Tyler Malone begins his first season as an assistant coach for the Utah Tech baseball program. Coach Malone will oversee the development of the hitters and catchers.

Prior to joining the Utah Tech staff, Malone served as the Director of Player Development for Dallas Baptist University in 2025. He was also an assistant coach for the Lincoln Potters, a member of the Pacific Empire League in the summers of 2024 and 2025, where he worked with college players from some of the top programs throughout the country.

Malone played collegiately at Oregon State for Head Coach Pat Casey from 2017-19. In 2017, he was part of a Beaver team that set numerous school and conference records, including the most wins in a single season (56-6).

In 2018, Malone earned all-tournament team honors after he helped lead OSU to the NCAA Division I College World Series national championship, during which he .304 with three home runs and eight RBI over the Beavers’ eight games in Omaha.

Malone was selected in the 27th round by the San Diego Padres in the 2019 June MLB Draft and experienced all minor league levels up to Triple-A as a catcher, outfielder, and first baseman.

Following the end of his professional playing career in 2023, he decided to pursue his coaching career helping with the development of PXF Athletics in Arizona, while also being part of Nelson University’s 2024 inaugural season under Head Coach Josh Milner.

Malone graduated with a Bachelor of Science History degree and a leadership minor in 2020 from Oregon State, and he is currently working on a Master of Leadership degree from DBU. A native of Roseville, Calif., Malone graduated from Woodcreek High School in 2016.

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Moralez enters his second season at Utah Valley and will coach first base and the UVU infielders. He will wear #88 for UVU.

In his first season at Utah Valley, Moralez helped the Wolverines win their second WAC Championship and make their second NCAA Tournament appearance, where they defeated No. 12 Oregon. His work with UVU infielders Landon Frei and CJ Colyer helped them to sign professional contracts at season's end. Colyer finished with a .988 fielding percentage at first base for the Wolverines, which was the highest on the Wolverine infield. Dominic Longo II earned second-team All-WAC honors at third base for his efforts both offensively and defensively.

Moralez joined the Utah Valley staff in the summer of 2024. He will coach first base for the Wolverines.

"Bringing Mitch back to Utah Valley as an assistant is very exciting for the Wolverine family. Mitch was an excellent player here who helped us get this thing going in 2022. He left here and played professionally for 3 years before retiring to start his career path as a coach. He has a bright future ahead of him here!" said UVU head coach Nate Rasmussen.

"I'm thrilled to come back to Utah Valley University and help the Wolverines continue to build on their success over the past couple of years. As a former athlete at UVU, I know how remarkable the university, its students, and staff members are. There is no other place I'd rather start my coaching career," said Moralez.

Moralez played at Utah Valley from 2020-2022 and finished with a career .321 batting average in 131 games played in his UVU career. The Temecula, Calif., native had career highs in 2022, posting 82 hits during his senior campaign while adding career marks in home runs, RBIs, and runs scored.

He was signed by the Westside Woolly Mammoths for the 2022 season in the summer before signing with the Billings Mustangs before the 2023 season. He played in 85 games for the Mustangs in 2023, adding 12 homers and 44 RBIs. In 2024, he appeared in 46 games in the Pioneer League, hitting .282 with two home runs and 50 hits.

"I'd like to thank my family, teammates, and previous coaches for supporting me through a memorable playing career. A special thank you to Coach Rasmussen for giving me this opportunity and helping me make the transition from a player to a collegiate coach. I can't wait to get the ball rolling with our incoming team and accomplish our goal of bringing a WAC championship back to Orem" said Moralez.

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J.R. Dwyer is entering his second year as the Assistant Baseball Coach at Colorado Northwestern Community College (CNCC), where he works primarily with the Spartan pitching staff. Dwyer brings a wide range of coaching experience from the collegiate and summer league ranks, as well as a proven track record of developing players for the next level.

Before joining CNCC, Dwyer coached in the prestigious West Coast League with the Bend Bucs. His career also includes time at Solano Community College, West Hills College, and Fresno City College, along with extensive summer coaching experience. Over the years, he has coached in several of the country’s most competitive collegiate leagues, including the Alaskan Baseball League (Matsu Miners), New England Collegiate Baseball League (New Bedford Bay Sox), New York Collegiate Baseball League (Albany), California Collegiate Summer Baseball League (Long Beach Lightning), and the Cal Ripken Senior Collegiate Baseball League (Rockville Express). In these roles, his focus has been preparing players to return stronger to their Division I programs, transfer successfully, or pursue professional opportunities.

