Schreiner has announced that Ryan Brisbin has been named the
school's new head coach, replacing Joe Castillo who resigned in
April after serving as head coach at his alma mater for 10
years. Brisbin has eight years of head coaching experience at
two colleges during his career. The most recent was a successful
six year stint at NCAA Division II Davis and Elkins College of the
West Virginia Conference (WVIAC). The WVIAC, like the American
Southwest Conference of which Schreiner is a member, is one of the
nation's largest conferences with 16 schools.
"We are very pleased that Coach Brisbin has agreed to become our
new baseball coach. Out of more than 100 applicants, we believe he
is best person to lead Schreiner baseball," said Schreiner athletic
director Ron Macosko.
"Everyone I spoke with about Coach Brisbin, including people
whom I have tremendous respect for in baseball, have had glowing
recommendations about him both as a head coach and as a person. In
him, we get the total package. He has had success coaching
pitchers, hitters and defense. He's been a successful college head
coach. He is passionate about baseball and knows that recruiting is
a key to our future success. During this search process, I received
notes from several of his former players who couldn't say enough
about his contributions in maximizing their baseball talents but
also about what he meant to them as a coach and mentor. We are very
excited about what he will do with our baseball program in the
future."
Brisbin took over a struggling program in 2001, and steadily built
it up each year. His 2002 team made the WVIAC playoffs in his first
year with only seven pitchers and a roster of 18. He recruited 15
freshmen for the 2003 season, many of whom would be key
contributors in '05 and '06. Those players got a lot of
playing time in '03 and '04 but the team still was very competitive
and kept moving forward. His 2005 team won 33 games and
reached the conference tournament finals before losing 14-10 in the
championship game. Brisbin was named WVIAC Coach-of-the-Year after
the 2005 season. His 2006 team won 27 more games for one of
the most successful back-to-back season performances in school
history and advanced to the second round of the WVIAC Tournament.
Highly regarded by the administration, Brisbin came to the aid of
the department and served as head coach for three Senators' teams
during that 2006-07 academic year. When the head volleyball coach
departed a week before the season began that fall, he stepped in
and coached the team through the first half of the year. Then in
the spring, he served the seemingly impossible double duties of
head baseball and head softball coach for the season. After that
year, he left D&E to pursue business opportunities here in
Texas. It quickly became evident that he missed his true passion,
coaching college baseball, and he's been looking to get back into
it ever since.
Prior to taking the head coach job at D&E, he was the
assistant coach at fellow WVIAC member University of Charleston for
two years. Those two seasons with Brisbin on staff would become the
two best in school history. UC head coach and Athletic Director Tom
Nozica tried to keep Brisbin on his staff but knew he was destined
for a head coaching position and recommended Brisbin to D&E
Athletic Director Will Shaw when that job came open.
Prior to his two years at University of Charleston, Brisbin was
the head coach at NAIA Tabor in Kansas. He earned that first head
coaching position when he was still in his mid-20's. He got his
first head coaching opportunity right out of college when he was
named assistant baseball coach and head softball coach at Central
Christian (junior) College in Kansas for two years. Brisbin was a
standout baseball player at CCC, was the pitcher of the year and
team captain as a sophomore before going to then-NAIA Greenville,
where he again was pitcher of the year and team captain. He earned
his bachelor's degree in physical education at Greenville in
1995.