Chad Gassman begins his fourth year as Waldorf College’s head baseball coach and assistant athletic director to events/facilities. Since Gassman has taken over as head coach at Waldorf College, the Warriors have reached the conference tournament in 2007 and 2008. In both years, the Warriors defeated their opponents in the first round of play.
At the undergrad level, Gassman played at Morehead State University in Kentucky and after graduation, received his master's degree from Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbannais, Ill., where he began his coaching career. While at Olivet, Gassman coached Ben Zobrist, who now plays with the Tampa Bay Rays who were the 2008 World Series Runner-ups. He also coached the Tigers as they earned back-to-back NAIA World Series appearances and won two Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference titles.
After his tenure at Olivet, Gassman coached at Young Harris College in Young Harris, Ga., and served as an associate scout for the Florida Marlins. While at Young Harris, Gassman coached Charlie Blackmon who was a second round pick of the Colorado Rockies, and Cory Gearrin who was a third round pick of the Atlanta Braves. He has also been a coach and an instructor with Athletes in Action, the Chicago White Sox Summer Training Academy, and Notre Dame Baseball Camps.
In the 2009 season Gassman, who has been a pitching coach for the Hyannis Mets summer baseball league, will take over as the head coach. The Hyannis Mets play in arguably the most prestigious summer baseball league for college baseball players, The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL). Last year as the pitching coach for Hyannis, Gassman oversaw one of the Cape League's elite staffs. The 2008 Mets finished with a 3.21 ERA, third-best in the league, while allowing fewer hits (344) than any other club. Off the field, Gassman was an instrumental player in the popular Hyannis Mets Youth Baseball Academy, which saw record attendance and growth in the 2008 season.
Chad and his wife, Shannon, have a daughter, Taylor, and a son, Easton. He and his family reside in Forest City. |
Ryan Flickinger is in his third year as an assistant coach for the Waldorf College Baseball program.
Flickinger graduated from Denver High School in Denver, Iowa, before attending Waldorf College where he pitched for the Warrior Baseball team and finished his college career as a student coach. He earned his bachelor of science in Wellness Management at Waldorf in 2006.
After graduation, Flickinger was employed by Covenant Wellness Center in Waterloo, Iowa, where he worked with many athletes in the Cedar Valley area as a personal trainer.
Flickinger returned to the Waldorf Baseball coaching staff in 2007, the year he began working as an Admissions Counselor at Waldorf College. |
Jim Kais enters his first season as graduate assistant coach for the Waldorf College baseball team. Kais works primarily with hitters and catchers.
Kais was an All-State Catcher at Waukesha West High School in Waukesha, Wisconsin. After high school, he attended the University of South Carolina Upstate where he played four years of baseball under Dr. Matt Fincher. He currently holds career records in most caught stealing by and fielding percentage.
Kais graduated in 2005 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Marketing.
His coaching experience includes one year with the Midwest Blazers Scout team, which included 10 players that went on to play NCAA Division I baseball and three players that were drafted in the MLB Amateur Baseball Draft. He also coaches for three years with the Perfect Game Wisconsin Fall scout league, which included one player who was drafted in the third round the MLB Amateur player draft.
This summer, Kais will be coaching for the Wilmington Sharks in the Coastal Plains Collegiate Summer League in Wilmington, North Carolina.
Kais is currently earning his Master’s Degree in Sports Management from Waldorf College. |
