Kennesaw State University Athletics

Derek Simmons completed his fourth season in 2016 at Kennesaw State as the team's Hitting Coach and Recruiting Coordinator and also worked with the infielders for the Owls.

Under the guidance of Simmons, the Owls batted .294 (578-1965) as a team and ranked fourth all-time for a single-season, propelling KSU to a 17-4 mark in the Atlantic Sun. The Owls totaled 85 doubles, 12 triples and 40 home runs to lead one of the most potent offenses in the ASUN in 2016, leading KSU to their first regular season ASUN Championship in program history.

Under the guidance of Simmons, the Owls totaled seven players with a .300 batting average or better, including Second Team All-Conference members Griffin Helms (.376), Corey Greeson (.356), Austin Upshaw (.344) and Brennan Morgan (.319).

The Owls won each of their seven conference series in 2016, marking the first ASUN team to do that since 2010 and averaged close to six runs per game. The potent offense ranks near the top of each category in the ASUN and totaled 578 hits – fifth in KSU history for a single season.

Under the help of Simmons’ guidance in 2015, five KSU players were named All-Conference, two were named First Team All-Conference and Taylor Allum was tabbed to the Freshmen All-American Team by Louisville Slugger.

Serving as the team’s hitting coach, Simmons led several Owls to their best season yet, as Chris Erwin batted a career-best .320 with 66 hits, 12 doubles and 36 RBI. Simmons also guided Allum to a .320 batting average with 41 hits, eight doubles and 19 RBI in his first season wearing the Black and Gold. In all, KSU batting a respectable .276 as a team with 88 doubles, seven triples and 274 RBI. Simmons also helped the Owls’ lineup hit 40 home runs in 2015 -- the most in since 2012.

Simmons also played a key role for KSU's historic run in 2014, in which the team won its first ever Atlantic Sun Conference Championship as well as the NCAA Division I Tallahassee Regional. The Owls finished up the season as a top 10 team in the nation in total hits with 677 (third overall in the nation) and posted a team batting average of .297 (18th overall in the nation). Under his guidence, Simmons led KSU to 21st in the nation in overall runs and 38th in scoring, while leading the A-SUN Conference in runs scored and scoring per game.

With Simmons’ guidance, catcher Max Pentecost finished atop the nation in total hits with 113 and was second in batting average at .422. While breaking every major school and conference recod, Pentecost became the highest MLB draft pick in school history, going at No. 11 overall to the Toronto Blue Jays. He also took home the prestigious Johnny Bench Award and was a unanimous First Team All-American selection.
 
In 2013 under Simmons’ tutelage, three Owls were named All-Conference, three were named to the All-Tournament team and Kal Simmons was named Freshmen All-American by Collegiate Baseball News. Over the summer, Max Pentecost was named MVP in the prestigious Cape Cod League which eventually led Pentecost to be named National Summer Collegiate Player of the Year by Perfect Game USA.  Since his arrival, Simmons has picked up a Top 25 national Recruiting Class as the Owls sit at #22.      

Simmons most also spent two years at Central Michigan as the infield coach and assisted with the hitters.  He coached three All-MAC performers including a 15th round draft pick, while the Chippewas captured the 2011 MAC West championship under his tutelage.  While also serving as the Volunteer coach at Central Michigan, Simmons served as the head coach of the Central Michigan Stars, an elite amateur travel team.  In 2011, Simmons guided his team to the Palomino World Series championship, becoming the first northern team to accomplish this feat, and in 2012 helped re-write history as his team won the North Zone regional and advanced to the Palomino World Series for the second consecutive year.  Simmons has also spent the last two summer helping coach the 18 and under Team USA National team at the Tournament of Stars, winning gold and silver medals in the process.    

Simmons was a four-year student-athlete, spending his last two collegiate seasons at cross-town rival Georgia State. While at GSU, he became the first player in program history to earn first-team All-CAA honors twice in a career (2008 and 2009). Simmons was named a 2009 Pre-Season ALL-CAA by SeBaseball, Rivals, Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball News, College Baseball Insider, Easton's College Baseball Daily and by the league's coaches. He was named Georgia State's 2008 Offensive MVP and served as a team captain in 2009. He finished his career in Georgia State's top-10 in a single season in batting average, RBI, home runs, at-bats, runs scored, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and hit by pitches.

He guided the Panthers to their first ever CAA conference championship and the school's first NCAA Regional appearance in 2009. Prior to Georgia State, Simmons spent two years at the University of Montevallo. There he led the team to its first Gulf South conference championship, South Central regional championship, a berth to the 2006 Division II College World Series and a final ranking of No.3 in the country. He was selected for Team USA to play in the World Port Tournament and also played professionally for the Gateway Grizzlies in the Frontier League.

Simmons graduated from Georgia State with a degree in sociology in May 2009. He resides in Roswell, Georgia with his wife, Erin.  The couple has one daughter, Isabella.