TCU baseball is bringing Bryan Holaday home as bench coach, adding a Johnny Bench Award winner and former MLB catcher to Kirk Saarloos’ staff.
TCU baseball just brought one of its own back into the dugout, and this move carries a lot more juice than a standard staff hire.
Bryan Holaday, the former Horned Frogs All-American catcher and 2010 Johnny Bench Award winner, is returning to Fort Worth as TCU’s bench coach.
He’ll also work directly with the catchers, giving head coach Kirk Saarloos a former big leaguer, program icon and proven clubhouse voice on his staff.
For TCU, this is a home-run hire because Holaday isn’t just familiar with the program. He helped build one of its most important eras.
“Bryan is a Horned Frog through and through,” Saarloos said. “His experience, leadership, and passion for TCU Baseball make him a tremendous addition to our staff, and we're thrilled to have him back in our dugout!”
Holaday’s TCU resume still hits hard. After arriving from North Central Texas College, he played three seasons for the Frogs from 2008-10 and appeared in 187 games.
He posted a .325 career batting average with 228 hits, 46 doubles, four triples, 28 home runs and 142 RBIs.
He was also right in the middle of TCU’s rise onto the national stage. Holaday helped lead the Frogs to their first NCAA Super Regional appearance in 2009, then pushed the program even higher in 2010 when TCU reached its first College World Series.
That 2010 team also took down No. 2 national seed Texas in Austin to win the Super Regional, a defining moment in program history.
Holaday’s baseball path didn’t stop there. The Detroit Tigers selected him in the sixth round of the 2010 MLB Draft, and he made his major league debut on June 6, 2012.
Over a 10-year MLB career, he played for the Tigers, Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox, Miami Marlins, Baltimore Orioles and Arizona Diamondbacks.
In 303 career MLB games, Holaday collected 173 hits, 35 doubles, two triples, 10 home runs and 79 RBIs.
Behind the plate, he built his reputation with defense, finishing with a .993 fielding percentage and throwing out 53 attempted base stealers.
“Coming back to TCU in an official capacity means everything to me,” Holaday said. “Anyone who knows me knows I bleed purple — this program shaped who I am, and I'm going to give everything I have to make it even better.
"This is my dream job, plain and simple. I've been around this program and poured into it where I could, but making this official is something I'll never take for granted. TCU catchers are going to be held to the highest standard — and I can't wait to get to work.”
TCU isn’t just hiring a famous alum. It’s adding a catcher who knows the standard, lived the climb and now gets to help shape the next wave.
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