PROVO, Utah — BYU head baseball coach Trent Pratt today announced the hiring of Adrian Dinkel and Bradon Zastrow as assistant coaches. Dinkel joins the Cougar baseball program as the new pitching coach, while Zastrow is the director of pitching development.
“We are putting an increased emphasis on pitcher development this offseason and are very excited to have Adrian and Bradon join our staff,” said Pratt. “Coach Dinkel brings years of experience to our program both as head coach and a pitching coach. He has been very successful elevating programs everywhere he’s been, including guiding Southeastern to two national championships, while developing three national pitchers of the year. Coach Zastrow comes from an Arizona baseball program that has been successful using the latest technology to develop great pitching. Both coaches also bring a lot of energy and know how to win.”
Dinkel joins BYU following a season in the New York Yankees organization where he worked in player development as a minor league manager responsible for the day-to-day team operations, with an emphasis on infield defense and baserunning.
Prior to joining the Yankees, Dinkel was the head baseball coach at Southeastern University in Lakeland, Florida from 2017-24. In eight seasons at the helm, he compiled an amazing 408-58 (.875) record and led the Fire to two NAIA National Championships (2018, 2022) while making six appearances at the NAIA World Series.
Dinkel also spent five seasons as the head baseball coach at Sterling College in Kansas (2011-16) where he compiled a 232-77 record and led the Warriors to the NAIA National Tournament five times, advancing to the World Series in 2013 and 2016. He also served as assistant baseball coach at Clarendon Junior College in Texas (2008-10), Bethany College in Kansas (2006-08) and helped coach USA Baseball from 2018-20.
Over his career, Dinkel has received many conference, regional and national coaching awards, including the NAIA National Coach of the Year in 2018 and 2022. He has coached more than 30 NAIA All-Americans and developed three national pitchers of the year. In addition, he coached two NJCAA All-Americans, nine conference pitchers of the year, eight conference players of the year, and numerous all-region players. More than 70 of his former players have signed a professional baseball contract.
Dinkel, originally from Magna, Utah, earned a bachelor's degree in health and physical education from Bethany College and later a master’s degree in sports administration from East Central University. He and his wife Gidget have two children, McCabe and Tynley.
“We are very excited to be part of Cougar Nation and the BYU baseball family,” said Dinkel. “I’m grateful to Coach Pratt, director of athletics Brian Santiago and the BYU central administration for giving our family this incredible opportunity. As a man of faith, I feel grateful to be part of BYU and look forward to having a positive impact on our student-athletes as we strive for consistent success in the Big 12 and at the national level.”
Zastrow joins BYU from the University of Arizona, where he was an undergraduate assistant in 2025 working with the outfielders and coaching first base. He helped guide the Wildcats to several titles during the 2025 season including the Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship, the Eugene NCAA Regional and the Chapel Hill Super Regional, before advancing to the NCAA College World Series.
Prior to beginning his coaching career, Zastrow was a left-handed pitcher at Arizona from 2023-24. He appeared in 34 games for the Wildcats after beginning his collegiate career at Pima Community College. Over two seasons at UA he posted a record of 7-7 with a 5.18 ERA. As a junior, Zastrow helped Arizona win the 2024 Pac 12 regular season and conference tournament titles to advance to the NCAA Tournament. In the semifinal game of the 2023 Pac-12 Championship, Zastrow recorded a complete game win over Stanford and was named to the Pac-12 Baseball All-Tournament Team.
Zastrow, originally from Farmington, New Mexico, earned a bachelor’s degree in public health from Arizona in Spring 2025. His wife Bergen is expecting their first child in November.
“I’m extremely grateful to the coaching staff and the athletic administration for giving me an opportunity to coach at BYU,” said Zastrow. “As a young coach, it is a great blessing for me to learn from such an amazing group of successful coaches. I look forward to helping our pitchers develop and reach their full potential.”
Dinkel and Zastrow join assistant coaches Adam Law (first base, mental training) and Brycen Campbell (recruiting coordinator, hitting) to round out Pratt's coaching staff for the upcoming 2026 baseball season.