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IOWA CITY, Iowa — Robin Lund and Tom Gorzelanny have joined the University of Iowa baseball program as assistant coaches, head coach Rick Heller announced Monday. Lund will serve as the Hawkeyes’ hitting coach, while Gorzelanny will be the volunteer pitching coach.
“Robin and I have worked together off and on since 2002 when I was at UNI,” said Heller. “He is an excellent all-round baseball guy who happens to have a Ph.D. in exercise science. Robin will not only be able to fill the void left with Desi (Druschel) and Joe (Migliaccio) leaving, but take it even further with what we are doing on the technology, analytics, research, and scouting side in both pitching and hitting.
“His knowledge is incredible in both hitting and pitching and he has been a resource since we met in 2002. This spring he will work with our hitters and outfielders as well as monitor all of our pitching data. Robin’s personality is infectious and he is one of the most positive people I know. He will be an amazing recruiter. I’ve tried to get Robin to leave his position as a tenured professor a couple times over the years, but the timing just didn’t work out. He will be an amazing addition to our staff and university.
“We couldn’t be happier to have Tom on board to work with our pitchers. Having a long-time MLB veteran, who we have a tremendous amount of respect for, on our staff will be fantastic. Tom has trained around our program since I arrived here six years ago. I have always been impressed with how Tom went about his business.
“Tom has a high-level work ethic with focus to improve every day and he always was a great role model for our players when he was around in the offseason. He will bring a tremendous amount of pitching knowledge and experience to share with our team and Tom’s personality is a great fit for our culture. This will be the first step in what I believe will be a long and prosperous coaching career for Tom.
“As tough of a situation as this has been, I don’t think we could have come out in a better spot. We welcome Robin, Tom, and their families to the Iowa baseball family.”
Lund joins the program after serving as volunteer hitting coach for the Northern Iowa softball program during the 2018 season. Lund, who holds his doctorate in exercise science, was an associate professor in the Department of Kinesiology at UNI from 2002-2018. Lund’s main teaching responsibilities were in the areas of biomechanics, anatomy, statistics, and research methods. Lund’s research was focused primarily on improving athletic performance
During his career, Lund also served as a baseball strength and conditioning coach at several stops. He was volunteer strength and conditioning coach under Heller at UNI in 2005-06. Lund also held positions at Lewis Clark State College in Lewiston, Idaho, in 2000-01 and in Minor League Baseball for the Spokane Indians in 1998.
Lund earned his bachelor’s degree in education from Whitworth College in 1995 and his master’s degree in exercise science from Eastern Washington in 1997. He completed his Ph.D. in exercise science at the University of Idaho in 2002.
Lund is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and serves as president of the National Strength and Conditioning Association of Iowa. He also is up on the latest baseball analytic trends with Hittrax, Radsodo, and Blast Sensor. He and his wife, Susie, have three children, Abbie (20), Brett (17) and Sam (15).
Gorzelanny joins the Hawkeyes following a 12-year career in Major League Baseball where he pitched for Pittsburgh (five years), Chicago Cubs (two years), Washington (two years), Milwaukee (two years), Detroit (one year), and Cleveland (one year).
The left-handed pitcher finished his career with a 50-53 record with a 4.40 ERA over 314 appearances (121 starts). Gorzelanny’s best season came in 2007, where he went 14-10 with a 3.88 ERA, making 32 starts and logging more than 200 innings for the Pirates.
Gorzelanny retired from professional baseball in 2017.
Following his senior season at Marist (Illinois) High School, Gorzelanny was selected in the 38th round of the 2000 MLB Draft by the Chicago White Sox, but he elected to attend the University of Kansas. Gorzelanny spent two seasons in Lawrence — one as a redshirt — before transferring to Triton Community College.
After one season with the Trojans, Gorzelanny was drafted in the second round of the 2003 MLB Draft (45th overall pick) by Pittsburgh. He made his Major League debut in 2005 and played in the 2006 All-Star Futures Game.
Gorzelanny earned a regular spot in Pittsburgh’s rotation in 2007 — a season where he was a National League All-Star after being one of five players chosen from a final fan vote for the last spot on the NL roster.
Gorzelanny and his wife, Lindsey, reside in North Liberty with their two sons, Gavin and Connor.
Lund and Gorzelanny replace pitching coach Desi Druschel and hitting coach Joe Migliaccio, who both accepted positions within the New York Yankees organization.
“We all wish Desi and Joe well in their new and exciting positions with the Yankees,” said Heller. “Desi has been an important member of our staff for four years and has made a remarkable impact on our program. His work ethic, knowledge, creativity, and loyalty is appreciated.
“Joe has only been with us since August, but he also made a huge impact. Both have left our program in a better place. Though the timing isn’t ideal, Desi and Joe had offers they couldn’t refuse and we wish them the very best. They were great Hawkeyes.”
