{{short description|American baseball coach and second baseman}} {{Use mdy dates|date=June 2025}} {{Infobox college coach | name = Danny Schmitz | image = Danny Schmitz 2014.jpg | alt = | caption = Schmitz in 2014 | current_title = | current_team = | current_conference = | current_record = | contract = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1955|3|1}} | birth_place = Detroit, Michigan, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | alma_mater = | player_years1 = 1974–1977 | player_team1 = Eastern Michigan | player_positions = 2B | coach_years1 = 1988–1990 | coach_team1 = Eastern Michigan (Asst.) | coach_years2 = 1991–2020 | coach_team2 = Bowling Green | overall_record = 717–786–5 | tournament_record = | championships = MAC Regular season: 1995, 2002, 2008, 2009<br>Division: 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2008, 2009, 2010<br>MAC tournament: 1998, 1999, 2013 | awards = MAC Coach of the Year: 1994, 1995, 2009 | coaching_records = }} '''Danny Schmitz''' is an American baseball coach and former second baseman. He played college baseball at Eastern Michigan for coach Ron Oestrike from 1974 to 1977 before playing professionally from 1977 to 1984. He then served as an assistant coach at Eastern Michigan (1988–1990) before becoming the head baseball coach of the Bowling Green Falcons (1991–2020).<ref name=bio>{{cite web|url=http://www.bgsufalcons.com/coaches.aspx?path=baseball&rc=390|publisher=Bowling Green Falcons|title=Baseball Coaching Staff|accessdate=November 9, 2013}}</ref><ref name=hire>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1350&dat=19900829&id=pFpPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=EwMEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6769,9035393|newspaper=Toledo Blade|title=Falcons hire Schmitz for baseball|date=August 29, 1990|accessdate=November 9, 2013|page=18}}</ref><ref name=win>{{cite news|url=http://www.toledoblade.com/BGSU/2013/04/25/Bowling-Green-baseball-coach-Schmitz-gets-600th-win.html|newspaper=Toledo Blade|title=Bowling Green baseball coach Schmitz gets 600th win|author=John Wagner|date=April 24, 2013}}</ref><ref name=echo>{{cite news|url=http://www.easternecho.com/index.php/article/2011/11/former_emu_baseball_player_excels|newspaper=Eastern Echo|date=November 6, 2011|accessdate=November 9, 2013|author=Brandon Karsten|title=Former EMU baseball player excels}}</ref>
==Playing career== Schmitz was a four-year letterman at second base for Eastern Michigan, which he helped to a pair of College World Series appearances including the 1976 final. After his senior season, in which he batted .339 and served as a co-captain, he was drafted in the 20th round of the 1977 Major League Baseball draft by the New York Yankees. Schmitz would go on to play six seasons in the minors, reaching Class AAA in his second season but never reaching the majors. He spent brief time in the New York Mets and Minnesota Twins systems, including a season as a player-coach with the Toledo Mud Hens before retiring and turning full-time to coaching.<ref name=bio /><ref name=echo />
==Coaching career== Immediately after ending his playing career, he served as manager of the Twins' class-A affiliate Visalia Oaks. He served in that position for three years before returning to Eastern Michigan as an assistant coach. While back with the Hurons, he helped lead EMU to a pair of second-place finishes in 1988 and 1990. He was hired at Bowling Green for his first head coaching job at the collegiate level, just the Falcons ninth coach and fifth since 1928.<ref name=bio /><ref name=hire />
While with Bowling Green, the Falcons have claimed four Mid-American Conference regular season titles, seven division titles, and three Mid-American Conference baseball tournament championships. Schmitz has seen 29 players sign professional contracts, while his teams have amassed over 600 wins.<ref name=bio /><ref name=win /> Following the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Bowling Green State University announced the termination of the baseball program due to budget cuts during the pandemic,<ref>{{cite web|first=Nicholas|last=Piotrowicz|url=https://www.toledoblade.com/sports/bgsu/2020/05/15/bowling-green-cuts-baseball-program-effective-immediately/stories/20200515100|title=Bowling Green cuts baseball program effective immediately|publisher=The Blade|date=May 15, 2020|accessdate=May 15, 2020}}</ref> just weeks later, the school announced that it had fund-raised enough money to revive the program effective immediately.