, infielders Jack Blomgren (second team) and Jimmy Kerr (third team) were named to All-Big Ten Conference teams. Kerr was also selected by the Detroit Tigers in the 33rd Round of the MLB First-Year Player Draft. Adding to the accolades was Schnabel himself, who was named the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Assistant Coach of the Year for 2019.
Michigan's 2018 incoming class was perhaps the most highly-touted class in program history, as the group of 15 newcomers was ranked No. 10 by both Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball Newspaper. The ranking marked the highest ranking a Big Ten class has ever earned, and played an important role in the team’s success in 2018, as Michigan newcomers went on to capture seven freshman all-America awards in addition to six Big Ten Conference postseason accolades.
Schnabel helped the Wolverines garner the 20th-best recruiting class in 2013 and were 30th in 2014, according to the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper. He also coached infielder Travis Maezes, who was named an All-Big Ten third team selection in 2014 and 2015 and earned Big Ten All-Freshman team honors as a rookie and Jacob Cronenworth, who was an All-Big Ten second team selection and the Big Ten Tournament Most Outstanding Player. Both Maezes and Cronenworth were selected in the 2015 MLB First-Year Player Draft. Schnabel also coached Jake Bivens, who was the Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2015 and earned All-Big Ten third team honors in 2016.
Schnabel was East Carolina's hitting instructor, infield coach and recruiting coordinator for three seasons. During his three years with the Pirates, Schnabel mentored six Conference USA selections, including John Wooten and Zach Wright in 2012, and four All-C-USA All-Freshman team members. Four players also earned all-regional honors during his three years at ECU. Off the field, his recruiting efforts helped garner three consecutive Top 50 designations from Collegiate Baseball and a No. 28 ranking by PG Crosschecker in 2011. This past season, Schnabel directed an offense that ranked among Conference USA leaders in hits (626, 1st), batting average (.295, 2nd), RBI (300, 4th), runs (342, 4th), total bases (810, 4th) and home runs (30, 5th). Schnabel also has had six players selected in the MLB First-Year Player Draft sign with their respective clubs.
Prior to his appointment at ECU, Schnabel served for two seasons as the hitting instructor, recruiting coordinator and third base coach at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va. While he was at Liberty, the Flames compiled a 68-47-1 overall record and a pair of Big South Conference championship game appearances. Liberty reached the 30-plus win plateau both seasons Schnabel was in Lynchburg. He also coached Tyler Bream, who was a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American in 2009. In Schnabel's first season at Liberty, the Flames set a school record with 155 doubles, ranking fifth in the country and ranked 23rd in the nation with 60 double plays turned.
Schnabel spent two seasons at the U.S. Military Academy, serving as Army's hitting instructor while working with their infielders and overseeing the club's defensive alignment. In 2006, Schnabel's first season at West Point, the Black Knights posted their third consecutive 30-plus win season and in 2007, Army advanced to its third Patriot League title game in four years. He coached Milan Dinga, who was named to the Pro-Line Cap All-America team presented by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association in 2006, and Cole White, who was the Patriot League's Player of the Year and an American Baseball Coaches Association Northeast Region first team selection in 2007.
Schnabel was at Chipola College in Marianna, Fla., in 2005 as the assistant coach in charge of infield instruction, the assistant hitting instructor and academic monitor. The Indians captured the Panhandle Conference Championship and went on to finish second in the state of Florida, reaching the state championship game.
He started his college coaching career as a volunteer coach at East Carolina in 2004. That season, ECU won a school-record 51 games and competed in the NCAA Super Regional in Columbia, S.C. The Pirates finished the season eighth in the country with a .975 fielding percentage and posted a .318 team batting average.
Schnabel played with Bakich at East Carolina in the 1999 and 2000 seasons. He was a first team All-Colonial Athletic Association selection and the CAA Defensive Player of the Year in 1999 and helped the Pirates to consecutive league championships and No. 1 NCAA Regional seeds in 1999 and 2000. Schnabel began his collegiate career at Ohlone College in Fremont, Calif., where he was a first team all-conference performer and preseason junior college All-American.
Following graduation, Schnabel spent four years in the Montreal Expos organization (2000-03) in five levels of the farm system.
Schnabel, a 2003 graduate of East Carolina, is married to the former Emily Gail Cox. The couple has two children, Cal and Caroline.
