TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – On Monday, University of Alabama head baseball coach Rob Vaughn announced a pair of updates to the Crimson Tide’s 2026 coaching staff. Garrett Wood, formerly the team’s recruiting operations assistant, will now serve as the program’s director of player development and recruiting. In addition, Kasen Rainey returns to Tuscaloosa to become Alabama’s director of pitching development and analytics.

Wood enters his third season with the Crimson Tide after his addition to the staff in June of 2023. Having already helped the Tide secure consecutive top-25 recruiting classes over the past two seasons, Wood will maintain his recruiting role while assuming player development duties following the recent departure of Mikey White.

“Over the past two years, Garrett Wood has shown that he is a star in the making in the coaching world,” said Vaughn. “Mikey White did such an amazing job in the player development role over the last two seasons, and I know Garrett will do an incredible job of filling his shoes. He’s selfless, has a relentless work ethic and is all about investing in people. We are thrilled to promote Garrett and to keep him and his wife Whitney here for years to come.”

Wood came to Tuscaloosa following a collegiate playing career split between Johnson County Community College and Ole Miss. A team captain for the Rebels in 2023, he appeared in 20 games and finished with a .333 average, one year removed from 28 appearances with six starts. In his first year in Oxford, Wood played in 22 games with two starts.

He spent the 2019-20 seasons at Johnson County where he served as the team captain and was named the JCCC Academic Athlete of the Year while earning NJCAA Second Team All-Academic honors. Wood batted .322 as a freshman before turning in a .339 average during the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign. He also contributed five doubles, 10 RBI and 22 runs scored in that ’20 campaign while fielding at a perfect 1.000 mark across 37 chances.

Wood earned two degrees while at Ole Miss. He first obtained an undergraduate degree in multi-disciplinary studies in May 2022 before securing his graduate degree in intercollegiate athletic administration a year later. Wood is married to the former Whitney Converse, as the couple was wed in January 2024.

Rainey rejoins the Tide coaching staff following time spent with the Cincinnati Reds where he was employed as a Major League pitching analyst. Rainey had previously operated as Alabama’s director of player strategy, a role he held for two seasons (2023-24).

“Bringing back Kasen Rainey as our director of analytics was one of the easiest decisions that we’ve ever made. Kasen has spent time at Alabama, time with the Cincinnati Reds, and has a wealth of knowledge and experience. He has the unique ability to be the smartest guy in the room but has the wherewithal to be able to communicate in a way that players can digest the information clearly and easily. When you combine him with Jason Jackson and Mike Morrison, our pitchers are in incredible hands. It’s such a joy to bring Kasen and his wife, Caroline, back home to Tuscaloosa.”

As the director of player strategy, Rainey assisted student-athletes and the coaching staff with player development initiatives while incorporating various technologies that were used in day-to-day instruction. In addition, he helped with in-season reports and gameplans for the UA staff.

Rainey initially came to Tuscaloosa in 2023 following one year at Sacramento State where he held the title of director of player development. While at SSU, he utilized various technologies to work daily with coaches and players in identifying areas for improvement. He also assisted with strategies and scouting reports for the Hornets during the 2022 campaign.

Prior to his time at Sacramento, Rainey was the director of college consulting for Full Count Baseball from 2019-21. His core responsibility was working closely with professional and collegiate players to help maximize their potential through the use of technology including Trackman and Edgertronic cameras. Rainey also helped Full Count organize a COVID-19 league for Minor Leaguers who were missing the 2020 season due to the pandemic.

He got his start in baseball with the Atlanta Braves organization where he served as the Trackman operator for the Gwinnett Stripers from 2018-20. In this role, Rainey tagged and analyzed all data from the Trackman system. He would then present and explain the data to players and coaches while also providing that same information to scouts and baseball personnel.

During his time in baseball, Rainey has worked with double-digit MLB Draft picks and helped numerous others sign professional contracts as undrafted free agents.

Rainey graduated from the University of North Georgia in December 2020 with a degree in finance. He is married to the former Caroline Odum. The couple was wed in January 2023.