Brock Bennett, Ryan Gearheart

Asst. Coach 2nd Season at UGA (Alabama ’10) #45

Atlanta native Brock Bennett begins his second season with the Georgia baseball program as the volunteer coach. He works with the catchers and infielders, serves as the first base coach, directs on-campus recruiting and assists in the coordination of camps. Georgia was poised to have another memorable season in 2020 when the campaign ended after 18 games due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Bulldogs finished the year ranked as high as No. 2 nationally with a 14-4 record. His experience includes stops at Georgia State, Alabama and Georgia Perimeter College (GPC) following his playing career with the Crimson Tide. Bennett began his coaching career by spending three years as an assistant at GPC under Brett Campbell and Jeremy Brotherton while helping the Jaguars win a pair of region titles. He coached the first-team allconference catcher all three years, and four GPC players were drafted during his time there. Then, he was named the volunteer coach at Georgia State (GSU) on Greg

The Bennett Family: Brock, Ashley and Chandler Ryan GEARHEART Strength & Conditioning 8th Season at UGA (Middle Tennessee State ’09)

As an Assistant Director of Strength and Conditioning, Ryan Gearheart works with the baseball and softball programs. He is in his eighth season with the Bulldogs.

Before coming to Georgia, Gearheart spent time working at Ohio State, Eastern Michigan, and Kent State. He has worked with baseball since 2010 while serving in the role as a Graduate Assistant at Eastern Michigan. After his time at Eastern, Gearheart was hired by Coach Scott Stricklin at Kent State. In his first year, KSU earned its first appearance in the College World Series in school history. While at KSU, Gearheart also served as a nutritional specialist for multiple athletic teams. His work experience also includes a stint at D1 Sports Training in Nashville, Tenn., where he was a facility coordinator/head speed and strength coach. A native of Columbia, Tenn., he earned a bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science from Middle Tennessee State in 2009 and a master’s degree in Sport Management from Eastern Michigan in 2013. He has certifications as a Strength and Conditioning Coach (SCCC), Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), Level 1 Nutritionist (Pn1), USA Olympic Weight Lifting (USAW-SPL1), Speed and Explosion for Team

The Brock Bennett File

Born: April 1, 1988 High School: Greater Atlanta Christian, Tucker, Ga. College: Alabama (2007-11), B.A. in Business Management (‘10) Family: Wife: Ashley; Children: Chandler (2)

Playing Career

Alabama (2007-11) Coaching Career Assistant Coach, Georgia Perimeter, 2013-15 Volunteer Coach, Georgia State, 2015-17 Volunteer Coach, Alabama, 2017-18 Assistant Coach, Georgia State, 2018-19 Volunteer Coach, Georgia, 2019-present

Frady’s staff. He helped develop catcher Nick Gatewood, who went on the become an 11th-round draft pick of the San Diego Padres in the 2018 Major League Baseball Draft. Bennett had an opportunity to coach at his alma mater when he joined Brad Bohannon’s staff in 201718. He comes to Georgia after spending the 2019 season as an assistant coach at GSU. Bennett directed the Panther offense and worked with the infielders. A graduate of Greater Atlanta Christian, Bennett was a catcher/ infielder at Alabama (2007-11), where he posted a .314 career batting average while starting more than 100 games, including 97 starts behind the plate. He set a single season (21) and career mark for sacrifice bunts (28). As a senior, he batted .338 with 22 RBI and 39 runs scored plus a team-high .992 fielding percentage. During his career, the Crimson Tide advanced to four straight NCAA Regionals including a Super Regional in 2010. He made the 2010 Southeastern Conference All-Tournament team, was named National Player of the Week by College Baseball 360 and garnered a spot on the Johnny Bench Award Watch List. He earned a degree in business management from Alabama. He was selected by the San Francisco Giants in the 33rd round of the 2011 Major League Baseball Draft. Bennett is married to the former Ashley Skorcz. They have one

son, Chandler (2). Sports (NASE), and Functional Range Conditioning Mobility Specialist (FRCms).

During his time at UGA, Gearheart has trained athletes for and been a part of the 2014 national championship swimming and diving program, two softball College World Series appearances (2016 and 2018), and two baseball teams that have earned top eight national seeds.

Gearheart works with former UGA baseball and now professional baseball players helping them with their off-season training programs. He also serves as the Internship Director for the strength and conditioning department.

Gearheart is married to the former Paige Herring of Birmingham, Ala., who also works for UGA as an Assistant Athletic Trainer for the swimming and diving program.

They have two daughters, Peyton (4) and Taylor, born June 29, 2020.