Former Wolverine Hurler Michael Penn Named Volunteer Assistant

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FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — University of Michigan head baseball coach Rich Maloney has announced the addition of former Wolverine pitcher and captain Michael Penn (2003-05) to his coaching staff as a volunteer assistant. Penn, who was an All-Big Ten first team selection in 2005, replaces Brant Ust, who has been named a player/coach for the Great Britain national team in the upcoming Baseball World Cup.

A native of Columbus, Ohio, Penn will be in his first season as a coach after spending parts of the past five years playing professional ball. An 11th-round draft pick by the Kansas City Royals following his senior season at U-M, Penn most recently appeared on the mound for the Midwest Sliders of Ypsilanti.

"We are very fortunate to bring back one of our own to the staff," said Maloney. "I want to thank Brant for the tremendous job he did for us last season. He is an outstanding coach and has a bright future ahead of him. It is the nature of volunteer assistants that their tenure can be short, but we couldn’t have been happier with the job Brant did for us in that time and wish him the best of luck in the future."

Penn began his collegiate playing career for Maloney at Ball State in 2002 before following his coach to Michigan for the remainder of his career. Penn posted a 17-17 career record, appearing in 64 games with 183 strikeouts and a 4.52 earned-run average. He went on to earn a U-M Athletic Achievement Award and was the recipient of the Don Lund/Ray Fisher Scholarship for Baseball for the 2004-05 school year and the Foussianes Family Scholarship for Baseball for 2003-04.

"Michael has a great baseball mind and love for Michigan," Maloney continued. "He has always been a very hard worker and was an asset to younger players even during his own career. I believe he will be a great addition to our staff because he shares in our ultimate goal of getting to Omaha."

Penn and his wife Erin (Cobler), who played volleyball at Michigan from 2003-06, reside in Dexter.