RICHARDSON, Texas - Grant Freels has joined the UT Dallas staff as an assistant baseball coach, head coach Travis Graves announced Wednesday.

Freels previously spent six seasons at Panola College in Carthage, Texas, where he compiled 155 wins as an assistant coach from 2017-23. While with the Ponies, he coached two conference Player of the Year winners, one Pitcher of the Year, one All-American, more than 30 all-conference selections, more than 50 NCAA Division I signees and more than 100 four-year collegiate players. Freels also guided five former players who reached Triple-A or Double-A level of Minor League Baseball.

"We are excited to have Grant join our program," said Graves. "He brings a wealth of experience coaching and recruiting high-caliber players."

As a player, Freels spent two seasons as a left-handed pitcher at Tyler Junior College, where he helped the Apaches to the 2014 NJCAA National Championship. He then transitioned into coaching as a student assistant at Texas A&M University in College Station, where he spent three seasons with the Aggies' staff and was part of three NCAA Super Regionals and one College World Series appearance. 

Freels earned his associate's degree from TJC and went on to receive a B.S. in Sports Management from TAMU in 2017.