Coach Dwyer’s philosophy is rooted in hard work, a willingness to learn, and a commitment to becoming the best version of oneself both on and off the field. He emphasizes that success begins in the classroom and is carried onto the diamond through discipline and effort.

Now entering his second season with the Spartans, Dwyer is eager to continue building on the program’s culture and competitiveness alongside Head Coach Lou McCollum. He resides in Rangely with his wife, Katie, and their two daughters, Olivia (11) and Kennedy (6).

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Assistant coach Bobby Rinard was named to Gary Henderson's Utah staff in July 2025. Rinard, a longtime member of the coaching staff at Utah Tech, joins the Utes ahead of the program’s second Big 12 season in 2026.

“We are thrilled to welcome Bobby to our coaching staff,” Henderson said. “He is an extremely well-rounded baseball mind, as shown by the impact he made during his long run at Utah Tech. We look forward to having Bobby as part of our Utah Athletics family.”

Rinard (pronounced ruh-NARD) spent the last 11 seasons under Chris Pfatenhauer down in St. George, being promoted to associate head coach for his last two years. He primarily worked with outfielders, hitters and baserunners and also served as recruiting coordinator during his time with the Trailblazers.

Rinard’s time with the Trailblazers included helping the program through a transition from NCAA Division II up to the Division I level. All told, he was in the dugout for 283 victories, a conference championship and three NCAA Regional appearances. Thirty-five all-conference honors, 11 all-region selections and five all-America laurels went to position players with Rinard on staff.

“I am very thankful to Coach Henderson, Mark Harlan and Jason Greco for this opportunity,” said Rinard. “The chance to be part of a Big 12 program with a brand new ballpark on the horizon is one that I am very grateful for. I look forward to meeting our players very soon.

Rinard added, “I also want to express appreciation to Coach Pfatenhauer, the players, and support staff at Utah Tech for our time together. I will always cherish my time in St. George and wish everyone there all the very best.”

Since beginning Division I play in 2021 as a member of the WAC, the Trailblazers have recorded nine wins over Power Conference opponents, including a triumph over then-No. 6 Arizona during the 2021 campaign. Four position players picked up first-team all-conference in the WAC, including outfielder Lane Pritchard in 2021.

Rinard was in St. George for the final six seasons of Utah Tech’s Division II era and coached one of the nation’s top offenses during that stretch. As members of the PacWest and RMAC conferences from 2015-19, the team ranked top-four in batting average each year, leading the PacWest in both 2016 and ’17. The 2017 team set a program record with a .340 batting average that ranked second in the nation. It was the third straight season that netted a postseason regional appearance.

Individually, Drew McLaughlin hit .408 during the 2016 campaign to win the PacWest batting title. The following year, the Trailblazers had three players among the conference’s top-five for on-base percentage.

Defensively, the program had a .973 fielding percentage in 2015 to lead the PacWest and place in the top-10 across Division II.

Before going to Utah Tech, Rinard spent the 2014 season at his alma mater, Arizona. While there as an undergraduate assistant coach, he tutored the Wildcats’ outfielders and hitters, served as first base coach and contributed in several other aspects of the program.

Rinard’s collegiate playing career brought him to Yavapai College (2008-09) and Arizona (2010-11). He was named All-Conference in 2009 after posting a .350 batting average, 39 RBIs and team-bests with 76 hits and 53 runs scored. His time at Arizona included a pair of NCAA Regional berths as he appeared in 70 total games.

He was drafted by the New York Mets in the 43rd round of the 2009 MLB Draft, then signed a free agent contract with the New York Yankees in 2011. Rinard went on to play three professional seasons before heading to Arizona to begin his coaching career.

Rinard will be joined in Salt Lake City by his wife, Francesca. He earned his Bachelor's degree in general studies from Arizona in 2014.

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Mark Vig enters his 3rd season as an assistant coach with the Colorado Mesa University baseball program, joining the staff in August of 2022. His primary responsibilities involve recruiting Colorado and Utah, assisting with pitching and defense, and aiding in all day-to-day operations of the program.

