Parker Bangs Named Owls’ New Pitching Coach
6/30/2022 1:08:00 PM | Baseball
Joins staff from Davidson
Bixby Family Head Baseball Coach José Cruz Jr. announced Thursday the addition of Parker Bangs to his staff as the Owls' new pitching coach.
"We had a tremendous level of interest in this job, but we quickly identified Parker as someone who was aligned with our vision and was the best fit for Rice Baseball," Cruz stated. "He played on a College World Series champion at South Carolina and knows what it takes to be an elite program. He shares our philosophy and approach to the game and I can't wait for him to get to work with our pitchers."
"I am both thankful and incredibly excited to be joining the coaching staff at Rice," Bangs said. "I was drawn to this opportunity because of the rich tradition and the challenge of returning Rice to the highest level of college baseball. I'm ready to get to work and join this coaching staff in building something truly special."
Bangs joins the Owls after four seasons at Davidson, where his staff led the conference and finished eighth nationally with a 3.86 ERA. The Wildcats staff was led by senior Blake Hely, who earned A-10 Pitcher of the Year honors after posting a 9-1 record and 2.93 ERA while striking out 93 in 79.1 innings of action. He held conference hitters to a .170 batting average while surrendering a total of seven extra-base hits in 48 innings of work. Redshirt freshman Ryan Feczko was named the conference's rookie of the year after going 10-0 in 15 starts along with a 3.21 ERA.
He joined the staff at Davidson after three seasons at Presbyterian College in Clinton, S.C. Bangs led the Blue Hose to program-bests since moving to Division I, including 433 strikeouts, 16 saves, and a 4.32 ERA in 2017. The squad also allowed its fewest runs (321) and earned runs (258) since 2013 as the team recorded a D1-era best 32 wins. Under his guidance, the Blue Hose named two pitchers to the All-Big South squads. In 2016, his staff helped spark Presbyterian's first-ever appearance in the Big South title game.
Bangs played collegiately at South Carolina from 2008-10 and was a member of the Gamecock's 2010 College World Series championship team. In his three years with the Gamecocks, Bangs made 47 appearances on the mound, compiling a 7-5 record and striking out 94 in 74.2 innings. He also appeared in 81 games as a designated hitter and pinch hitter, posting a .301 career clip with 21 doubles, 10 home runs, and 60 RBI.
He was drafted by Kansas City in the 31st round of the 2010 MLB Draft, Bangs made 17 appearances over three minor league seasons before retiring after the 2012 season.
Bangs was the head coach of the Wilmington Sharks in the Coastal Plain League for two summers and spent three seasons as head coach of Heathwood Hall Episcopal School in Columbia, S.C. He also served as the pitching/hitting coach for the Columbia Blowfish of the CPL, and as the hitting coach at Dutch Fork High School in Irmo, S.C.
"We had a tremendous level of interest in this job, but we quickly identified Parker as someone who was aligned with our vision and was the best fit for Rice Baseball," Cruz stated. "He played on a College World Series champion at South Carolina and knows what it takes to be an elite program. He shares our philosophy and approach to the game and I can't wait for him to get to work with our pitchers."
"I am both thankful and incredibly excited to be joining the coaching staff at Rice," Bangs said. "I was drawn to this opportunity because of the rich tradition and the challenge of returning Rice to the highest level of college baseball. I'm ready to get to work and join this coaching staff in building something truly special."
Bangs joins the Owls after four seasons at Davidson, where his staff led the conference and finished eighth nationally with a 3.86 ERA. The Wildcats staff was led by senior Blake Hely, who earned A-10 Pitcher of the Year honors after posting a 9-1 record and 2.93 ERA while striking out 93 in 79.1 innings of action. He held conference hitters to a .170 batting average while surrendering a total of seven extra-base hits in 48 innings of work. Redshirt freshman Ryan Feczko was named the conference's rookie of the year after going 10-0 in 15 starts along with a 3.21 ERA.
He joined the staff at Davidson after three seasons at Presbyterian College in Clinton, S.C. Bangs led the Blue Hose to program-bests since moving to Division I, including 433 strikeouts, 16 saves, and a 4.32 ERA in 2017. The squad also allowed its fewest runs (321) and earned runs (258) since 2013 as the team recorded a D1-era best 32 wins. Under his guidance, the Blue Hose named two pitchers to the All-Big South squads. In 2016, his staff helped spark Presbyterian's first-ever appearance in the Big South title game.
Bangs played collegiately at South Carolina from 2008-10 and was a member of the Gamecock's 2010 College World Series championship team. In his three years with the Gamecocks, Bangs made 47 appearances on the mound, compiling a 7-5 record and striking out 94 in 74.2 innings. He also appeared in 81 games as a designated hitter and pinch hitter, posting a .301 career clip with 21 doubles, 10 home runs, and 60 RBI.
He was drafted by Kansas City in the 31st round of the 2010 MLB Draft, Bangs made 17 appearances over three minor league seasons before retiring after the 2012 season.
Bangs was the head coach of the Wilmington Sharks in the Coastal Plain League for two summers and spent three seasons as head coach of Heathwood Hall Episcopal School in Columbia, S.C. He also served as the pitching/hitting coach for the Columbia Blowfish of the CPL, and as the hitting coach at Dutch Fork High School in Irmo, S.C.
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