Head Coach Eddie Uschold
Eddie
Uschold enters his tenth season as Head Baseball Coach at Missouri Baptist
University. The 2008-2009 school will be Uschold’s eighteenth season
coaching at the collegiate level. After leading the Spartans to a record
40-16-1 in 2008, Uschold’s overall record at MBU is 344–187-2
(360-211-2 overall). Uschold led the Spartans to their second consecutive
sweep of the American Midwest Conference regular season Championship and
the post season conference tournament championship. The regular season championship
is the fifth for the Spartans in the past seven seasons. The Spartans were
crowned AMC Champions in three consecutive seasons (2002, 2003 & 2004)
and in 2007. The 2008 Spartan squad produced seven first team all-conference
players and three first team all-region With every win, Coach Uschold adds
to his total as the all-time wins leader at the helm of the Missouri Baptist
program. Uschold tied the old mark of 251 career wins set in 1991 by Coach
Penning in a 4-3 win against Ashford University on March 25, 2006. Uschold
then broke the all time wins total later that day with a 6-1 victory over
Ashford in game two of the double header. American Midwest Conference Coach
of the Year in 2008 was the fourth time he had received the honor. He was
also named following the 2003 & 2004 & 2007 seasons. In 2003 Uschold
was tabbed the Region V Coach of the Year and was a finalist for the NAIA
National Coach of the Year. His teams have participated in seven Region
V baseball Tournaments and made it to the semifinals four times and won
their first Regional Championship in program history in 2008. They advanced
to the Super Regional where they lost two close games to Oklahoma City University
which finished third at the NAIA World Series.
His teams have been ranked consistently in the top 20 in the NAIA and his 2003 squad was ranked as high as #2 in the nation. Coach Uschold has served as the chair for the AMC baseball coaches and completed his fifth year as the Chair for the Region V coaches in 2008. Uschold is the most decorated coach in Missouri Baptist University athletic history and also is the longest tenured head coach of any sport in the school’s 45 year history.
Uschold spent eight years preparing for the job of Skipper at Missouri Baptist University. Coach Uschold started his coaching journey in 1992 as a graduate assistant at Kent State University. The 1992 team was the first team since 1964 to win the Mid American Conference and qualify for the regional tournament. While coaching at Kent State, Uschold coached three future Major Leaguers. Dustin Hermanson and Travis Miller were freshmen on the “92” team and Mike Gulen was drafted after that season in the second round by the St. Louis Cardinals. Uschold worked under head Coach Danny Hall at Kent State University. Hall is currently the head baseball coach at Georgia Tech. The 1992 Kent State team ended with a 45-13 record. After his time at Kent State, Uschold moved to Tyler, Texas where he became the assistant coach at Tyler Junior College. He assisted Jon Groth in starting the program at Tyler and by the fifth season the Apaches hit .345 as a team and qualified for the regional tournament. While in Tyler, Uschold also worked for the Tyler Wildcatters of the Texas-Louisiana Professional Baseball League. Uschold also was involved with youth baseball in the summer throughout the East Texas area.
In the summer of 1997, Uschold was the head coach of the Athletes in Action team that toured Atlanta, Georgia and Central America. After his mission trip to Nicaragua and Costa Rica Uschold signed on as the assistant coach at Manchester College in North Manchester, Indiana. In one year at Manchester the team hit a school record .345, received their first regional ranking, competed in their first conference championship game and the next season sent two players to the professional ranks. This led Uschold to his first head coaching opportunity at Olivet College located in Olivet, Michigan. Uschold took over a program that had no recruiting for two years and made them competitive. He had 22 new recruits entering the school when then Athletic Director Andy Carter called to talk to him about the job at MBU. In his nine years at Missouri Baptist University, Uschold has won 344 games, coached twenty all-Americans, twenty five all-region players, 52 first team all-conference players, twenty-three conference players of the week, nineteen conference pitchers of the week, three conference Pitchers of the Year, one conference Player of the Year, six conference Newcomers of the Year, five regional pitchers of the week, five regional players of the week, one national player of the week and thirty-two players have signed professional contracts. From the 2008 squad, LHP Clayton Dill was drafted in the 35th round by the Washington Nationals and signed. First baseman Scott Talbert and catcher Lucas Hulsey signed independent contracts with the Rockford Riverhawks.
Coach Uschold is a native of Bedford Heights, Ohio. He received his undergraduate
degree from Baldwin-Wallace College in Berea, Ohio. Uschold double majored
in Business Administration and Health & Physical Education with an emphasis
in Sport Management. Kent State University in Kent, Ohio is where Uschold
received his Master’s Degree in Physical Education with an emphasis
in Athletic Administration. Coach Uschold is the assistant director of athletics,
a full time faculty member in the Health and Sport Sciences Department and
Director of Outdoor Facilities at Missouri Baptist University. He is married
to the former Ann Lester of Fairbanks, Indiana. Ann is the former Director
of Student Activities at Missouri Baptist University. The Uschold’s
reside in Manchester, Missouri. They are members of Ballwin Baptist Church
in Ballwin, Missouri and are the proud parents of Sarah Alice (5), Edward
William (3) and Elisabeth Carole (8 Months).
Assistant Coach Kenny Graser
Kenny
Graser enters his fourth year at Missouri Baptist University. Prior to his
coaching career Graser played four years at Missouri Baptist, and was an
All-Conference selection his senior year. In 2001 he graduated with a Business
Administration degree while serving as a student-assistant. Also in 2001,
he signed a free-agent contract to play in the Texas-Louisiana League in
Amarillo, TX. He also spent time with the Gateway Grizzlies in the Frontier
League.
After his playing career, Graser spent four years as an assistant coach at Panola College, located in Carthage, TX. While at Panola, he was in charge of recruiting, and worked with the infielders and hitters. During that time many of his recruits went on to play at Division Universities all over the country. Some of these schools include University of South Carolina, Texas A&M, University of Louisville, Texas Tech, University of Missouri, Louisiana Tech, Louisiana Lafayette, Northwestern State, Nicholls State, Nichols State, University of Texas San Antonio, University of Texas in Arlington, and Texas State.
In 2005 Graser had the opportunity to return to Missouri Baptist University. He is in charge of recruiting as well as working with the hitters and team defense.
In the spring of 2007 he completed his Masters degree in Education, and
will finish his teacher certification in the spring of 2008.