In 2023 & 2024, the Mavericks continued their historic success. In 2024, Mesa captured their 12th straight RMAC title, and 15th straight NCAA tournament appearance. In 2023, the Mavericks went a record 16-0 on the road in RMAC play, the first team to ever do so. The 2023 Mavericks were the first NCAA division II program to record 100+ stolen bases and slug 100+ home runs in a season. Outfielder Julian Boyd was named ABCA NCAA Division II Player of the Year. Left handed pitcher Kannon Handy was drafted in the 19th round by the Colorado Rockies.

Prior to coming to CMU, Vig was no stranger to the RMAC, after spending 9 years at MSU Denver and Regis University. In his 9 seasons in the RMAC, before CMU, Vig coached 31 All-RMAC players, 3 RMAC Freshman of the Years, 1 RMAC Player of the Year, 15 All-South Central Region players, and 8 All-Americans.

Vig served as the pitching coach at MSU Denver from 2017-2022. MSU Denver improved in nearly every statistical category in each season since Vig took over the pitching coach duties. MSU Denver reached its first ever NCAA postseason regional in the 2022 season. Cade Crader threw a 9-inning perfect game on March 27, 2021 against CSU Pueblo, the first in MSU Denver history, RMAC history, and only the 11th 9-inning perfect game in NCAA division II history, at the time. At MSU Denver, Vig also assisted in game day operations with the athletic department and served as a facility supervisor for outside rentals with the athletic complex.

Vig was a graduate assistant at Regis University from 2014-2016. At Regis, Vig worked primarily with outfielders and first basemen. Vig also assisted with recruiting, opponent scouting, other day-to-day operations, and coached first base on game days.

In the summers of 2015 and 2016, Vig served as the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator for the Arvada Colts of the Rocky Mountain Baseball League. In the summer of 2014, Vig was the head coach for the St. Charles Captains of the Lewis and Clark Baseball League in St. Louis, Mo. In their inaugural season, the Captains made the Discovery Cup playoffs and Vig was named Manager of the Year in the LCBL. Vig coached youth and American Legion baseball in the Yankton (S.D.) Baseball Association from 2009 through 2012.

Vig received his master’s degree in organizational leadership from Regis University. Vig graduated from the University of Sioux Falls in 2013 with a B.A. in business administration and a B.A. in sports management. At Sioux Falls, Vig was a 2013 Academic All-Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference player.

Vig is a native of Yankton, South Dakota and resides in Grand Junction with his wife, Brittney, and their children, Jayney and Jacoby.

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It was only natural that Boomer Walker would someday wear a coach’s cap at Southern Idaho. After assisting the Golden Eagles for nine years Boomer took over as head coach in 2004. In those 22 years, Boomer has amassed 675 wins and 485 losses. Boomer picked up his milestone 600th win on March 31, 2023 with a win over Colorado Northwestern.
In 2018, Walker led the Golden Eagles to a Scenic West Athletic Conference title, a Region 18 title, a District Championship and a third-place finish at the NJCAA JUCO World Series.
Last season, the Golden Eagles were 30-28 overall, and posted a GPA of 3.43 and 16 individual Academic All-American Selections.
In 2006 and 2007, the Golden Eagles battled for the regular season championship going into the final weekend of play. In 2009, The Golden Eagles played in the Region 18 Championship and advanced to the district playoff.
Boomer was barely walking when his dad, former head coach Skip Walker, started coaching at CSI. And Boomer has always been a part of the program. He was a 12-year-old bat boy when he witnessed the Golden Eagles’ national championship in 1984.
Boomer starred for Twin Falls High School, leading the Bruins to a state championship in 1988. Then, he wore the gold and black himself when he played at Southern Idaho from 1989 to 1992, winning all-region honors as a shortstop in 1992. After playing at Northeast Louisiana University, Boomer worked as a student assistant in 1995, gaining valuable coaching experience.
In 1996, Boomer returned to Southern Idaho to re-unite with his father.
When Boomer isn’t coaching from the dugout, he enjoys water skiing and playing softball. Boomer has two boys - Tai Ripken and Treyson.

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Briseno is entering his fourth year as an assistant coach for the Utah State Eastern baseball team, where he also serves as the program’s outfield coach, recruiting coordinator, and manages the team’s social media presence.

A versatile athlete during his playing career, Briseno was a three-year starter at West High School in Salt Lake City, Utah. A utility player throughout high school, he contributed wherever the team needed, and was named an All-Region pitcher as a senior, finishing the season with a 1.36 ERA.

