EVANSTON, Ill. — Northwestern alum Mark Loretta was named the bench coach for the Chicago Cubs, it was announced Wednesday.
 
Loretta, who graduated from NU in 1993, spent fifteen seasons in MLB, finishing with a .295 batting average and 629 runs batted in. Since his retirement in 2009, he has worked with the San Diego Padres as a special assistant to the baseball operations staff.
 
While at Northwestern, Loretta was a standout. He compiled a .343 hitting percentage and a .902 OPS, hitting 14 homers and tallying 107 RBIs. He hit. 408 in his senior season and had an OPS of 1.073.
 
Loretta becomes the second Chicago Cubs staff member with Northwestern ties. Bullpen catcher Chad Noble graduated from Northwestern in 2010, finishing his career with a .355 batting average in his senior campaign.
 
In addition to alumni connections, Northwestern and the Cubs have had a partnership that included an NU baseball game in 2013 at Wrigley Field. The Wildcats will play their season-opening series at Sloan Park, the Cubs' Spring Training home, against BYU on February 15-16.

 

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