John Rypel has been named head baseball coach at Calvin College.
Rypel comes to Calvin after serving as head coach at NCAA Division
III Gordon College (MA) the past four years.
Rypel is no stranger to the Midwest as he is a native of
Middleburg Heights, Ohio, and a graduate of Midpark High
School.
During his four years at Gordon College, Rypel led the school's
baseball program to 58 wins as his team broke 23 school records
including team ERA, team batting average, and hits in a season.
Gordon is coming off its best season in program history as it
amassed a school record 19 victories during the 2014 season. The
Scots also matched their highest conference finish in program
history, placing fifth in the final 2014 Commonwealth Coast
Conference regular season standings. The 2014 Gordon College
Baseball team advanced to day three of the CCC Tournament and
pulled off a first round upset over the #2 seed in Roger
Williams.
At Gordon, Rypel coached 14 CCC All-Conference players and one
ABCA All-Region player. The Scots placed 10 student-athletes on the
CCC All-Academic team under Rypel's watch and his 2012 team was
presented the CCC Sportsmanship Award. While at Gordon, Rypel also
spent two summers as the head coach of the Marauders in the Myrtle
Beach Collegiate Baseball League.
Rypel arrived at Gordon after spending four years as the pitching
coach and recruiting coordinator at Maryville College in Tennessee.
During his tenure with Maryville, a member of the Great South
Athletic Conference (GSAC), the pitching staff set seven school
records en route to two Great South Conference Championships. Rypel
coached five all-conference pitchers, two All-South Region
selections, and one ABCA Division III All-American. The Maryville
College pitching staff had a stellar year in 2010 when it finished
31st in the country with a 4.25 ERA.
After beginning his coaching career as the pitching coach at
Morristown East High School in the spring of 2006, Rypel spent four
years as Maryville's head junior varsity coach and the college's
Assistant Sports Information Director. While working at Morristown
East, he helped lead the Hurricanes to their first conference
championship in six seasons.
John's playing days included stints at Cuyahoga Community College,
King College, and Shawnee State University. His summer baseball
included successful seasons as a member of the Strongsville
Americans in the Cuyahoga AAA Wood-Bat Summer League and the
Vermillon franchise of the Erie Shore League. Eventually earning
his undergraduate degree from Carson Newman College. He also holds
a master's in sports science."To say that I am excited to accept
the position as head baseball coach at Calvin College would be an
understatement," said Rypel. "Having coached at Gordon, I am well
aware of the tremendous reputation that Calvin has as a Christian
academic institution. I am also well aware of Calvin's rich
athletic tradition. To receive the opportunity to coach at Calvin
is a dream come true."
Dr. Jim Timmer, Calvin's Director of Men's Athletics, also
expressed enthusiasm over the hiring of Rypel. "I am very pleased
to bring John Rypel aboard as our head baseball coach," said
Timmer. "He has enthusiasm not only for the game of baseball but
also for Christian higher education. I am very confident that he
will be a strong leader for the Calvin baseball program and our
athletic department."
Rypel takes over a Calvin program that finished 28-16 overall last
spring and reached the finals of the MIAA Tournament. Calvin's win
total matched the second-highest single-season total in program
history.
"Our immediate expectations for next season is to compete for
spots in the MIAA Tournament and NCAA III Tournament next spring,"
said Rypel. "I am looking forward to building recruiting ties with
West Michigan high schools while also seeking to expand the Calvin
baseball brand nationally on the recruiting trail."
John is married to the former Rachel Mills of Knoxville, Tenn. The
couple have two children, Bryce and Adelynn.