Briseno holds a bachelor’s degree in print journalism and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in sports management through Utah State University. Originally from Rose Park, Utah, he has lived in Price, Utah, since 2020. He and his wife, Breanna, were married in September 2021.

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Coach Haney is entering his second season as Head Coach of the USU Eastern baseball program.

Coach Haney was the pitching coach for USUE for two seasons before taking the position of head coach in 2020.

Haney comes from a baseball family. His father, Scott Haney, has been coaching high school baseball for 34 years and is the current head coach at Salem Hills High School. Haney played for his father at Salem Hills before graduating in 2012.

After high school Haney served an LDS mission in Texas. Upon returning, he came to USU Eastern and played under former manager Scott Madsen from 2015 through 2017. In 2018 he became an assistant coach and held that position until taking over the program in 2020.

In coach Haney's first full season He led the Eastern baseball team to one of the best records in years. Finishing 24-32 the most total wins Eastern has seen in their program dating back to at least 201. In this season Haney moved eight players on to other universities, four of them to division 1 programs. In the 2021 season his team was one of the best hitting teams USU eastern has seen with 45 home runs, 391 runs scored,  as well as having the highest batting average .285, on base percentage .393, and slugging percentage .446.

Just 26 years old, Haney is by far the youngest coach in the Scenic West Athletic Conference. The average age of the coaching staff sits at 25, which is one of the youngest in the nation. The youth movement in the dugout has already paid dividends in connecting with players.

He is married to his wife Jeridi and has one daughter.

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Coach Kyle Pearson was hired to be the head assistant/pitching coach in July of 2021, and he was appointed to Interim Head Coach in March 2022. In the 24 games in which Coach Pearson was the Head Coach, the Chukars amassed a 15-9 record. As of May 23rd, 2022 Coach Pearson moved into the Head Coaching role for TVCC.

In 2020-2021 Coach Pearson was the pitching coach at Dawson Community College in Glendive, MT. He helped lead Dawson to a 29-23 record controlling the pitching staff and catchers.

In the summer of 2021, Coach Pearson was the co-head coach of the Casper Horseheads in the Expedition League, a collegiate summer league.

Before coaching at Dawson CC, Coach Pearson coached multiple high school teams in the Boise area, including Capital and Meridian High School since 2013.

Coach Pearson played at TVCC in 2011-2012, before pursuing his path as a coach. He attended Boise State to finish his degree in Sports Journalism. Coach Pearson is looking forward to getting Treasure Valley Baseball back to its former glory and molding outstanding student athletes.

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On June 30, 2021, Bobby Applegate was hired as the CSU Pueblo Head Baseball Coach.

A graduate of CSU Pueblo and a member of the 1994 team that resurrected the baseball program, Applegate brings nearly 25 years of coaching experience at the NCAA Division I level to the ThunderWolves. Applegate had spent the last seven seasons as an assistant coach at the United States Naval Academy where he also served as the pitching coach and co-recruiting coordinator. He also had stints as an assistant at NCAA Division I University of California, Riverside, Brigham Young University and the United States Air Force Academy. In all, Applegate has developed more than 30 players who have signed to Major League Baseball organizations.

Under his tutelage the Navy pitching staff continued cementing its place in the program record books, as well as in the hierarchy of the Patriot League and the NCAA Division I. During his four years with the Mids, Navy is one of just six programs nationally to finish top-50 in both ERA and winning percentage in four separate occasions (2015-19). Louisville and Oregon State have completed that task in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019, while Navy ('15-'16-'18-'19), Florida ('15-'16-'17-'18) and Texas A&M ('15-'16-'18-'19) have achieved that milestone four times. In 2018, Navy's staff ERA ranked No. 8 at 3.10 and the team won at a .710 clip (38-16) to place 12th. Only Oregon State -- who won the national championship -- had a lower combined Win% (No. 1) + ERA (No. 12) total in 2018.

During the 2021 season, Applegate assisted the Midshipmen to a record of 17-15 overall and 11-12 in the Patriot League. Navy finished the 2021 season with a 6.45 ERA and struck out 241 batters over the 32 games during the year.

Applegate coached Second Team All-Patriot Leaguers Charlie Connolly and Trey Braithwaite. He also assisted in Braithwaite tying the program record for most saves in a career with 17.