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.toledoblade.com/sports/bgsu/2020/06/02/BGSU-reinstates-baseball-program/stories/20200602125 |title=Bowling Green reinstates baseball program |author=Nicholas Piotrowicz |date=June 2, 2020 |publisher=The Toledo Blade |work=www.toldedoblade.com |accessdate=June 2, 2020}}</ref> On June 3, 2020, it was announced that Schmitz would step down from head coach and step into an advisory role with the program.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.toledoblade.com/sports/bgsu/2020/06/03/bowling-green-falcons-baseball-coach-danny-schmitz-moves-to-new-role/stories/20200603125 |title=Longtime BGSU baseball coach Danny Schmitz moves to new role |author=Nicholas Piotrowicz |date=June 3, 2020 |publisher=The Toledo Blade |work=www.toledoblade.com |accessdate=June 4, 2020}}</ref>
==Head coaching record== This table shows Schmitz's record as a college coach.<ref name=bio /> {{CBB yearly record start|type=coach}} {{CBB Yearly Record Subhead|name=Bowling Green Falcons|conference=Mid-American Conference|startyear=1991|endyear=2020}} {{CBB yearly record entry | championship = | season = 1991 | name = Bowling Green | overall = 16–39–1 | conference = 7–23 | confstanding = 9th (9) | postseason = }} {{CBB yearly record entry | championship = | season = 1992 | name = Bowling Green | overall = 14–25–1 | conference = 7–22–1 | confstanding = 9th (9) | postseason = }} {{CBB yearly record entry | championship = | season = 1993 | name = Bowling Green | overall = 19–27–1 | conference = 7–23 | confstanding = 9th (10) | postseason = }} {{CBB yearly record entry | championship = | season = 1994 | name = Bowling Green | overall = 29–18 | conference = 16–10 | confstanding = 3rd (10) | postseason = MAC tournament{{efn|The top four of the MAC's ten teams qualified for the tournament in 1994.}} }} {{CBB yearly record entry | championship = conference | season = 1995 | name = Bowling Green | overall = 34–20 | conference = 22–8 | confstanding = 1st (10) | postseason = MAC tournament{{efn|The top four of the MAC's ten teams qualified for the tournament in 1995.}} }} {{CBB yearly record entry | championship = | season = 1996 | name = Bowling Green | overall = 28–22 | conference = 14–17 | confstanding = 8th (10) | postseason = }} {{CBB yearly record entry | championship = | season = 1997 | name = Bowling Green | overall = 24–27 | conference = 13–17 | confstanding = 8th (10) | postseason = }} {{CBB yearly record entry | championship = divboth | season = 1998 | name = Bowling Green | overall = 34–21 | conference = 17–10 | confstanding = 1st {{small|(East)}} | postseason = NCAA Regional }} {{CBB yearly record entry | championship = divboth | season = 1999 | name = Bowling Green | overall = 36–24 | conference = 25–6 | confstanding = 1st {{small|(East)}} | postseason = NCAA Regional }} {{CBB yearly record entry | championship = | season = 2000 | name = Bowling Green | overall = 29–24–1 | conference = 14–12 | confstanding = 4th {{small|(East)}} | postseason = }} {{CBB yearly record entry | championship = division | season = 2001 | name = Bowling Green | overall = 36–18 | conference = 18–9 | confstanding = 1st {{small|(East)}} | postseason = MAC tournament{{efn|The top six of the MAC's thirteen teams qualified for the tournament in 2001.}} }} {{CBB yearly record entry | championship = division | season = 2002 | name = Bowling Green | overall = 32–22 | conference = 18–7 | confstanding = 1st {{small|(East)}} | postseason = MAC tournament{{efn|The top six of the MAC's thirteen teams qualified for the tournament in 2002.}} }} {{CBB yearly record entry | championship = | season = 2003 | name = Bowling Green | overall = 17–28 | conference = 9–18 | confstanding = 6th {{small|(West)}} | postseason = }} {{CBB yearly record entry | championship = | season = 2004 | name = Bowling Green | overall = 28–19 | conference = 13–11 | confstanding = 5th {{small|(West)}} | postseason = }} {{CBB yearly record entry | championship = | season = 2005 | name = Bowling Green | overall = 33–18 | conference = 12–18 | confstanding = 3rd {{small|(West)}} | postseason = MAC tournament{{efn|The top six of the MAC's thirteen teams qualified for the tournament in 2005.