Bret Simmermacher is in his first season with the Buffalo Baseball program. He came to Amarillo from the United States Marine Corps (USMC) in Quantico, Virginia where he was the Athletic Director for the All-Marine Sports teams.
In 2018, Simmermacher was the head baseball coach at East Ridge High School in Clermont, Florida, winning the 6A District Championship in 2022. There are currently three of his former players playing at Central Florida, Missouri State and Florida Gulf Coast.
In 2015, he was the Chair of Sports Coaching at the United States Sports Academy in Daphne, Alabama. While in his position he taught undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral courses in Sports Management and Sports Coaching. The United States Sports Academy is an independent, non-profit, accredited sports university created to serve the nation and the world with programs in instruction, research, and service. The role of the Academy is to prepare men and women for careers in the profession of sports using modern technologies and traditional teaching methodologies.
In 2006, Coach Simmermacher was at New Mexico Military Institute (NMMI) in Roswell, New Mexico. There he was the head coach of the Bronco baseball program which competed in the WJCAC Conference. During his time at NMMI the program graduated three Valedictorian’s and sent several players on to four-year universities around the country.
In 1995, Coach Simmermacher was part of the Ashland University staff that took the first in the history of the program to the NCAA Division II World Series. While there he coached Gene Stechshulte, who went on to play in the St. Louis Cardinals organization. Stechschulte made his major league debut on April 20, 2000, against the San Diego Padres. In four seasons, he posted an 8-7 record with six saves, a 4.58 ERA and 84 strikeouts in 116 appearances out of the bullpen. He also owned a 0.00 ERA in two postseason appearances with the Cardinals during the 2001 National League Divisional Series. His best season came in 2002 when he finished 6-2 overall with a 4.78 ERA in 29 games.
In his first year as a head baseball coach at Shelby High School in Shelby, Ohio his team qualified for the Division II State Final Four with a 21-7 record. He coached at Shelby until 1995 when he went to Ashland University and then returned to Shelby in 1998, after his wife’s illness.
He is a native of Crestline, Ohio and is married to Charlene Simmermacher. He has two children, Natasha (deceased) and Allyssa, two step-children, Justin and Cheyenne, and seven grandchildren.
Simmermacher graduated with his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the University of West Florida where he played college baseball. He also played two years at the University of South Alabama. In 1986, he signed a professional contract with the Seattle Mariners organization and played in the Northwest league in Bellingham, Washington. His team was the first team in Seattle Mariners history to win a league title.