During the 2020 season, Applegate helped the Navy pitching staff lead the Patriot League with a 3.07 ERA while also posting league-bests in strikeouts with 131 and saves with seven. The Midshipmen’s ERA ranked 52nd overall in the nation while their 7.00 hits allowed per nine innings ranked 39th in the NCAA with a WHIP of 1.13 to rank 28th overall. Junior Charlie Connolly led the Patriot League with a 1.04 ERA and 32 strikeouts as opposed to three walks.

Navy finished the shortened season with a 14-1 record, which included 14-straight wins to end the year that ranks second all-time in program history for the longest single-season winning streak. Prior to the 2020 season, juniors Jared Leins and Trey Braithwaite were selected to the Preseason All-Patriot League team with Braithwaite being named to the NCBWA Preseason Stopper of the Year Watch List.

During his fifth season as the pitching coach in 2019, Applegate helped Navy rank in top 50 in the country in strikeouts per nine innings (10th, 10.0), hits allowed per nine innings (17th, 7.69), WHIP (25th, 1.28), strikeout-to-walk ratio (29th, 2.57), shutouts (29th, five) and earned run average (32nd, 3.82). The Midshipmen also broke the program record strikeouts per nine innings (10.0), strikeouts (527) and saves (17), while helping Navy record the second-most wins in program history with 39.

Applegate also coached Golden Spikes Finalist Noah Song, who re-wrote the program record books. Song was named the first First Team All-American in school history and he became the first player in program history to be selected as a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award and the Dick Howser Trophy, while also being selected as the Pitcher of the Year by Perfect Game. Song also set the program record for wins (32), strikeouts (428), innings pitched (334-1/3) and tied for most shutouts with nine. He also set the school record of strikeouts in a season (161) and strikeouts per nine innings (15.41). Song led the country in strikeouts per nine innings, which is the best in NCAA Division I since 2009 and is tied for sixth all-time in Division I history. Song was also drafted in the fourth round (137th overall) by the Boston Red Sox and made him the highest drafted player in program history.

Along with helping Song grab national attention, he helped sophomore relief pitcher Trey Braithwaite earn national recognition after being named the Stopper of the Year Watch List. Braithwaite -- who also the First Team All-Patriot League relief pitcher -- finished the season with 10 saves and a 3.10 ERA. Braithwaite's 10 saves rank sixth all-time for career saves and tied the school record for most saves in a single season.

In his fourth year at the helm of Navy's pitching staff in 2018, the Mids finished atop the regular standings of the Patriot League with a conference record of 18-7, thereby earning the team its fourth straight number one seed in the postseason. Overall, Navy finished 38-16 in 2018, the second highest win total in program history. As a staff, Navy hurlers posted a 3.10 ERA with 1.26 WHIP, .242 opponents batting average and 418 strikeouts over 476.1 innings. In 54 games, the Mids recorded seven shutouts with 13 saves by its bullpen. Nationally, Navy ranked eighth in ERA, ninth in shutouts, 12th in win percentage, 20th in WHIP, 27th in fewest walks/9 innings (3.17), 40th in fewest hits allowed/9 innings (8.14) and 43rd in strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.49).

Individually, a host of Navy hurlers drew both national and conference attention. Junior RHP Noah Song was recognized as a Perfect Game Honorable Mention All-American, while freshman RHP Jared Leins earned a nod as a Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American. Song was one of the most dominant starting pitchers in the nation as he struck out 121 batters with a 1.92 ERA over 89.0 innings pitched. Leins immediately asserted himself as top bullpen arm and won four Patriot League Rookie of the Week honors during his first collegiate season. Leins finished with a 5-2 record and a Patriot League-leading five saves in 19 appearances. Senior RHP Sean Kamhoot and freshman RHP Tommy Goodridge also garnered league accolades as the duo each won Patriot League Pitcher of the Week and Rookie of the Week honors, respectively in 2018.

Over his first four season, Navy’s pitching staff has garnered 10 All-Patriot League awards under Applegate.

In 2017, his third year leading the Mids' staff, Navy won its third straight Patriot League regular season title as the team posted a 16-4 record to win the conference by four games and earn the number one seed in the postseason tournament. In addition to its strong performance in league play, Navy won 21 non-conference games for an overall record of 37-17. That win total ties the 2015 team for third-most victories in a season. Statistically the Mids’ pitching staff posted a 3.99 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and .268 opponents’ batting average to go along with 379 strikeouts over 456.0 innings pitched. Navy led the Patriot League in each of the first three categories and ranked second in strikeouts. All-time, the 2017 team’s strikeout total ranks sixth in program history, while its save total of 10 and shutout tally of four stand sixth and 13th, respectively. Nationally, the Mids ranked 37th in walks allowed per nine innings (3.14), 57th in shutouts 61st in strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.38) and 62nd in ERA.

