RIVER FALLS, Wis. -- UW-River Falls baseball head coach Steve Bartlein announced the addition of Brian Giebel, Weston Lombard, and Marty Herum to the 2024 coaching staff.

"Falcon Baseball couldn't be more excited to announce the addition of Coach Giebel, Coach Lombard and Coach Herum to our coaching staff," said Bartlein. "Their experience, knowledge, and passion for teaching the game of baseball make me excited for our program and future Falcon baseball players."

Brian Giebel, a River Falls native, played baseball at UW-Stout from 2008-11 and earned a pair of All-WIAC honors along with an All-Region accolade in 2011. He holds Blue Devil career records in runs scored (140) and remains in the top 10 for hits, doubles, triples, and stolen bases, while also hitting 19 home runs. He was recognized as a member of the WIAC All-Sportsmanship team in 2011 and was a two-year team captain.

Giebel brings over 10 years of coaching and training experience. Since 2013 he has worked with youth, high school, and collegiate players. Currently, he is the hitting coordinator for Big Fish Baseball instruction and the director of Sandlot Camps, a youth summer camp conducted in River Falls. He spent seven years as the lead hitting and fielding instructor at Field of Dreams in River Falls (2013-2020). He also has been a talent scout, assistant manager, and player for the River Falls Fighting Fish amateur team since 2013, in which he has a career batting average of .359 with 70 home runs.  

Giebel received a bachelor's degree in business marketing while at UW-Stout. He lives in River Falls with his wife Tia, and sons Cal, Myles, and Nolan. He will work primarily with UWRF's hitters, base runners, and outfielders.

Weston Lombard, a native of Stillwater, Minn., will serve as the UWRF pitching coach. Lombard is a graduate of St. Paul Academy and made a pair of stops during his collegiate baseball career, the first at Gustavus Adolphus College (2018-2021). He was a member of the 2019 Gustavus MIAC Championship team and in 2021, he received All-Conference and All-Region awards. His Gustavus career was highlighted by a nine-inning no-hitter against Bethel University in 2021 and he currently holds the single season strikeout record (72). After the 2021 season, Lombard transferred to the University of San Francisco for the 2022 and 2023 seasons. At USF, he garnered First Team WCC All Academic honors and led team in wins, saves, ERA, and appearances during the 2023 season.  

After his collegiate playing career, Lombard played for the New York Boulders, a professional baseball team in the Frontier League (2023). He is the pitching coordinator for Big Fish Baseball instruction and has coached youth, high school and collegiate pitchers.  

Lombard received a bachelor's degree in public accounting from Gustavus Adolphus College (2021) and a master's degree in sport management from University of San Francisco (2023). He currently works as a product manager for the Mustard App leading product development and implementation. Mustard uses artificial intelligence and computer vision to capture pitcher biomechanics and create individualized training programming.  

A River Falls native, Marty Herum joins the staff to work with hitters and infielders. Herum is a UW-Whitewater graduate and was a two-time All-WIAC and Position Player of the Year (2012-13). In two seasons, Herum posted a career .411 batting average with 40 doubles, seven triples, 12 home runs, and 101 runs batted in. The Warhawks were 68-26 in that span with a WIAC Championship in 2013 and two NCAA Midwest Regional appearances.  

Marty was signed to a free agent contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks during the summer of 2013. Over the next seven seasons, he advanced five levels with the organization making stops at all the minor league affiliates. In that time, Herum was recognized as a Mid-Season All Star for the Midwest League in 2014 and 2015, a MiLB All Star for the Arizona Diamondbacks organization in 2016 and 2017, a CAL Post-Season All Star in 2016 and a CAL Mid-Season All Star in 2017. He finished his professional career with a .292 batting average and 120 doubles in 607 career games.  

Herum currently resides in River Falls with his wife Natasha, and their two daughters, Aubrey, and Braylee.  

The UW-River Falls baseball program was reinstated after a 21-year absence. The Falcons will be set to compete at the varsity level during the 2024-25 academic year and will play their home games at First National Bank of River Falls Field.