SPOKANE, Wash.--Gonzaga baseball head coach Mark Machtolf announced Tuesday that volunteer assistant coach Brandon Harmon has been elevated to the position of assistant coach.

Harmon will assume the duties of the Zags' pitching coach, taking over from former assistant coach Steve Bennett. Bennett accepted the role of pitching coach and recruiting coordinator at Nevada over the summer.

"We are excited to have Brandon on our staff full-time," Machtolf said of the promotion. "We believe that he will continue the pitching success we enjoyed under Coach Bennett. Brandon has been with us for several years and is an excellent young coach with outstanding baseball instincts."

Harmon had served as volunteer assistant for the last three years. He primarily worked with the Bulldog catchers and outfielders, including tutoring 2015 West Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year Joey Harris. Additionally, Harmon coached first base during games all three years on the staff and assisted with in-game pitching decisions during the last two seasons.

In his first season on staff, he helped the Bulldogs claim the WCC regular season title and the top seed at the WCC Baseball Championship. A year later, the Zags returned as the only team to reach the tournament during its first two years. Last season, Gonzaga posted a 24-28 record with wins over Tulane, Arkansas, Washington State, San Diego, and Pepperdine, among others.

Since 2013, Harmon has also coached the 19U-level Spokane Expos, leading the club to a record of 103-57. Twenty-three of his Expos players moved on to play collegiate baseball.

Prior to his time at Gonzaga, Harmon served as pitching coach and recruiting coordinator at Whitworth University in Spokane. He helped the Pirates take the Northwest Conference title in 2012, guiding the squad to the Division III World Series. In 2011, his pitchers posted the school's lowest team ERA since joining Division III, and he saw one hurler sign a professional contract. One year later, Harmon's pitching staff once again broke Whitworth's D3 team ERA record.

This isn't Harmon's first stint at Gonzaga as he played for the Bulldogs from 2004 to 2007. He still holds the school record for most innings pitched in a season with 123.1 in 2007, and his 88 career appearances are also a GU high. The two-time All-WCC Honorable Mention honoree graduated with a degree in sports management and also received his Master's in Sport and Athletic Administration from Gonzaga in 2009.

Brandon and his wife Lindsey have one child, a son named Charlie. They live in Spokane.