SMCC Baseball Says Goodbye as Assistant Coaches Accept New Positions
PHOENIX ---
The South Mountain Community College baseball program would like to congratulate former assistant coaches Tyler Gillum and Dan Padilla on their new positions in the game. Gillum has accepted a full-time head coaching position with the Savannah Bananas. Padilla has been named the Dominican Summer League (DSL) Hitting Coach for the Texas Rangers at their Dominican Republic Academy. Gillum and Padilla have been instrumental to the Cougars' success on the field, in the classroom and in helping numerous student-athletes transfer to four-year universities and jump to the professional ranks.
Gillum, who played at Seminole State University (OK) and East Central University (OK), where he earned a Bachelor's and Master's Degree, came to SMCC in 2011 and quickly found himself at home. He hadn't planned on staying for so long, but the campus, community, and baseball kept him coming back.
"After working at South Mountain CC for a couple of years, I quickly realized that SMCC was where I needed to be," said Gillum. "Working with the Cougars helped me learn, grow, and network better than any other place I could go. South Mountain CC will always have a special place in my heart."
In 2016, Gillum also became an SMCC Health & Wellness faculty member, overseeing exercise science, nutrition, health & wellness, and physical education programs.
"Running the SMCC Health & Wellness Department was one of the highlights of my life. I learned, grew, and impacted many SMCC students and student-athletes teaching in the classroom. It truly was one of the best things I've ever done," he added.
In his tenure with the Cougars, Gillum coached 35 All-ACCAC honorees, including 17 First Team selections, and 33 NJCAA All-Region I Division I honorees, with 11 earning First Team awards.
"SMCC Baseball Head Coach and Athletic Director Todd Eastin gave me an opportunity when I was 24 years old, and I can't thank you enough for all the opportunities over the last 11 years," said Gillum. "Coach Eastin is one of my best friends, and I learned a ton working with him. He is one of the best baseball coaches to work for in the country."
An Arizona native, Padilla is a former SMCC player (2012 and 2013), received his Associate of Arts degree in 2013 and played for one year at Central Christian College in McPherson, Kan. He returned to SMCC in 2015 in a coaching role and quickly established himself as a top coach and recruiter.
"I stepped on campus for the first time when I was 18, and I just turned 30 the other day, so it's fair to say that many of those 12 years were spent on the SMCC campus. SMCC has meant the world to me, having the opportunity to be a player and then getting the chance to come back as a coach. Working with Coach Eastin, Coach Gillum, and former SMCC assistant Josh Garcia greatly influenced me as a coach. That's when I realized being a coach was something I could do and be pretty good at," said Padilla. "Another person who stands out is Mike Sloan. He was one of my coaches at San Manuel High School, and although we didn't finish high school together, he greatly influenced me. Once I decided to be a baseball coach, I wanted to be just like him. He was willing to do anything to help anybody and was so engaging. I think about his influence and how that helped me connect with and treat players. I appreciate that time, and it was formative in my early years in something I would do a lot later."
Padilla worked with 22 All-ACCAC honorees, including nine First Team recipients, and 21 All-ACCAC honorees, with seven earning First Team NJCAA Region I Division I honors.
"Working at SMCC has changed the trajectory of my life. I am from a small town and got to play a little bit. I never thought about life after I finished playing, and now here I am," he said. "Coach Eastin allows you to be your own coach. He does not micromanage and allows everyone to have input into the program. There is a lot of freedom to do what you think is best for the program. I can't thank him enough for truly changing the direction of my life, and I can't imagine having worked for anyone else the last eight years."
He has also worked as the SMCC Athletics Facilities Director, working with the SMCC grounds department to oversee the Cougars' baseball and softball diamonds.
"Coach Padilla has earned this tremendous opportunity through his commitment to our student-athletes and their respective development at SMCC," said Eastin. "Over the past eight years, Coach Padilla has developed into one of the top young hitting coaches in the area. When he informed me that the Texas Rangers came calling for this new opportunity, I was not at all surprised, He has a passion for developing young hitters, and was instrumental in seven straight postseason appearances for the Cougars. Coach Padilla joins a long list of former SMCC assistant coaches that have moved on to the NCAA or professional baseball."
