SEARCY — Former Harding University assistant baseball coach Andy Schatzley has been named the Infield Coach for the Los Angeles Angels, marking a major leap to the major league staff for the coach who spent nearly a decade with the Bisons.
Schatzley served as an assistant coach under Head Coach Dr. Patrick McGaha from August 2011 through the 2019 season. During his tenure, the Bisons experienced significant success with multiple winning campaigns in the Great American Conference. Those teams were especially noted for outstanding defensive play, leading the conference in fielding in multiple seasons.
Schatzley departed Harding to join the Los Angeles Angels organization in 2020 as the manager for the Orem Owlz. Although the minor league season was canceled that year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he quickly established himself as a rising star in the organization.
He went on to manage the Tri-City Dust Devils in 2021 before taking over the Rocket City Trash Pandas, the Angels' Double-A affiliate, in 2022. That 2022 Trash Pandas team was the first Double-A affiliate of the Angels to reach the postseason since the Arkansas Travelers did so in 2015, an achievement that earned Schatzley the 2022 Southern League Manager of the Year award. He continued leading the Trash Pandas through the 2025 season and also managed the Mesa Solar Sox in the prestigious Arizona Fall League in 2024.
Schatzley's path to the Angels began with a master's degree in organizational leadership from Lubbock Christian University in 2010, where he also started his coaching career as a graduate assistant. That same year, the Chaparrals won the NAIA national crown.
Prior to his time at Harding, Schatzley served as an assistant coach at Emporia State University in 2011. He also holds a pair of summer collegiate titles, having led the El Dorado Broncos to the 2009 National Baseball Congress World Series title and managing the Outer Banks Daredevils in the Coastal Plain League in 2011.
He played collegiately at Pratt Community College in Kansas from 2004-2006 and at Lyon College in Batesville, Arkansas, from 2006-2008.
Congratulations to Coach Schatzley from everyone at Harding.
