DBU Baseball announced the hiring of Cliff Pennington as the team's Recruiting Coordinator and Assistant Coach on Wednesday.  Pennington, who played 11 seasons in the Major Leagues from 2008-2018, comes to DBU from Texas A&M where he was on the coaching staff for the past two seasons. 
 
"We couldn't be more excited to welcome Cliff and his family to the DBU baseball program," DBU Head Baseball Coach Dan Heefner said.  "Cliff fits DBU in every way. Everyone who knows him immediately talks about the type of person he is; his faith, character, positivity and ability to connect are all things that stand out when getting to know Cliff.  His playing experience going from undrafted out of high school to a first rounder out of college to an 11-year Major League career has given him a unique perspective on the game that will further advance our goal of being the best development program in the country."

Pennington was a standout at Texas A&M from 2003-05 where he was a three-time All-Big 12 selection and earned All-American honors in 2005.  In one of the most decorated careers in Aggie baseball history, Pennington ranks in the top 10 on the Aggies' career list for hits (246), triples (10) and stolen bases (53).  Pennington finished his collegiate career with a .346 batting average in 182 games. 
 
Following his junior season at Texas A&M, Pennington was selected by the Oakland Athletics as the 21st overall pick in the first round of the 2005 Major League Baseball Draft.  Three years later, Pennington made his Big League debut with the Oakland A's on August 12, 2008.  Pennington spent five seasons in Oakland and completed his 11-year career in the Majors with four other teams including the Arizona Diamondbacks, Toronto Blue Jays, Los Angeles Angels and Cincinnati Reds.
 
The Corpus Christi, Texas, native finished his MLB career with 971 games, 678 hits, 121 doubles, 21 triples, 36 home runs, 242 RBI and 84 stolen bases. 

His finest years in the Big Leagues came during the 2010 and 2011 seasons.  In 2010, he set career-highs in five categories including games (156), doubles (26), runs (64), triples (8), and stolen bases (29), while hitting six home runs and collecting 46 RBI.  The following year, Pennington batted .264 with a career-best eight home runs and 58 RBI, while matching his career high in doubles (26).

Pennington was a part of two teams that reached the postseason during his Major League career.  In 2012, Pennington and the Oakland A's won the American League West and played in the American League Division Series.  Three years later, Pennington was a key part of a Toronto Blue Jays team that clinched the AL East and reached the American League Championship Series. 

Pennington holds the distinction of being the first position player to pitch in an MLB playoff game when he pitched in the ninth inning in Game 4 of the 2015 ALCS against the Kansas City Royals.