UPDATED November 26, 2024
Eric Bezel joined the Wayne State University baseball coaching staff as a volunteer assistant coach in charge of the pitching staff in August of 2022.
Under Bezel's leadership in 2023, the Warriors' pitching staff finished with a 4.08 team ERA, the program's lowest for a full season (not including COVID-shortened season of 2020) since 2014. That 4.08 clip included four of the top nine individual marks in the league in Griffin Kilander (second - 2.44), the 2023 GLIAC Pitcher of the Year Karter Fitzpatrick (fourth - 2.66), Ryan Korolden (seventh - 3.33), and Seth Marano (3.68). WSU also churned out 13 complete games, including eight from Fitzpatrick, just two off the individual school record for a single season. Fitzpatrick and Korolden were featured on the All-GLIAC First Team while Marano and Cox were on the All-GLIAC Second Team. Those four were joined by Brennan Cox (Second Team All-GLIAC) out of the bullpen, who was tied for second in the conference in saves with five.
Bezel helped lead the Warriors to a program record 42 wins (42-13) in 2023 as well as 24 GLIAC victories (24-6), which tied the school record. WSU captured both the GLIAC Regular-Season and Tournament Championships for the first time since 2010 before making a second consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
The 2024 squad compiled a 29-21 overall record, along with an 18-12 GLIAC mark. Â The pitching staff had a 1.46 WHIP and 356 strikeouts in 413.1 innings.
Bezel began his coaching career as an assistant coach at St. Clair County Community College in the fall of 2019 after playing for the Skippers the previous season. He served as the pitching coach at SC4 during the 2021 and 2022 seasons. Bezel began working at Primetime Programs in June 2021 as a trainer for the Primetime Velocity development program where he trained and worked with a multitude of high-level athletes in both the college and high school programs. For the summer of 2022, Bezel served as head coach for the USA Prime Michigan 17U Scout Team.
He is currently finishing his Bachelor's of Science in Exercise and Sport Science at Wayne State. Bezel also attended Marygrove College before finishing his playing career at St. Clair CCC. He struck out 10 batters in 18.2 innings for MC in 2017 before playing for Southern Ohio Copperheads in the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League. Bezel compiled a 1-1 mark for SC4 in six starts in 2018 totaling 32 innings. He earned a victory over Penn State-Dubois.
Bezel led the baseball team in GPA at both Marygrove and St. Clair CCC and received NJCAA All-Academic Honors at SC4.
He is the son of Rick Bezel and Patricia Lewis and is from Warren, Mich.