The offer from the Rangers came quickly after Padilla toured the facility, the first time he had left the United States.
"Someone reached out to me and asked if I would be interested in a conversation. We had a phone call and a zoom meeting, and then they brought me out to tour the complex. It happened pretty fast. " Padilla added.
"I am excited about the organizational fit. It is great to be headed to an organization that shares many of my core beliefs and philosophies. The guys on the hitting side who are already there are some of the best to be doing it, so it is exciting to get a foot in the door, and The Rangers have set the standard for what the facilities will be like in the area."
He will live at the facility and get his own room as a coach.
The Rangers opened a new $12.5 million Baseball Academy in 2019 near Boca Chica on the Caribbean side of the Dominican Republic. The complex includes three full fields, an 18,500 square-foot clubhouse with lockers for 100 players, a 2,500 square-foot weight room, a 10,000 square-foot batting cage and a 30,000 square-foot dormitory for 96 players and 29 staff members. The players sleep six to a room in three bunk beds.
Padilla will be working with players ages 16-19, and given his ample experience with that group at SMCC, he expects the transition to be smooth.
"They are still learning how to learn, and their bodies will be changing thanks to the strength and conditioning and nutrition programs that some will be experiencing for the first time in their lives," he added.
Padilla and Gillum also had a significant role in helping Cougar student-athletes transfer to four-year universities. Since 2018 alone, former Cougars have shown up at multiple NCAA Division I and II and NAIA campuses like Auburn, Washington, Oral Roberts, Texas A&M, Air Force Academy, ASU, Grand Canyon University, Nebraska, Iowa, Ouachita Baptist and plenty more.
In the Major League Baseball Draft, Gillum worked with 12 Cougars who would be selected, while Padilla worked with seven selections. The team has had current or former players selected in four of the past five MLB Drafts.
On the field, the duo helped SMCC make a run of nine straight postseason appearances while posting only one losing record for a season. They also helped the school and community rebound from the cancelation of the 2020 season due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
"Despite losing a phenomenal coach, leader, and mentor, our program is extremely excited for Coach Gillum to take on this new opportunity with the Savannah Bananas," said Eastin. "Coach Gillum has been a 'grinder' since the day he showed up on the SMCC campus. His passion for development of people and athletes has allowed him to be successful, both in the classroom as a faculty member and on the field as a coach. He laid the groundwork for our past, current, and future student-athletes in terms of his personal development workshops and infield play. I'm forever grateful for the opportunity to work alongside Coach Gillum."
In 2014, Gillum and the Cougars won the NJCAA Region I Championship dramatically, toppling Cochise College 11-10 in 11 innings in the final game of the region. At the District Championships, SMCC recorded two wins over Western Nevada and a win over Cochise College, but the Apaches ultimately won the District title.
In 2018, Gillum, Padilla and the Cougars posted a sterling 46-15 mark that led to Coach Eastin winning ACCAC Coach of the Year.
"In my 11 years at South Mountain CC, I coached with some awesome baseball coaches. Guys like Josh Garcia, Dan Padilla, Kevin Soine, and Jimmy Turk, to name a few. Those guys played a significant role in helping me become a better coach," Gillum said.
The Savannah Bananas are a professional baseball team that has taken the world by storm. The Bananas play "Bananaball," a type of baseball with a unique set of rules and an atmosphere never before seen on the diamond. The Bananas will embark on a nationwide tour in 2023 with two stops in Arizona: March 31 at Scottsdale Stadium and April 1 at Peoria Sports Complex.
"Over the years, I think a lot of people thought I would never leave South Mountain CC because I loved it so much. The Bananas offered a unique experience. It's unlike any other experience in sports, and I felt like it was time to make a change," Gillum said. "It's a new challenge, plus it's going be very special taking my family to 33 cities in 20 states as we go on this world tour with Bananas."
While Gillum is barnstorming the country with The Bananas, Padilla will be headed out to the Dominican Republic soon with a chance to return to Arizona for a part of Spring Training.
"I want to thank the players who trusted me with their careers, who were open to trying new things, who were willing to learn as I was willing to learn and be vulnerable," Padilla said. "I learned so much from the groups of hitters from the 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 teams."