Dallas Correa named Rainbows’ associate head baseball coach
· Yahoo Sports
After three years as the Milwaukee Brewers’ minor league catching coordinator, there was only one other place Dallas Correa would rather coach.
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“Home,” said Correa, who will be the University of Hawaii baseball team’s associate head coach, pitching coordinator and catchers coach. “It’s definitely an honor to be with a Rich Hill-led program. And to also be part of the University of Hawaii. When you grow up here, you understand that. It’s special to be home.”
It will be a homecoming for the Kauai-reared Correa, a Saint Louis School graduate and former Hawaii Pacific head coach who was the Rainbow Warriors’ director of player development for the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
“I owe so much to the Brewers’ organization,” Correa said. “At the end of the day, there are not that many times in our profession a personal career choice aligns with a professional one. This one lines up perfectly.”
Correa fills a coaching spot vacated when Keith Zuniga, who was UH’s associate head coach and pitching coach the past three seasons, was hired to coach USC’s pitchers.
“Dallas has the super power of human connection,” UH head coach Rich Hill said. “He can really connect with young people and get the most out of them. You start there with his character, and then you bring in the baseball acumen. He was sitting in the individual development-plan meetings with (Milwaukee pitchers) Brandon Woodruff, Jacob Misiorowski, (pitching coach) Chris Hook all through spring training and the winter. He’s in every pitching meeting in the minor leagues. He brings a wealth of experience with this new-school approach to pitching.”
With Correa and former UH hurler Connor Harrison, who was UH’s director of pitching development this past season, the ’Bows are reorganizing their pitching system. Now known as the pitching department, Correa and Harrison will balance analytics with individual training and development.
“It’s straight from the Brewers’ model,” Hill said. “A lot of major league teams and college teams are employing two pitching coaches. Dallas will be the coordinator and Connor will be boots on the ground.”
Correa said analytics and data, in real time and preparation, will be among the tools.
“It’s our job as coaches to simplify that tool so we can get the best out of our players,” Correa said. “The analytics is a piece of this thing, and it helps us develop players. But the relationship is what actually leads to performance. The focus has to stay on relationships with our guys, and building a trust, and building conviction with our pitchers. That’s what the Brewers’ organization does best. I have an opportunity to bring back to Hawaii the belief in people and the belief in a system that develops people.”
Correa said Harrison has a “super intelligent mind when it comes to pitch design. … When it comes to building someone’s arsenal and optimizing that arsenal, Connor’s a master at doing that.”
Correa is experienced in executing pitches, usage, preparation, and data-collecting systems.
“That’s where it comes to a really nice pitching department,” Correa said.
Hill said Correa also will work with the catchers.
“He’s too valuable as a catching coach to not have him work with our catchers,” Hill said. “That’s a special experience in itself. He’s one of the best in the world at teaching catchers. The Brewers are really sorry to see him go.”
Hill is close to hiring a hitting coach and quality-control coach. Dave Nakama, who served as hitting coach the past five seasons, left the ’Bows to pursue other endeavors.