Individually, Applegate had a hand in three Midshipmen pitchers earning All-Patriot League playing honors with senior Kyle Condry leading the way as the league’s Pitcher of the Year. After three solids seasons, Condry broke out in 2017 with dominant form as he completed the year with a 7-2 record, 2.89 ERA, four complete games, 71.2 innings pitched, 61 strikeouts and a .254 opponents’ batting average. In Patriot League-only regular season contests, Condry went 5-0 with a 1.35 ERA and 26 strikeouts over 33.1 innings. Joining Condry as an All-Patriot League First Team honoree in 2017 was the Mids’ closer Jett Meenach, who was saved a league-high eight games, while compiling a 5-1 record, 2.12 ERA and 26:6 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 34.0 innings over 27 games. Noah Song, the reigning Patriot League Rookie of the Year, followed up his standout freshman campaign with a spot on the All-Patriot League Second Team with a 2017 line of 6-4, 3.67 ERA and 89 strikeouts over 76.0 innings.

Condry’s Pitcher of the Year honor was the fourth straight for the program and third straight for Applegate.

In 2016, Navy recorded a program-best 43 wins, Patriot League regular season and postseason titles and a win in the NCAA Tournament as part of the Raleigh Regional. Applegate's pitchers posted a 43-16-1 record with a 3.20 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 440 strikeouts, 12 shutouts and an opponents' batting average of .241. Three of the Mids' four weekend starters had 3.09 or lower ERAs (the fourth was at 3.76). Nationally, Navy's shutout total ranked second overall, while its winning percentage (.750-10th), ERA (19th), WHIP (21st) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.65-23rd) all ranked in the top-25. The Mids' strikeout mark stands second all-time in Navy history trailing only the 2015 staff's 464 punch-outs.

Amongst individual members of the Navy pitching staff, Luke Gillingham and Noah Song earned national accolades for their work with Applegate. For the second straight season Gillingham found himself honored by both the NCBWA and Louisville Slugger on the respective organization's All-American teams. Gillingham turned a senior pitching line of 2.35 ERA, 8-4, eight complete games, four shutouts, 93 strikeouts in 93.0 innings and a .202 opponents' batting average. The left-handed pitcher was named the Patriot League Pitcher of the Year. Gillingham's career culminated by being selected in the MLB Draft by the Toronto Blue Jays. Song came into the program as a freshman and immediately secured a role as one of the nation's most impactful rookies. After hurling 75.1 innings over 17 contests, Song finished with a 2.75 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 9-3 record, three shutouts, 57 strikeouts and a .182 opponents' batting average. His WHIP and hits allowed per nine innings (5.85) marks both ranked in the top-16 in NCAA DI. For his dominant first season, Song was selected to Freshman All-American teams for the NCBWA and Louisville Slugger.

In addition to Gillingham and Song's national awards, the Mids' closer Sam Sorenson was recognized on the All-Patriot League First Team.

In his first year as the pitching coach for the Mids in 2015, Applegate led the transformation of a solid staff to one of the best in the nation. Statistically, Navy’s staff dropped its ERA 64 points from 2014 down to a 3.04 mark that ranked 21st in the NCAA. A newly-found aggressive approach in their respective attacks helped the Midshipmen hurlers strike out 464 batters and walk only 146 for a 3.18:1 strikeout to walk ratio that was ninth in the nation. The Mids’ 8.4 strikeouts per nine ratio was 21st overall. Applegate’s staff also ranked 11th in WHIP (1.17), 12th in shutouts (7), 21st in hits allowed per nine (7.9) and 21st in walks allowed per nine (2.66). All-time in Navy’s record books, the 2015 staff is first in strikeouts, tied for third in wins (37), second in shutouts and third in strikeouts per nine.

