INDIANAPOLIS - The Marian baseball team has filled out their coaching staff, as first-year head coach Todd Miller announced the hiring of Dan Wilcher and Triston Polley to his staff. Wilcher comes to Marian after previously working at Earlham College, while Polley joins the Knights after a career as a professional baseball player. 

Dan Wilcher joins the Knights after previously working at Earlham College, spending the 2023-24 season with the Quakers as the team's hitting coach and third base coach. Wilcher has been coaching collegiately since 2016, when he began coaching at his alma mater Huntington as a student assistant and volunteer after injuries ended his playing career early. After earning his bachelor's degree from Huntington in Sport Management, Wilcher began a graduate assistant coaching role with Greenville University. At Greenville, Wilcher was in charge of field maintenance and strength and conditioning, while leading infield and hitting drills in practices.

Wilcher ended his graduate assistant role in 2020 after earning his Masters in Education, and went on to work at Iowa Western Community College, where they recorded a mark of 99-24 during his time on staff. Wilcher went on to coach at Butler University during the 2022-23 season following his time at Iowa Western, serving as the Director of Operations and the team's infield coach. The new assistant coach for the Knights also spent one summer coaching the Fayetteville Swampdogs in the Coastal Plains Collegiate Summer League. 

"I'm so excited and grateful to have Dan join our program," said Todd Miller, Marian baseball head coach. "Dan's passion for player development, recruiting, and organization will provide a tremendous benefit to our players at every level within our program.  His background playing at the NAIA level, coaching high end junior college, NCAA Division I, and at the NCAA Division III level will benefit our program immensely."

Triston Polley joins the Knights staff after a six-year career as a professional baseball pitcher, pitching in the Texas Rangers organization after being drafted in the 16th round of the 2019 MLB Draft. Polley played collegiately at Indiana State as a left-handed pitcher, earning All-Missouri Valley Conference honors as a senior in the 2019 season. As a senior Polley held an 8-1 record on the mound with a 2.84 ERA, and for his collegiate career he held an 18-5 overall record in 61 appearances, logging a 3.65 ERA. Polley completed his Bachelor of Science at Indiana State in 2021 in Recreation and Sports Management while playing professionally, and in his minor league career the Avon, Indiana, native logged a 24-9 overall record in 134 games, posting a 4.89 ERA in 191.1 innings. 

Polley began his taste for coaching after finishing his collegiate playing days, coaching the PRP Mambas travel team as a pitching coach and the head of youth development in the offseason.

"Triston has been an immediate impact within our program," said Miller. "His background playing at the NCAA DI level and professional level has brought another layer of depth within our program.  His attention to detail, passion for player development, and background will enhance our pitching staff at every level."

Wilcher's first official date as a Marian coach was September 9, while Polley's first official date on staff was September 16.

MUKnights.com: Your online source for Marian Athletics, tickets, multimedia, Knight merchandise, photos and more.