Keystone grad, Crushers pitcher, Brandyn Sittinger, named pitching coach

Many elite athletes turn to coaching after their careers are over but Keystone grad Brandyn Sittinger is going to make his coaching debut while continuing his professional baseball career. Sittinger, who had a standout season with the Lake Erie Crushers last year, was named the team's pitching coach Wednesday, and will remain a part of Lake Erie's bullpen as a relief pitcher. "The end goal is still hoping to get the chance to get a call if someone needs an arm in Double-A or Triple-A, but this also gives me a chance to take that next step in my career with the coaching side of it," Sittinger said Thursday. "Last year I did a lot of stuff with kind of helping the coaches and Lem (Crushers manager Jared Lemieux), just giving my opinion on different things with guys and stuff like that. So I figured I'd sit down with him and see if it's something he'd be interested in, because I'm always in his office and in his ear, trying to figure out what he's thinking and letting him know what I'm thinking. "So it just kind of came together like that, and I'm excited for the opportunity to do it." After beginning the 2025 season in the starting rotation, Sittinger found greater success as a setup reliever for the Crushers. The right-hander finished with a 3.33 ERA and 88 strikeouts in 73 innings pitched. During a six-week run between mid-June and late-July, he went 24 2/3 innings without surrendering a run, striking out 35 batters and allowing just eight to reach base. With experience on many professional levels — including five MLB appearances for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2021 — Sittinger was able to provide a veteran presence in the clubhouse last season … and Lemieux took notice. "Brandyn was impressive last season and showed tremendous leadership as a player and teammate," Lemieux said. "He has an incredible baseball IQ and I am excited to see him grow in this new role as he transitions into coaching." After graduating from Keystone in 2012, Sittinger pitched for Marshall University and Ashland University before being selected by the Detroit Tigers in the 17th round of the MLB Draft in 2016. He bounced around for three years in Detroit's farm system — going 6-5 with a 3.85 ERA while striking out 159 in 128 2/3 innings — before being released and signing with the Evansville Otters — a Frontier League rival of the Crushers. Sittinger performed well enough to earn a contract with Arizona and worked his way up the ladder before making his MLB debut in 2021. Sittinger also had a brief stint with the Atlanta Braves before playing three years in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball with the Lancaster Barnstormers. After not playing in 2024, Sittinger signed with the Crushers on March 2. "I've been through the ups and downs, and went from making my (MLB) debut to a year later I'm out of baseball, so it's kind of a crazy up-and-down game," Sittinger said. "It's one of those things where the game's so mental, especially for some of the younger guys in this league, that you can really hone in and press that it's not an outing by outing thing. It's an overall body of work and you have to tell guys not to let one bad outing lead to six bad outings. "With being all over the place — the success, the failure — I feel like I can help the younger guys. I'm really good at helping them look at the ultimate end goal and trying to get them signed to the next level." Sittinger talked during the 2025 media day about some of the coaches who made an impact on him earlier in his career, including Wildcats pitching coach Bob Renninger, a left-handed pitcher who spent five years in the minor leagues, and former Elyria High coach Curt Karpinski, another Keystone grad and Sittinger's next door neighbor. "Renninger was one of my favorite coaches I ever had," Sittinger said during the May media day. "He was a big guy who got me to believe in myself. I was always confident growing up. I always wanted to pitch in the big games. He was always the guy to pump you up before the game. "Karp was one of the biggest reasons why I got as far as I did. He's one of the guys that had some connections with a couple coaches. I was able to go to the all-state game where the top 20 in the state got to play. I was the last guy to pitch and struck out six guys in a row. It kind of put me on the map." Joining the LaGrange native on Lemieux's coaching staff are bench coach Mark Mason — back for his second season — and North Olmsted native Brett Muche as the team's hitting coach. The Crushers will open their 17th season at the newly named ForeFront Field in Avon on Friday, May 8, in a playoff rematch against the Schaumburg Boomers. Sittinger, who will pitch in either the setup or closer role so that he can remain involved as a coach throughout the game, said the next few months won't look much different than any other offseason he's had since turning pro. "Just kind of the same being a player, sticking to doing four or five days a week of training, throwing, lifting … all that," he said. "Then in the same token, I still will talk pretty much every day with Lem about possible moves we're making, guys we think we like, looking at different guys. "Like I said, deep down, the end goal is still to try to get that job and play affiliate ball again, but know I have an opportunity to try and give other guys that same opportunity and reach that same end goal." Contact Shaun Bennett at (440) 329-7137 or sbennett@chroniclet.com. Like him on Facebook and follow him @ShaunBennettct on X.