Mike Garza has been promoted to the role of Associate Head Coach overseeing hitting and recruiting for Rutgers baseball, as announced by head coach Steve Owens on Friday. Garza, entering his fourth season with RU and second as hitting coach, takes on the additional responsibilities of Associate Head Coach and leading the team’s recruiting efforts. He originally joined as a volunteer assistant in 2022 and 2023.
In his first year directing the offense in 2024, Garza guided Rutgers to the highest batting average in the Big Ten at .307. The team also topped the conference with 571 hits, ranked second in hit-by-pitches, third in stolen bases and triples, fourth in double plays and fielding percentage, and fifth in on-base percentage and runs.
Under Garza’s guidance, junior shortstop Josh Kuroda-Grauer earned the title of Big Ten Player of the Year, a first for Rutgers since joining the conference in 2015. Kuroda-Grauer’s standout season included leading the nation with 95 hits, achieving a .428 average in the Big Ten, hitting five home runs, tallying 19 doubles, 45 RBI, and stealing 24 bases. He was honored as a First Team All-American by ABCA/Rawlings and Perfect Game.
Garza has established himself as a premier developer of infield talent nationwide, notably mentoring two All-American shortstops in Kuroda-Grauer and Danny DiGeorgio. Rutgers stands out as the sole program with two different shortstops named finalists for the Brooks Wallace Award (given to the nation’s top shortstop) over the past three seasons.
