Hyannis Mets Head Coach Chad Gassman

The Hyannis Athletic Association announces the promotion of 2008 Hyannis Mets pitching coach Chad Gassman to the head coaching position for the 2009 season.

As the pitching coach for Hyannis in 2008, Gassman oversaw one of the Cape League's elite staffs. The 2008 Mets finished with a 3.21 ERA, third-best in the league, while allowing fewer hits (344) than any other club. Closer Russell Brewer (Vanderbilt) set a team record with 12 saves and won the league's Russ Ford Reliever of the Year award, while ace starter Andrew Carraway (Virginia) was selected to both the West Division All-Star Team and the year-end All-League Team. Veteran starter Austin Hudson (Central Florida) also excelled under Gassman, leading the league with a 1.50 ERA in his seven starts.

Off the field, Gassman was an instrumental player in the popular Hyannis Mets Youth Baseball Academy, which saw record attendance and growth in the 2008 season.

Gassman is the head coach at Waldorf College in Forest City, Iowa, where he will be entering his third season at the helm in 2009. He also serves as Events/Facilities Coordinator for the Waldorf Warriors athletic department.

Gassman played at Morehead State University and Kentucky and received his Master's Degree from Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbannais, Ill., where he began his coaching career. During his tenure with the Tigers, they earned back-to-back NAIA World Series appearances and won two Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference titles. He later coached at Young Harris College in Young Harris, Ga., and served as an associate scout for the Florida Marlins. He has also been a coach and an instructor with Athletes in Action, the Chicago White Sox Summer Training Academy, and Notre Dame Baseball Camps.

Chad and his wife, Shannon, have a daughter, Taylor.

Gassman replaces Rick Robinson, who departs Hyannis after a 22-22 campaign in 2008 to pursue other interests.