SEATTLE – New Washington head baseball coach Eddie Smith has officially announced the first addition to his inaugural coaching staff with a familiar name, retaining Mike Gange as the Huskies’ recruiting coordinator.
Gange will return for a third season on Montlake. A former graduate assistant for the Dawgs, Gange returned ahead of the 2023 season as volunteer before being elevated to assistant coach in 2024.
In addition to serving as the Huskies’ third base coach a season ago, Gange was responsible for the development of the Husky infielders, including Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year Cam Clayton and fellow Pac-12 All-Defense Team honoree Aiva Arquette. UW’s .979 fielding percentage in 2024 ranked as the 16th highest in the nation.
During Gange’s first season coaching at UW, the Huskies defied expectations. Picked seventh in the Pac-12 Preseason Poll, the Dawgs finished third in the league standings with a 17-12 record. Washington garnered a 35-20 record overall, earning the program’s 12th NCAA postseason bid.
In addition to helping direct the Husky offense that put up unparalleled production in 2023, Gange was also in charge of guiding the defensive efforts of the UW outfielders, with the Huskies racking up eight outfield assists on the year.
Gange returned to the Husky program after spending over five years with the Chicago White Sox, finishing as the club’s West Coast Scouting Supervisor. Prior to his promotion, he served as a Pacific Northwest Area Scout covering Washington, Oregon, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho and Western Canada.
Before spending one season as an assistant coach and the recruiting coordinator at Pacific, Gange was a graduate assistant at Washington for two seasons, including 2016’s NCAA Tournament squad.
Gange was also the head coach of the Bellingham Bells of the West Coast League in 2016, leading the team to a second place finish. He was also an assistant coach for the Bells in both 2014 and 2015, helping Bellingham capture a league championship in 2014.
Gange played collegiately at Everett Community College and Western Oregon. At Everett CC, he was a two-time First Team North Region Selection and a Gold Glove winner at second base. During his time at WOU, he helped the Wolves win a pair of Great Northwest Athletic Conference titles and make a trip to the NCAA Tournament.
A native of Marysville, Washington, and a graduate of Western Oregon University with a degree in communication studies,…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at University of Washington Athletics…