NORMAL — Already planning a return to college, Jeremy Accardo reasoned a return to college baseball was the next logical step.
An eight-year Major League Baseball veteran who pitched and played shortstop at Illinois State, Accardo is back in the Redbird dugout this spring as a student assistant coach.
Accardo played for San Francisco, Toronto, Baltimore, Cleveland and Oakland from 2005-2112 before throwing his final professional pitch in independent ball in 2014.
"When I was talking to some college coaches, they said 'as soon as you get your degree, we've got a job for you,' " said the 34-year-old Accardo.