}} }} {{CBB yearly record entry | championship = | season = 2006 | name = Bowling Green | overall = 26–27 | conference = 11–16 | confstanding = 4th {{small|(East)}} | postseason = }} {{CBB yearly record entry | championship = | season = 2007 | name = Bowling Green | overall = 22–32 | conference = 7–20 | confstanding = 6th {{small|(East)}} | postseason = }} {{CBB yearly record entry | championship = division | season = 2008 | name = Bowling Green | overall = 32–20 | conference = 16–8 | confstanding = T-1st {{small|(East)}} | postseason = MAC tournament{{efn|The top eight of the MAC's twelve teams qualified for the tournament in 2008.}} }} {{CBB yearly record entry | championship = division | season = 2009 | name = Bowling Green | overall = 28–22 | conference = 18–8 | confstanding = 1st {{small|(East)}} | postseason = MAC tournament{{efn|The top eight of the MAC's twelve teams qualified for the tournament in 2009.}} }} {{CBB yearly record entry | championship = division | season = 2010 | name = Bowling Green | overall = 31–23 | conference = 18–9 | confstanding = T-1st {{small|(East)}} | postseason = MAC tournament{{efn|The top eight of the MAC's twelve teams qualified for the tournament in 2010.}} }} {{CBB yearly record entry | championship = | season = 2011 | name = Bowling Green | overall = 20–31 | conference = 11–14 | confstanding = 3rd {{small|(East)}} | postseason = MAC tournament{{efn|The top eight of the MAC's twelve teams qualified for the tournament in 2011.}} }} {{CBB yearly record entry | championship = | season = 2012 | name = Bowling Green | overall = 20–33 | conference = 9–18 | confstanding = 6th {{small|(East)}} | postseason = }} {{CBB yearly record entry | championship = conference tournament | season = 2013 | name = Bowling Green | overall = 24–31 | conference = 13–14 | confstanding = 4th {{small|(East)}} | postseason = NCAA Regional }} {{CBB yearly record entry | championship = | season = 2014 | name = Bowling Green | overall = 25–27 | conference = 15–12 | confstanding = 3rd {{small|(East)}} | postseason = MAC tournament{{efn|The top eight of the MAC's twelve teams qualified for the tournament in 2014.}} }} {{CBB yearly record entry | championship = | season = 2015 | name = Bowling Green | overall = 19–24 | conference = 11–10 | confstanding = 3rd {{small|(East)}} | postseason = MAC tournament }} {{CBB yearly record entry | championship = | season = 2016 | name = Bowling Green | overall = 17–37 | conference = 7–17 | confstanding = 5th {{small|(East)}} | postseason = }} {{CBB yearly record entry | championship = | season = 2017 | name = Bowling Green | overall = 15–34 | conference = 9–15 | confstanding = 3rd {{small|(East)}} | postseason = }} {{CBB yearly record entry | championship = | season = 2018 | name = Bowling Green | overall = 11–39 | conference = 6–19 | confstanding = 10th | postseason = }} {{CBB yearly record entry | championship = | season = 2019 | name = Bowling Green | overall = 16–33 | conference = 8–18 | confstanding = 8th | postseason = }} {{CBB yearly record entry | championship = | season = 2020 | name = Bowling Green | overall = 2–11 | conference = 0–0 | confstanding = | postseason = Season canceled due to COVID-19 }} {{CBB yearly record subtotal|name=Bowling Green|overall=717–786–5|confrecord=372–398–1}} {{CBB yearly record end|overall=717–786–5<!-- after 2020 season-->}} {{notelist}}
==See also== {{Baseballstats|brm=schmit001dan}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Bowling Green Falcons baseball coach navbox}} {{Mid-American Conference Baseball Coach of the Year navbox}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schmitz, Danny}} Category:Living people Category:1955 births Category:Sportspeople from Detroit Category:Baseball second basemen Category:Bowling Green Falcons baseball coaches Category:Columbus Clippers players Category:Eastern Michigan Eagles baseball coaches Category:Eastern Michigan Eagles baseball players Category:Fort Lauderdale Yankees players Category:Nashville Sounds players Category:Oneonta Yankees players Category:Tacoma Yankees players Category:Tidewater Tides players Category:Toledo Mud Hens players Category:West Haven Yankees players Category:Baseball players from Detroit Category:20th-century American sportsmen