Tigerville, SC- Former Major League pitcher and coach Darren Holmes has been added to the North Greenville baseball coaching staff, making him the fourth former MLB player on staff.

"It's not every day that you get to add a World Series Champion with 20+ years of Major League experience to your coaching staff," said Head Coach Landon Powell. "We are fired up to have Darren join our staff at NGU. Not only does he possess a wealth of knowledge and experience in the game of baseball, but he is a Godly man who will disciple these athletes and develop them both on and off the field." 
As mentioned, when it comes to time in the major leagues, Holmes has an impressive resume. He was drafted by the Dodgers in 1984 straight out of high school and spent six years in the minor leagues before making his major league debut in 1990. Over the next 13 years, Holmes played for the Dodgers; the Milwaukee Brewers; Colorado Rockies, where he was the first closer in franchise history; New York Yankees; Arizona Diamondbacks; Baltimore Orioles; St. Louis Cardinals; and Atlanta Braves. 
            
After his playing career ended, Holmes entered the coaching scene. In 2013, he was the pitching coach at A.C. Reynolds High School. In 2014, he returned to the MLB, where he worked for the Atlanta Braves as a Biomechanics Pitching Consultant. A year later, he was hired by the Colorado Rockies as a bullpen coach, a position he held until 2019. In 2020, he came back east and took an assistant pitching coach position with the Baltimore Orioles. During his three seasons with the Orioles, Holmes aided the young pitching staff as it built a strong group of pitchers, including those who helped the Orioles win 101 games and the American League East in 2023. For the 2024 season, Holmes was the bullpen coach for the Chicago Cubs. 
           
"I am thrilled to begin my time at NGU as a pitching coach," said Holmes. "Not only do I enjoy the faith-based environment, I enjoy working with these younger guys. They are eager to learn, and I feel confident that my history, not only coaching but also playing in the MLB, will allow me to give them the knowledge and skills to succeed at the college level and beyond. I am grateful for this opportunity and excited to see what this year has in store!"
            
"To have Darren, as well as JK Love [Director of Pitching Development], working with our pitchers on a daily basis, I truly believe our pitching staff will maximize their potential and hopefully lead this team to another championship," added Coach Powell. 
            
The Trailblazers open their 2025 season next Friday January 31^st against USC Beaufort in Beaufort, South Carolina at 4 p.m.