Individually, Applegate helped Luke Gillingham transition from the team’s number three starter to a Second-Team All-American that led the NCAA in hits per nine (4.75) and WHIP (0.70), in addition to ranking third in strikeouts per nine (11.99) fourth in ERA (1.19). Reliever Jett Meenach also had a breakthrough under Applegate’s tutelage as the one-time infielder became a lights-out closer that was named to the National Pitcher of the Year Watch List in late April. The first-year pitcher posted the lowest ERA amongst Patriot League bullpen arms (1.99) and was one of 10 DI relievers with seven or more wins and less than 50.0 innings pitched. Both pitchers earned All-Patriot League honors, including the Pitcher of the Year accolade for Gillingham.

Applegate’s first season in Annapolis concluded with senior Stephen Moore being drafted in the 10th round by the Atlanta Braves. Moore’s selection as number 300 was the highest in school history at the time.

Prior to joining Navy, Applegate served as an assistant coach, recruiting coordinator and, for a time following the retirement of Doug Smith, the interim head coach of the UC Riverside Highlander baseball program. A three-year member of the Highlanders, Applegate led a pitching staff that saw five hurlers join the professional ranks. In this past June, Jacob Smigelski (Miami Marlins, 13th) and Zach Varela (Los Angeles Angels, 23rd) and Dylan Stuart (Atlanta Braves, FA) all were drafted or signed as a free agent after three years of tutelage under Applegate. With the addition of Trevor Frank, a 2013 eighth round draftee of the Cleveland Indians, and Eddie Orozco, a 2012 22nd round pick of the Chicago Cubs, all five hurlers also were recognized on All-Big West teams during their careers at Riverside.

Besides his mentoring of the pitching staff, Applegate was also in charge of coordinating the recruiting, scheduling and alumni relation efforts of the Highlanders' program.

Before heading west to UC Riverside in 2011, Applegate was an assistant coach at Brigham Young University for eight years. During his time with the Cougars his pitchers found both individual and group success as 16 different pitchers signed professional contracts and his staffs posted the two lowest team earned run averages in BYU's history. In a conference known for explosive offensive numbers, the Cougars' 2007 earned run average mark of 3.93 stands fifth all-time in the Mountain West Conference's record book.

In addition to his work with pitchers, Applegate was responsible for the scheduling of all games, managing the travel budget, directing the program's alumni relations and assisting with all facets of recruiting. For his work with the team, he was honored as the Assistant Coach of the Year by BYU Athletic Department in 2010.

A one-year stint as an associate scout for the Kansas City Royals from 2002 through 2003 served as a buffer for Applegate between BYU and his previous stop at the United States Air Force Academy. From 1998 until 2002, he was the pitching coach for the Falcons and guided Matt Kaercher, who became the first pitcher from the academy to sign a professional baseball contract. Applegate and his Air Force squad left its mark on the school's record book with the most wins versus D1 opposition in 2002 and the second-lowest ERA since 1983 during the 2000 season. Six Falcons earned All-Conference accolades under his tutelage.

Applegate's first collegiate coaching opportunity came in 1995 at his alma mater, the University of Southern Colorado (now known as Colorado State University-Pueblo). Between 1995 and 1997, he served as the school's pitching coach and aided the 1996 team to a fourth place finish in the NCAA Division II College World Series.

Applegate began playing collegiately at Southwestern Community College in San Diego (1991-93) before transferring to the University of Southern Colorado. He completed a distinguished career in 1995 after earning accolades as the Colorado Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year ('95) and on the All-Mile High Intercollegiate team ('95). In recognition of his success as a player and a coach, Applegate was inducted into the USC Diamond of Fame in 1999.

After playing professionally for the Pueblo Bighorns of the Texas-Louisiana League during the summer of 1995, he returned to CSU and finished his Kinesiology degree in 1996.

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TJ Hokanson is in his first season on the Viking Baseball coaching staff at Valley City State University. A native of Chanhassen, Minnesota, Hokanson brings several years of coaching and collegiate playing experience to the Vikings’ program. Hokanson oversees hitting and base running within the VCSU baseball program.

Before joining VCSU, he spent four seasons at the University of Minnesota Crookston where he was the hitting and infield coach. He helped to develop several players that would become NCAA Division II All-Americans and professional athletes.

As a player, Hokanson competed at Minnesota Crookston, redshirting his freshman year and later contributing as a left-handed hitter. Prior to college, he helped lead Chanhassen High School to a 27–3 record and a Class 3A State Championship appearance. He brings experience, energy, and a strong focus on player development to his role at VCSU.

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